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Dental separator rings and a seamless, single load cavity preparation and filling techniqueDental separator rings and a seamless, single load cavity preparation and filling technique description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080064009, Dental separator rings and a seamless, single load cavity preparation and filling technique. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001]This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/844,333 filed Sep. 13, 2006 and from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/887,291 filed Jan. 30, 2007. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH [0002]Not Applicable. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003]1. Field of the Invention [0004]The present invention relates methods for the restoration of a decayed portion of a tooth and for dental matrices, dental wedges, interdental matrix stabilizers, dental separator rings, dental curing light devices, and kits that may be used in the methods for the restoration of a decayed portion of a tooth. [0005]2. Description of the Related Art [0006]Dental cavities that have spread to the dentin or have undergone cavitation are typically treated by removing the decayed portion of the tooth and thereafter filling the missing tooth structure with a restorative material such as silver (amalgam), white (resin), porcelain, or gold. Cavities that are located adjacent to neighboring teeth are called interproximal cavities. [0007]When treating interproximal cavities, the dentist first removes the decayed portion of the side of the tooth. In order to properly deposit the restorative material on the side of the tooth without undesired leaking of the restorative material beyond the side of the tooth, the dentist places a dental matrix around at least a portion of the tooth. The dental matrix may be a metallic or plastic strip, and when the matrix is placed around at least a portion of the tooth, the matrix acts as a form for the desired shape of the restored tooth. Various dental matrix bands are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,712,608, 6,619,956, 6,350,122, 6,142,778, 6,079,978, 5,975,906, 5,807,101, 5,730,592, 5,622,496, 5,501,595, 5,460,525, 5,425,635, 5,114,341, 4,997,367, 4,781,583, 4,718,849, 4,704,087, 4,601,662, 4,553,937, 4,536,155, 4,523,909, 4,024,643, 3,842,505, 3,108,377, and 2,611,182, and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2006/0019217 and 2005/0089814. (These patents and all other patents and publications cited herein are incorporated herein by reference.) The disadvantages of these known matrix bands is that they are not truly anatomic and therefore, they must be conformed to the tooth by pressure or other means. As a result, these matrixes are inefficient in that more dentist time is needed to complete the restoration, and the final result may be a non-anatomic restoration. [0008]One or more dental wedges may be used to spread adjacent teeth to allow the dental matrix to be positioned between the adjacent teeth. The dental wedge(s) may also function as a matrix stabilizer that maintains the matrix in a desired position with respect to the tooth to be restored. Various dental wedges are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,890,176, 6,761,562, 6,482,007, 6,435,874, 6,425,760, 6,234,792, 5,527,181, 5,104,317, 4,468,199, 4,337,041, 4,259,070 and D439,667. [0009]A dental separator ring may also be used when filling interproximal cavities. The separator ring applies pressure against the adjacent teeth to force the adjacent teeth apart to allow a dental matrix to be positioned between the adjacent teeth. The dental separator ring may also include specially configured ends that also function as a matrix stabilizer that maintains the matrix in a desired position with respect to the tooth to be restored. Example dental separator rings can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,325,625, 6,206,697 and 5,607,302. [0010]A dentist may choose to use curable restorative material to fill the interproximal cavity. Many curable dental restorative materials harden by polymerization reactions initiated by ultraviolet light or blue wavelengths. After placing curable restorative material between the matrix and the tooth being restored and in contact with the tooth being restored, the dentist uses a dental curing light device to direct light onto the curable restorative material to initiate polymerization of the curable restorative material. The curable restorative material then hardens in the cavity. Example dental lights and light curing devices can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,097,364, 6,976,841, 6,155,823, 6,162,055, and 5,017,140 and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2006/0275733, 2006/0275732, 2006/018835, 2006/0155171, 2006/0154197, 2006/0110700, 2006/0088798, 2004/0229186 and 2004/0053189. [0011]Even though various dental matrices, dental wedges and dental curing light devices are available, there is a still a need for improved methods for the restoration of a decayed portion of a tooth and for improved dental matrices, dental wedges, interdental matrix stabilizers, separator rings, dental curing light devices, and kits that may be used in methods for the restoration of a decayed portion of a tooth. