Dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus

• US 6,485,304 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2001
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ferton Holding SA
• Original Assignee: Ferton Holding SA
• Inventors: Wittmann, Jörg, Beerstecher, Lutz
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Cary E.
• Application Number:
  US09/867,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20020004188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 433/80, 433/88, 433/82, 433/87
• US Class Current: 433/88
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 3/025 Instruments acting like a sandblast machine, e.g. for cleaning, polishing or cutting teeth

Abstract

A dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus is provided with an interconnected handpiece having a nozzle arrangement which is supplied with a dental powder as stored in a powder reservoir and delivered under pressure by a gaseous carrier medium via a powder supply line together with a fluid that is supplied via a separate fluid supply line. The apparatus is provided with a separate fluid receptacle or bottle which is filled with a flushing or rinsing liquid for being selectively supplied to the nozzle arrangement of the handpiece via a branch line having a change-over directional valve downstream of a suction pump for supplying the flushing or rinsing liquid to the portion of the fluid supply line that is directly connected with the handpiece.

Claims

1. A dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus, comprising:

a powder reservoir for storing a dental powder which in common with a gaseous carrier medium is supplied via a powder supply line to a nozzle arrangement of a handpiece together with a fluid which is supplied via a separate fluid supply line, the handpiece being operatively connected with the apparatus;

a separate fluid receptacle or bottle which is exchangeably arranged on the exterior of the apparatus for storing a flushing or rinsing fluid which is provided for being selectively supplied to the nozzle arrangement of the handpiece separately from or in common with a supply of the mixture of the dental powder and the gaseous carrier medium;

a branch line of said fluid supply line which is adapted for being connected to said separate fluid receptacle or bottle via a change-over directional valve which is adapted for being selectively switched to a control position in which the flushing or rinsing fluid is supplied to the jet or nozzle arrangement of the handpiece via a junction at a position downstream of said change-over directional valve at which said branch line further extends to a portion of said fluid supply line which terminates in said nozzle arrangement of the handpiece; and

a suction pump which is arranged in said branch line at a position upstream of said change-over directional valve, the suction pump being switched-on when said change-over directional valve is adjusted to said control position so that the flushing or rinsing fluid will be sucked-off from said separate fluid receptacle or bottle for being supplied to said nozzle arrangement of the handpiece via said interconnected portion of the fluid supply line downstream of said change-over directional valve which then will interrupt said upstream portion of the fluid supply line.

2. The dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said separate fluid receptacle or bottle comprises a closure means which is adapted for being screw-connected with a fitting on the exterior of the apparatus.

3. The dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said closure means of the separate fluid receptacle or bottle comprises an interconnected ventilating duct.

4. The dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said separate fluid receptacle or bottle is filled with a suspension of a dental powder containing antimicrobial or bacteriostatic additives that contribute to a remineralisation of the teeth when added with an amount acting non-toxing on the human organism.

5. The dental abrasive or blasting jet apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said suspension is formed with sodiumbicarbonate or with hydroxylapatite as a base powder.

6. The dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said separate fluid receptacle or bottle is filled with a suspension of a dental powder containing antimicrobial or bacteriostatic additives that contribute to a remineralisation of the teeth when added with an amount acting non-toxing on the human organism.

7. The dental abrasive or blasting jet apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said suspension is formed with sodiumbicarbonate or with hydroxylapatite as a base powder.

8. The dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said separate fluid receptacle or bottle is filled with water, in particular with demineralised water.

9. The dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said separate fluid receptacle or bottle is filled with a suspension of a dental powder containing antimicrobial or bacteriostatic additives that contribute to a remineralisation of the teeth when added with an amount acting non-toxing on the human organism.

10. The dental abrasive or blasting jet apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said suspension is formed with sodiumbicarbonate or with hydroxylapatite as a base powder.

11. The dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said separate fluid receptacle or bottle is filled with a prophylactic flushing or rinsing liquid containing antimicrobiological or bacteriostatic additives that contribute to a demineralisation of the teeth when added with an amount acting non-toxic on the human organism, such additives being selected

from the group of the quartenary amonioum compounds; and/or

from the group comprising the salts of bisquanidine, such as chlorohexidine and its salts, bispyridine, such as octenidinehydrochloride, and the specific amine salts, namely octapinol and delmopinol; and

/or

from the group comprising vegetable extracts, such as camomile, sage, myrrh, ratanhia, clove, sanguinarine, fenel, mint, thyme, menthol and allantoine;

from the group of metallic iones, such as iones of strontium and tin, and the iones of transition metals, such as copper and zinc;

from the group of compounds setting free oxygen and comprising peroxides, percarbonates, perborates, percarboamides, peroxomonosufates and peroxidisulfates;

from the group of the phenoles and polyphenoles, such as thymol and triclosan.

12. The dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the prophylactic flushing or rinsing liquid contains 0.01 to 5.0 percent by weight chlorohexidine and 0.01 to 5.0 percent by weight amine fluoride.

13. The dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the prophylactic flushing or rinsing liquid contains 0.01 to 3.0 percent by weight sodium chloride, 0.01 to 2.5 percent by weight potassium sulfate, 0.01 to 5.0 percent by weight sodiumnitrate and 0.01 to 5.0 percent by weight sodiumbicarbonate as mixed with essential oils and vegetable extracts.

14. The dental abrasive blasting or jet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said separate fluid receptacle or bottle is filled with a suspension of a dental powder containing antimicrobial or bacteriostatic additives that contribute to a remineralisation of the teeth when added with an amount acting non-toxing on the human organism.

15. The dental abrasive or blasting jet apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said suspension is formed with sodiumbicarbonate or with hydroxylapatite as a base powder.