Medical-dental instruments

(54) Title: DENTAL MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS. (57) Summary:

(30) Unionist Priority: 21/02/2007 nl 10333434 (73) Owner (s): Vibringe BV

(72) Inventor (s): Pieter Johannes Wouter Brokx (74) Attorney (s): Dannemann, Siemsen, Bigler & Ipanema Moreira (86) International order: pct NL2008000050 of 20/02/2008 (87) International publication: wo 2008 / i03030of 08/28/2008

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Invention Patent Descriptive Report for DENTAL MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS.

The present invention relates, in general, to dental medical instruments.

When a dentist is going to fill a molar and, particularly, when treating a root canal, it is common for him to rinse the molar cavity or the root canal, respectively, for example, to remove grains and / or debris (for example, bacteria), that result during drilling or previous scraping actions. For this purpose, he has a type of syringe, that is, a plunger in a cylinder, with a fine needle whose end is placed in the molar or root canal, respectively. The dentist presses the plunger, which presses the rinse liquid out of the cylinder, and sprays a small jet of washing liquid through the needle into the root canal cavity. The quality of the final result of the treatment, for example, the filling of the root canal, depends, among other things, on a well-executed washing action: in case the washing is not carried out correctly and disorders or bacteria remain in place, it is possible that, for example, example, inflammations arise.

It has been revealed that the quality of the washing action depends on an important degree of the skill of the dentist in question. If it produces a washing jet that is very strong, for example, using ultrasonic washing techniques, there is a chance of damaging the soft tissue of the tooth. On the other hand, an insufficiently strong jet has an insufficient cleaning action.

It has been found that, under normal circumstances, the cleaning effect of a washing action is generally not 100%, but that the cleaning effect can be improved by the vibration of the cleaning spray. This improvement in the cleaning effect is known in itself, and the state of the art involves a bulky, complicated and expensive device to generate an ultrasonic vibration, which is transferred to the piston / cylinder combination by means of one or more hoses.

These hoses make it difficult to handle the Ia2 pod syringes.

In addition, a problem with an approach according to the state of the art is that the tip of the fine sprinkler needle vibrates disorderly in the transverse direction, and thus can disorderly reach the root canal wall to be treated, which is not only unpleasant, but it can also lead to damage to healthy tissues.

The present invention aims to eliminate, or at least reduce the mentioned problems. More particularly, the present invention aims to provide a simplification and a relative reduction in the cost of the instrument, which can be easily handled and is capable of effectively providing a vibrant cleaning jet with a good cleaning effect.

According to an important aspect of the present invention, the washing syringe is provided with a simple vibrating motor, which is powered by a battery. Experiments have shown that good results can be achieved in this way.

These and other aspects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention, will be further clarified by the following descriptions, with reference to the drawings in which the same numeral references indicate the same or similar piece, and in which:

figure 1 schematically shows a longitudinal section of a possible modality of a washing instrument proposed by the present invention;

figure 2 schematically shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a washing instrument according to the present invention;

figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a vibrating part; figures 4A and 4B illustrate a base station;

figure 5 is a schematic perspective view showing details of a coupling between the plunger and the vibrating part.

A washing instrument 1 according to the present invention is shown schematically in figure 1, to illustrate its operating principle. The washing instrument 1 comprises two parts that can be coupled together, that is, a spray part 20 and a vibration part 30.

The spray part 20, which can be made of at least a partially transparent plastic, comprises a hollow cylindrical body 21 with an axial displacement piston 22 accommodated within it. The cylindrical body 21, also indicated as the cylinder, has an entrance end 23 with wings or flanges that extend outwardly 24, typically suitable for the user (dentist) to place both fingers behind them, on opposite sides of the cylindrical body 21. On the opposite side, the cylindrical body 21 has an outlet nozzle 29, with a sprinkler needle 25 attached to it, typically screwed on, typically suitable for placement in a hollow root canal (and also indicated as a sprinkler nozzle or needle). The spray nozzle is shown only schematically in the drawing, as its design is already known by itself. In more detail, it can be noted that the spray nozzle is typically fitted with a fine hollow metal needle, which is attached to the outlet nozzle 29 moments before use. As the needles and the attachment thereof to the outlet nozzle 29, they are known in themselves, and the usual needles and cylindrical bodies can be used when implementing the present invention. As will become clearer later, the only necessary adaptation for the usual sprinkler parts is the ease of coupling to be arranged for the plunger and the coupling to the vibration generator.

The washing liquid 26 is located in the cylindrical body 21, between the outlet 25 and the plunger 22. The washing liquid proven for this purpose is sodium hypochlorite, but other compositions are also conceivable. If a pressure force is exerted on the plunger 22 in the direction of the needles 25, the plunger 22 is moved towards the needle 25, pressing the washing liquid 26 out of the needle 25, in such a way that a washing jet (not shown) ) flows out of needle 25, as will be clear to a person skilled in the art.