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0012]The invention meets the foregoing needs by providing improved methods, dental matrices, dental wedges, interdental matrix stabilizers, dental separator rings, dental curing light devices, and kits for the restoration of a decayed portion of a tooth. [0013]The invention provides a method for the restoration of a tooth having an original shape including a top surface and an interproximal surface. In the method, a portion of the top surface of the tooth and a portion of the interproximal surface of the tooth are removed using conventional dental instruments to form a hollow cavity preparation that extends from the top surface to the interproximal surface of the tooth. The hollow cavity preparation is preferably saucer shaped wherein the cavity preparation does not extend inward more than two millimeters from the interproximal surface of the tooth. The removed portion of the interproximal surface of the tooth is then surrounded with a sectional translucent (preferably transparent) anatomic dental matrix. The actual anatomic shapes of the matrix are created from scans of natural teeth, molds of natural teeth, and/or molds of tooth models. Thus, by "anatomic", it is meant that the matrix has an inner surface that conforms to the shape of the outer surface of the region of the natural tooth being restored. [0014]A lightly filled or unfilled light curable resin tooth bonding agent is then applied to the tooth covering the entire cavity preparation. The resin tooth bonding agent is then air thinned except on the tooth surface where a small pool of resin tooth bonding agent is maintained. The resin tooth bonding agent is not light cured at this point. A light-curable flowable composite is injected into the cavity preparation to create a pool of the flowable composite and the tooth bonding agent in the cavity preparation. A light-curable paste composite resin is then extruded into the pool of the flowable composite and the tooth bonding agent before light curing the pool of the flowable composite. The flowable composite and the paste composite resin and the tooth bonding agent contained in the cavity preparation are then light cured simultaneously. The result is an injection molded restoration. Optionally, a curable base material can be loaded into deeper cavity preparations to cover the dentin. The curable base material is cured before beginning the injection molding process. Preferably, the cured base material is about two millimeters from the projected outer tooth surface of the restoration. [0015]In one version of the method, a pre-wedging step occurs in that a wedge is inserted between the interproximal surfaces of the teeth before beginning the cavity preparation. This creates a gap between the interproximal surface of the tooth being restored and the interproximal surface of a second tooth, and also protects and compresses the soft tissue and rubber dam. The wedge is removed, and thereafter the removed portion of the interproximal surface of the tooth is surrounded with the matrix. A translucent elastic matrix stabilizer can also be positioned in contact with the matrix to maintain contact of the matrix with the tooth being restored. A separator ring can also be positioned in contact with the matrix stabilizer to create separation between the interproximal surface of the tooth being restored and an interproximal surface of a second tooth adjacent the tooth being restored. [0016]During the curing process, light is directed at the top surface of the tooth, the buccal portion of the interproximal surface of the tooth, and the lingual portion of the interproximal surface of the tooth. Preferably, curing light is simultaneously directed at the buccal portion and the lingual portion of the interproximal surface of the tooth. [0017]Thus, in the method of the invention, a single load of restorative material can be cured in a single step to produce a seamless cavity restoration. [0018]In one aspect, the invention provides a method for the restoration of a tooth having an original shape including a top surface and an interproximal surface. In the method, a portion of the top surface of the tooth and a portion of the interproximal surface of the tooth are removed to form a hollow cavity preparation which extends from the top surface to the interproximal surface of the tooth. The removed portion of the interproximal surface of the tooth is surrounded with a matrix. A light-curable resin tooth bonding agent is placed into the cavity preparation. A light-curable flowable composite is then injected into the cavity preparation to create a pool of the flowable composite in the cavity preparation. A light-curable paste composite resin is then extruded into the pool of the flowable composite before light curing the pool of the flowable composite. The bonding agent and the flowable composite and the paste composite resin contained in the cavity preparation are then simultaneously light cured. [0019]The dental practitioner may utilize an acid etching step with liquid and/or gel phosphoric acid treatment before placing the bonding agent into the cavity preparation. Preferably, the bonding agent is self-etching. The method can include a pre-wedging step including inserting a wedge pre-operatively between the interproximal surface of the tooth being restored and an interproximal surface of a second tooth adjacent the tooth being restored to separate the tooth being restored and the second tooth and to protect non-diseased surfaces between the interproximal surface of the tooth being restored and the interproximal surface of the second tooth. The cavity preparation can then be formed, and the wedge removed. [0020]The dental practitioner may position a translucent elastic matrix stabilizer in contact with the matrix to maintain contact of the matrix with the tooth being restored and/or to create separation of the teeth. The dental practitioner may also position a separator ring with a transparent and anatomic interproximal zone in contact with the matrix stabilizer and matrix to create separation between the interproximal surface of the tooth being restored and an interproximal surface of a second tooth adjacent the tooth being restored. Continue reading about Dental separator rings and a seamless, single load cavity preparation and filling technique... Full patent description for Dental separator rings and a seamless, single load cavity preparation and filling technique Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Dental separator rings and a seamless, single load cavity preparation and filling technique patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. 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