X-ray tube and receiver inside mouth

• US 9,173,623 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2014
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Moxtek Inc (Nippon Kayaku Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Moxtek Inc (Nippon Kayaku Company Limited), Samuel Soonho Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Samuel Soonho, Tirado, Victor Armando, Crawford, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yun, Jurie
• Application Number:
  US14/249,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20140341346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 378/62, 378/168, 378/193, 378/205
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4057 by using radiation sources located in the interior of the body A61B6/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/425 using detectors specially adapted to be used in the interior of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/512 Intraoral means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/542 involving control of exposure

Abstract

A method and a device for low x-ray radiation dosage while taking x-ray images of a patient'"'"'s teeth is disclosed. The method includes use of an x-ray source and receiver positioned at least partially inside the patient'"'"'s mouth. The device includes an x-ray source and receiver attached together by a bite holder and configured to both be disposed at least partially inside the patient'"'"'s mouth across a tooth while taking x-ray images of a patient'"'"'s tooth.

Claims

1. A method of taking x-rays of a patient'"'"'s tooth, the method comprising:

a. placing an x-ray emission portion of an x-ray source on one side of the tooth inside of a mouth of the patient and an x-ray image receiving portion of an x-ray receiver on an opposite side of the tooth inside the mouth, wherein;

i. the source or the receiver is between a cheek or lip of the mouth and the tooth; and

ii. the other of the source or the receiver is on an opposite side of the tooth; and

b. emitting x-rays from the source through the tooth and onto the receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a. the source is an x-ray tube; and

b. electrical power for the x-ray tube is supplied by a battery-powered, portable power supply.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tooth includes multiple teeth and the receiver records an image of multiple teeth at one time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the source is a side window x-ray tube.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a distance between the source and the tooth is less than 5 mm.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a distance between the source and the receiver is less than 20 mm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an electrical current between a cathode and an anode of the source to record a single image of the tooth is less than 1 milliamp.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein patient radiation exposure to record a single image of the tooth is less than 1 micro sievert (μ

Sv).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein radiation exposure of the patient is less than 15 micro sieverts (μ

Sv) for a full mouth series of x-rays of all of the patient'"'"'s teeth and adjacent hard tissue (FMX).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a. the source and the receiver are supported, and attached to one another, by a bite holder; and

b. the bite holder extends across a biting surface of the tooth and holds the source in position on one side of the tooth and the receiver in position on an opposite side of the tooth while x-rays are emitted through the tooth and received by the receiver.

11. An x-ray device for dental x-rays, the device comprising:

a. an x-ray source sized and configured to have at least an x-ray emission portion of the x-ray source disposed in a patient'"'"'s mouth;

b. an x-ray receiver sized and configured to have at least an x-ray image receiving portion of the x-ray receiver disposed in the patient'"'"'s mouth;

c. a bite holder attached to the x-ray source and to the x-ray receiver such that an x-ray emission window of the x-ray source faces the x-ray image receiving portion of the x-ray receiver; and

d. a gap created by the bite holder between the x-ray source and the x-ray receiver;

e. wherein the gap is sized and configured to extend across a tooth in the patient'"'"'s mouth and to hold the x-ray source on one side of the tooth and the x-ray receiver on an opposite side of the patient'"'"'s tooth.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the source is an x-ray tube and electrical power for the x-ray tube is supplied by a battery-powered, portable power supply.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the power supply is firmly mounted to the x-ray tube.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the source is a side window x-ray tube.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein a distance between the source and the tooth is less than 5 mm.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein a distance between the source and the receiver is less than 20 mm.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the source is configured to have a voltage between an anode and a cathode of less than 51 kilovolts.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the source is configured to have electrical current between a cathode and an anode of the source to record a single image of the tooth of less than 1 milliamp.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein the source is configured to expose the patient, in recording a single image of the tooth, to less than 1 micro sievert (μ

Sv) of radiation.

20. The device of claim 11, wherein the source is configured to expose the patient, in recording a full mouth series of x-rays of all of the patient'"'"'s teeth and adjacent hard tissue (FMX), to less than 15 micro sieverts.