Fluid conditioning system

Abstract

A fluid conditioning system is adapted to condition the fluid used in medical and dental cutting, irrigating, evacuating, cleaning, and drilling operations. The fluid may be conditioned by adding flavors, antiseptics and / or tooth whitening agents such as peroxide, medications, and pigments. In addition to the direct benefits obtained from introduction of these agents, the laser cutting properties may be varied from the selective introduction of the various agents.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 645,427 (Att. Docket BI9694CIPPR), filed Jan. 19, 2005 and entitled FLUID CONDITIONING SYSTEM, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 696,475 (Att. Docket BI9903PR), filed Jul. 1, 2005 and entitled FLUID CONDITIONING SYSTEM, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 709,714 (Att. Docket BI9914PR), filed Aug. 19, 2005 and entitled FLUID CONDITIONING SYSTEM, the entire contents of all which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. [0002] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 033,044 (Att. Docket BI9694P), filed Jan. 10, 2005 and entitled FLUID CONDITIONING SYSTEM, the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 033,044 claims the benefit of the above-referenced U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 535,110. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicati...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023] According to another feature of the present invention, when disinfectant is routed through the lines before, during, and / or after a medical procedure, the disinfectant stays with the water or mist, as the water or mist becomes airborne and settles (i.e., condenses) on a target tissue site or on surrounding surfaces, which may include adjacent equipment within a dental / medical operating room. Bacteria growth within the lines, and from the condensation, is thereby significantly attenuated, since the disinfectant kills, stops and / or retards bacteria growth inside fluid (e.g., water) lines and / or on any moist surfaces.

Problems solved by technology

These prior art uses of water in cutting and drilling operations, however, may not have allowed for versatility, outside of, for example, the two functions of cooling and removing debris.

In particular, medication treatments, preventative measure applications, and aesthetically pleasing substances, such as flavors or aromas, may have not been possible or used during cutting or drilling operations, including those using systems with water, for example, for cooling or removing debris from a target surface.

In the case of a laser cutting operation, a disinfectant, such as iodine, could be applied to the target surface during drilling to guard against infection, but this additional disinfectant may not be commonly applied during such laser cutting operations.

In the case of an oral drilling, cutting, or therapy operation, unpleasant tastes or odors, which may be unpleasing to the patient, may be generated.

The common use of only water during this oral procedure does not mask the undesirable taste or odor.

The odor of these vaporous elements can be quite uncomfortable for the patient, and can increase trauma experienced by the patient during treatment, drilling, or cutting procedures.

Another problem exists in the prior art with bacteria growth on surfaces within dental or surgical operating rooms.

These surfaces typically are moist, a condition that can promote bacteria growth, which is undesirable.

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