On its free side, directed away from needle 25, the plunger 22 is provided with an coupling member 27, which in this example is implemented as a hole with an internal thread. Other modalities will also be possible, as it will be clear to a person skilled in the art, for example, a bayonet hitch is mentioned here. A preferred and particularly favorable modality will be discussed later.

The vibrating part 30 comprises a housing 31 which on one side (in this example the right end) is provided with a second coupling member 32 for coupling with the first coupling member 27 of the piston 22. In this embodiment, this second coupling member coupling 32 is implemented as a pen provided with an external thread, which can thus be screwed into the plunger 22.

The shape of the housing 31 is not crucial. However, for greater comfort of use, the housing, for example, has an elongated cylindrical shape, with a diameter in the order of about 2 to 5 cm. The length is preferably in the order of about 10 to 15 cm. During use, the user can then place his thumb on the rear face 33 opposite the pen 32.

The pen 32 is preferably substantially aligned with the geometric axis of the housing 31. As a result, when the spray part 20 and the vibrating part 30 are coupled together, these elongated parts are mutually aligned.

A vibration motor 34 is mounted in housing 31. The vibration motor is a relatively small motor, with dimensions in the order of a few centimeters. The vibration motor can be installed as a motor with an eccentrically mounted weight on the output shaft. In an appropriate embodiment, use can be made of vibration motors as they are known for use in electric toothbrushes.

In place of a motor (that is, a device with a rotating output shaft), a vibration generator of another type can be used. For example, a vibration generator at the base of a piezo element is mentioned here, or a vibration generator at the base of a loudspeaker coil (linear vibration in an electric field).

In addition, a battery 35 is mounted in a battery chamber of the housing 31, which supplies the electric energy to the vibration generator 34. The size of the battery (as well as the type of battery) is adapted to the voltage requirements of the generator vibration 34 and the dimensions of the housing 31. The housing 31 can be provided with a detachable cover or the like in order to be able to replace the battery 35 when discharged, but this is not shown. Alternatively, it is possible that battery 35 is a rechargeable battery, and that the housing is provided with an electrical connector connecting an external charger, but this is also not shown. Finally, it is possible that the vibrating part 30 is used as a disposable part, which is segregated when the battery is discharged.

To activate the motor 34, a switch 36 is mounted in the housing 31, which can be operated by a user. To activate the switch 36, the housing has an opening 37, with a flexible sealing member 38 mounted on it, for example, made of rubber or silicone.

The electrical wiring required in the housing 31 is not shown for the sake of simplicity. Only the functional relationship between battery 35, switch 36 and motor 34 is shown schematically, and therefore switch 36 is shown between battery 35 and motor 34, but it can be clear that this does not mean that switch 36 has to be physically placed between battery 35 and engine 34.

The operation is as follows. The dentist has available a supply of multiple spray parts 20, individually packed in a hermetically sealed package, for hygiene reasons. When the dentist is, for example, treating a root canal and if he intends to wash this canal, he takes a spray piece 20 from its airtight packaging and connects stylus 32 of the vibration piece 35 to the plunger 22 of the piece of sprinkling 20. Then he applies needle 25. To fill the cylinder 21, he presses the plunger 22 to the rear part of the cylinder 21, places the needle in a container with the washing liquid to be used, and pulls the plunger 22 towards the inlet end 23, sucking the liquid 26 through needle 25 into cylinder 21. It activates switch 36 to start the engine 34.0 engine provides a low frequency vibration in the vibration part 30, whose frequency can, for example, be in the range of about 1 Hz to about 3000 Hz, although higher or lower frequencies are not discarded, in any case, the vibration is substantially less than the ultrasonic. The generated vibration is transferred to the spray part 20 through the stylus 32 and the coupling members 28, 27 cooperating with each other, eventually resulting in a vibration of the needle 25.

The wash treatment is now applied in the usual way. The needle 25 is placed in the root canal to be treated and the dentist presses the housing 31, causing the plunger 32 to be pressed in the direction of the needle 25 and a jet of washing liquid exits the needle 25. Due to the vibrations generated in the piece of spray 20 and needle 25, the jet of the washing liquid will also vibrate, resulting in the desired improvement in the cleaning effect.

If desired, the above is repeated one or more times.

After performing the washing action, the dentist can turn off the spray motor 34 again and disconnect the spray piece 20 from the vibration piece 30. The spray piece 20, including needle 25 can be segregated, the vibration piece 30 can be used for the treatment of multiple washes.

Figure 2 shows schematically a perspective view of a preferred mode of the washing instrument, usually indicated with the numerical reference 100. In this preferred embodiment, the vibration part, indicated by numerical reference 130, is implemented as a cylindrical housing part and elongated 101, with its back side forming a ring 102, suitable for a dentist to place his thumb through it. In the front part of ring 102, where ring 102 couples the housing part 101, ring 102 on its inner face is provided with a pressure switch 103, controlling the motor (not shown). Through this, the important advantages are combined so that the dentist has a good grip on the washing instrument, and so that the motor is started automatically when the dentist exerts sufficient pressure on the vibrating part 130, and thus for the switch pressure 103, press the plunger 22 towards needle 25.

