Apparatus and methods for cleaning teeth and gingival pockets

• US 10,098,717 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2013
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonendo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonendo, Inc.
• Inventors: Bergheim, Bjarne, Khakpour, Mehrzad
• Primary Examiner(s): Lucchesi, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US14/391,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20150140503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,013 Days
• Field of Search: 433 81, 433 84, 433 85, 433 86, 433114, 433115, 433118, 433119, 433216, 433224, 433 80
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/0007 Control devices or systems fluid temperature control in air and water supply systems of dental machines or apparatus A61C1/0069
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/07 with vibratory drive, e.g. ultrasonic
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/02 Rinsing or air-blowing devices, e.g. using fluid jets or comprising liquid medication combined with receptacles for spittle A61C17/14; combined with power-driven cleaning or polishing devices A61C17/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/0202 Hand-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/0208 combined with means providing suction A61C17/0211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/0211 specially adapted for rinsing the teeth of at least one jaw simultaneously A61C17/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/024 with constant liquid flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/20 using ultrasonics

Abstract

Various apparatus and methods for cleaning teeth and gingival pockets are disclosed herein. A fluid platform can include a pressure wave generator configured to propagate pressure waves through a treatment fluid. The pressure waves may be sufficient to remove undesirable dental deposits from a treatment tooth, neighboring gums, and/or spaces between the tooth and gums.

Claims

1. A system for removing dental deposits from an exterior surface of one or more teeth or gum tissue in a mouth of a mammal, the system comprising:

a mouthpiece sized and shaped to be inserted into the mouth; and

an active energy outlet comprising a fluid motion source in fluid communication with the mouthpiece, the fluid motion source comprising one or more fluid ports, the fluid motion source configured to deliver liquid to the mouth and to remove liquid from the mouth through the one or more fluid ports,

wherein the active energy outlet is operable to create oscillatory movement of liquid to and from the mouth through the one or more fluid ports at variable frequencies, including oscillatory movement of liquid to and from the mouth within a first frequency range during a first treatment phase and within a second frequency range during a second treatment phase, the second frequency range differing from the first frequency range.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second frequency range includes higher frequencies than the first frequency range.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a volume of liquid moving to and from the mouth during the first treatment phase is larger than a volume of liquid moving to and from the mouth during the second treatment phase.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first treatment phase is performed before the second treatment phase.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the active energy outlet is configured to create oscillatory movement of liquid to and from the mouth at frequencies that increase over time from a first frequency in the first frequency range to a second frequency in the second frequency range.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the active energy outlet is configured to randomly change the frequencies of the oscillatory movement of liquid to and from the mouth.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the first treatment phase at least partially overlaps the second treatment phase.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the first frequency range includes frequencies in a range of about 0.1 Hz to about 20 kHz.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the second frequency range includes frequencies in a range of about 20 kHz to about 1,000 kHz.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece is shaped to conform to a maxillary or a mandibular arch.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece comprises a switch configured to activate the active energy outlet.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the switch is configured to activate the active energy outlet when the mammal bites on the mouthpiece.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fluid driver and a control mechanism configured to control the operation of the fluid driver.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the control mechanism is configured to balance an amount of liquid delivered to the mouth and removed from the mouth during a cleaning procedure.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the control mechanism is configured to at least partially fill the mouth with liquid in a start-up phase of a treatment procedure.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a sensor configured to monitor a pressure of the liquid in the mouth.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the active energy outlet further comprises a pressure wave generator configured to generate pressure waves in the liquid.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the pressure wave generator comprises a liquid jet device.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising at least one pump that provides pressurized liquid to the liquid jet device.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the fluid motion source comprises a pump that drives the liquid to the one or more ports.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein, during the first treatment phase, the pump is activated to supply liquid through the one or more ports at frequencies in the first frequency range while the pressure wave generator is inactivated, and wherein, during the second treatment phase, the pump is inactivated and the pressure wave generator is activated to produce frequencies in the liquid in the second frequency range.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein volumetric movement of the liquid in the second treatment phase is less than volumetric movement of the liquid in the first treatment phase.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein, during at least a portion of one of the first and second treatment phases, the pressure wave generator and the pump are activated concurrently.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the pressure wave generator is configured to generate a broadband power spectrum with multiple discrete frequencies.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the pressure wave generator is configured to generate pressure waves having power in a range of about 10 power units to about 80 power units at frequencies in a range of about 1 Hz to about 100 kHz, wherein a power unit is defined as Log (P_acoustic²) with P_acoustic measured in micro Pascals (μ

Pa).

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the pressure wave generator is configured to generate pressure waves having power in a range of about 30 power units to about 75 power units at frequencies in a range of about 1 Hz to about 10 kHz.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the pressure wave generator is configured to generate pressure waves having power in a range of about 10 power units to about 30 power units at frequencies in a range of about 1 kHz to about 100 kHz.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the pressure wave generator is configured to generate a coherent energy beam.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the pressure wave generator comprises a laser device.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid motion source comprises a pump that drives the liquid to the one or more ports.

31. A system for removing dental deposits from an exterior surface of one or more teeth or gum tissue in a mouth of a mammal, the system comprising:

a mouthpiece sized and shaped to be inserted into the mouth;

an active energy outlet comprising a fluid motion source in fluid communication with the mouthpiece, the fluid motion source comprising one or more fluid ports, the fluid motion source configured to deliver liquid to the mouth and to remove liquid from the mouth through the one or more fluid ports; and

a control mechanism configured to control the operation of the active energy outlet,

wherein the active energy outlet is operable to create oscillatory movement of liquid to and from the mouth through the one or more fluid ports at variable frequencies,

wherein the control mechanism is configured to shut off the fluid motion source if a monitored pressure reaches a level unsafe for the mammal.

32. A method for removing dental deposits from an exterior surface of one or more teeth or gum tissue in a mouth of a mammal, the method comprising:

inserting a mouthpiece into the mouth, the mouthpiece including one or more fluid ports;

activating a fluid motion source that is in fluid communication with the mouthpiece to deliver liquid to the mouth and to remove liquid from the mouth through the one or more ports;

creating oscillatory movement of liquid to and from the mouth through the one or more ports at variable frequencies during at least first and second treatment phases, wherein creating oscillatory movement comprises;

creating oscillatory movement of liquid to and from the mouth at a first frequency range during the first treatment phase; and

creating oscillatory movement of liquid to and from the mouth at a second frequency range during the second treatment phase, the second frequency range differing from the first frequency range.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the second frequency range includes higher frequencies than the first frequency range.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein a volume of liquid moving to and from the mouth during the first treatment phase is larger than a volume of liquid moving to and from the mouth during the second treatment phase.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising performing the first treatment phase before performing the second treatment phase.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein creating oscillatory movement comprises creating oscillatory movement of liquid to and from the mouth at frequencies that increase over time from a first frequency in the first frequency range to a second frequency in the second frequency range.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the first frequency range includes frequencies in a range of about 0.1 Hz to about 20 kHz.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the second frequency range includes frequencies in a range of about 20 kHz to about 1,000 kHz.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein creating oscillatory movement comprises randomly changing the frequencies of the oscillatory movement of liquid to and from the mouth.

40. The method of claim 32, further comprising causing the mammal to bite the mouthpiece to activate the fluid motion source.

41. The method of claim 32, further comprising balancing an amount of liquid delivered to the mouth and removed from the mouth during a cleaning procedure.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising at least partially filling the mouth with liquid in a start-up phase of a treatment procedure.

43. The method of Claim 32, further comprising monitoring a pressure of the liquid in the mouth during a cleaning procedure.