Preferably, a rechargeable battery is incorporated in the vibration part 130. In principle, it is possible for a common battery to be used, but it is considered a disadvantage that it is necessary to open the vibration part 130 regularly to replace the battery. Also in the case of a rechargeable battery, you can choose to change the battery when discharged, but preferably use a remote charge. For this purpose, the vibrating part 130 is preferably provided with a receiving coil for electromagnetic energy, and the ring 102 offers the advantage of being perfectly suited to accommodate the receiving coil. Since remote charging of rechargeable batteries via a transmission coil and a receiving coil is known in itself, no further explanation is needed.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the vibrating part 130, removed from the cylinder 21. Around the front part 110 of the cylindrical part of the housing 101, which is pressed on the cylinder 21 during use, a metal sleeve 111 is provided preferably for protection. At the front end of the cylindrical housing part 101, a coupling member 120 is arranged, which will be described later.

To charge the rechargeable battery in the vibrating part 130, the present invention proposes a base station 200, of which figure 4A shows a schematic view in perspective. Figure 4B shows a comparable perspective view, now with the vibration part 130 applied. In this embodiment, the base station 200 is generally rectangular in shape, with an upper surface 205, in which an elongated recess 201 is formed to accommodate the cylindrical housing piece 101.

At one end, the elongated recess 201 connects to a circular recess 202 to accommodate ring 102. Centrally within circular recess 202, base station 200 has table 203 extending above upper surface 205, on which table is located a transmission coil (not shown) for the transfer of electromagnetic energy. A connection for electronics at base station 200 is shown at 204. Due to the design of the table 203 extending inside the ring 102, on which the transmission coil is arranged, a good electromagnetic coupling is achieved.

Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view showing details of a preferred design for the coupling between the front part 110 of the cylindrical housing part 101 of the vibration part 130 and the piston 22 in the cylinder 21. In this preferred design, the plunger 22, in its rear part (directed away from the needle 25) is provided with coupling members 150 comprising a disk-shaped conveyor 151 with gripping arms 152 arranged along the circumference, mutually opposed, and directed substantially parallel to geometric axes of cylinder 21, the gripping arms 152 at their ends being provided with projections molded in burr or molded in an arrow shape internally extended 153. The number of gripping arms 152 in the figure, in variants A and B and shown as being equal to 2, but this number may be even greater. The gripping arms can be free (variant A) or can be flanked by a pair of support members 154 (variant B). For cooperation with this pair of coupling members 150, a coupling member 120 arranged at the end of the cylindrical housing part 101 preferably has the shape of an axial stylus 121 with an oblique and rounded face 122 and a gripping edge 123, behind the which burr-shaped or arrow-shaped projections 153 of gripping arms 152 can be coupled.

An advantage of this design is that it is a relatively simple and economical design, which makes it possible for the vibrating part 130 to be coupled to the piston 22 by a force that presses directly and axially (see details C, where cylinder 21 is left for out of simplicity). During use, the plunger 22 is firmly attached to and by the cylinder 21, it cannot come loose with vibration. After use, the vibrating part 130 with the plunger 22 is pulled out of the cylinder 21. In the modality with two gripping arms 152 opposite each other, where the inner surfaces 155 directed towards each of the other gripping arms 152 are mutually parallel surfaces, the plunger 22 can then simply be disengaged from the coupling member 120 of the vibrating part 130 by a displacement parallel to these interior surfaces 155, thus, perpendicular to the drawing plane in detail C.

It is noticed that the plunger 22 comprises a fitting 160, along the front face of the plunger, for example, made of rubber or silicone or other suitable material, and which is in contact with the washing liquid and makes a sealing of the liquid with respect to cylinder 21. This slot 160 is attached to the disc-shaped carrier 151, as shown in detail C.

In a preferred embodiment, a lighting element, typically an LED, is arranged on the front part 110 of the cylindrical housing part 101 of the vibration part 130. This LED can be powered from the same battery that powers the motor, and can be switched ON / OFF simultaneously with the motor or via a separate switch (not shown). The lighting element can be arranged in any position on the front piece 110 of the cylindrical housing part 101, more advantageously, the LED is located on the end face 112 of the front piece 110 of the cylindrical housing part 101, as shown in figure 4B and in figure 5 in detail A. For this purpose, a hole can be provided in the end face 112, in which the LED fits, if desired, a plate with transparent cover (not shown) can be arranged on the LED.

The lighting element 140 provides the dentist with additional light in the patient's mouth, so that he can see clearly where he places the needle 25. In addition, the lighting element 140 provides illumination of the liquid level in the (transparent) cylinder 21 , so that the dentist can see very well how much he pressed the plunger 22 into the cylinder 21. It is advantageous if the plunger body 22, especially the disc-shaped conveyor 151 and the slot 160, are made of a transparent material10.

It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the exemplary modalities and discussed above, but that various modalities and modifications are possible within the scope of protection of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

For example, it is possible that a jet of vibrant liquid is used for a reason other than washing a root canal. It is also possible that the instrument with the vibrating needle is intended to be used to give injections.