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Prophylaxis cup having perlite particles, methods of forming and method of use

Prophylaxis cup having perlite particles, methods of forming and method of use description/claims

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/482,550, filed Jun. 25, 2003.

Not Applicable

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a disposable prophylaxis cup formed of a silicone elastomer having perlite particles incorporated therein. The present invention also relates to a method of forming a prophylaxis cup of a silicone elastomer having perlite particles uniformly distributed throughout. In addition, the present invention relates to a method of using a prophylaxis cup formed of a silicone elastomer having perlite particles to clean and polish teeth.

(2) Description of the Related Art

The related art has described disposable prophylaxis cups formed of a silicone elastomer incorporated with pumice material as an abrasive for use in cleaning teeth. Illustrative is U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,020 to Eckert.

The related art has also described the use of perlite in various dental tools as an abrasive material for cleaning teeth. Perlite is a naturally occurring siliceous rock. In particular, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0084534 A1 to Kaizuka describes a toothbrush with bristles containing a far-infrared emitting material and multi-element minerals. One of the multi-element minerals is perlite. In addition, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0074031 A1 to Davies et al. describes a toothbrush having a resilient element for whitening and polishing the teeth. The resilient element is constructed of an elastomer into which is incorporated perlite. The perlite can be crude or non-expanded perlite but is preferably expanded perlite.

Also of interest are U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2003/0224702 A1 and 2003/0203337 A1 both to Roulston which describe a polishing composition using unexpanded perlite ore and methods of using the polishing composition such as to polish teeth.

It is also known in the art to use perlite in prophylaxis pastes for cleaning and polishing teeth as shown in the article entitled “Advances in Abrasive Technology in Prophylaxis Pastes”, Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry, Vol. 23: 1 (2002), pp. 61-70. 3M ESPE Dental Products of St. Paul, Minn. manufactures a paste having perlite under the trademark ClinPro™ Prophy.

Finally, it is known in the art to use either a 2-roll mill or a low intensity type mixer such as a 1-arm or a 2-arm mixer to mix the abrasives into the silicone elastomer to form the compound for the prophylaxis cup. This method has worked in the past since previously the abrasives used in the prophylaxis cups were discrete particles with no tendency to agglomerate. However, the use of perlite as the abrasive has necessitated a change in the method of forming the prophylaxis cups.

Thus, there remains a need for a disposable prophylaxis cup and for a method for forming the prophylaxis cup where perlite particles are incorporated into the prophylaxis cup and where the prophylaxis cup when rotating, disintegrated under load upon contact with the teeth to release the perlite particles to clean and polish the teeth.

A prophylaxis cup formed of a silicone elastomer having perlite particles incorporated therein as an abrasive material. To form the prophylaxis cup, the silicone and perlite particles are mixed together to form a compound. In one (1) embodiment, the perlite particles make up between about 30 and 36 percent by weight of the compound used to form the prophylaxis cup. The compound having the silicone and perlite particles is passed through a 3-roll mill so that the perlite particles are reduced to a predetermined size and are evenly or uniformly distributed throughout the prophylaxis cup. Next, the compound is placed in a preheated mold and molded under heat and pressure. The prophylaxis cup is then removed from the mold and is post-cured. Finally, the prophylaxis cup is cryogenically deflashed by bombarding the prophylaxis cup with plastic bb's. The deflashing alters the surface of the prophylaxis cup so that the prophylaxis cup begins to disintegrate more quickly during use upon contact with the teeth.

The disposable prophylaxis cup is used to clean and polish the teeth. First, the prophylaxis cup is removably mounted on a prophylaxis angle and the prophylaxis angle is activated to rotate the prophylaxis cup. Next, the prophylaxis cup is positioned on the teeth so that the axis of the cup is perpendicular to the surface of the tooth. The prophylaxis cup is moved along the patient's teeth from tooth to tooth. As the prophylaxis cup is moved along the patient's teeth, the rotational contact of the prophylaxis cup with the teeth under load causes the prophylaxis cup to disintegrate. As the prophylaxis cup disintegrates, the perlite particles are separated from the prophylaxis cup. The perlite particles and the moisture on the teeth form a slurry between the prophylaxis cup and the teeth. As the prophylaxis cup is moved along the teeth, the slurry acts as a cleaning and polishing agent and removes stains from the teeth. The perlite particles in the slurry continue to contact the teeth and break down into smaller perlite particles. The smaller perlite particles act as a polishing agent for the final stage of the polishing procedure.

The present invention relates to a disposable prophylaxis cup for cleaning and polishing teeth, which comprises: a silicone elastomer; and perlite particles incorporated in the silicone elastomer as an abrasive material.

Further, the present invention relates to a method for cleaning and polishing teeth, which comprises the steps of: providing a disposable prophylaxis cup including a silicone elastomer having perlite particles as an abrasive material incorporated therein; providing a prophylaxis angle; mounting the prophylaxis cup on the prophylaxis angle; positioning the prophylaxis cup adjacent the teeth; activating the prophylaxis angle such that the prophylaxis cup rotates; moving the prophylaxis cup into contact with the teeth wherein the prophylaxis cup begins to disintegrate and the perlite particles in the prophylaxis cup are gradually separated from the prophylaxis cup so that a slurry having the perlite particles is formed between the teeth and the prophylaxis cup; and moving the prophylaxis cup along the teeth wherein the slurry between the prophylaxis cup and the teeth acts as a cleaning and polishing agent to clean and polish the teeth as the prophylaxis cup is moved along the teeth.

Still further, the present invention relates to a method for forming a prophylaxis cup which comprises the steps of: providing a silicone elastomer; providing perlite particles; mixing the silicone elastomer and the perlite particles so that the perlite particles are evenly dispersed into the silicone elastomer to produce a compound; providing a 3-roll mill; passing the compound through the 3-roll mill at least twice to achieve separation of any agglomerated perlite particles and to produce uniform dispersion of the perlite particles in the silicone elastomer; loading the compound into the mold and closing the mold around the compound; removing the prophylaxis cup from the mold; post curing the prophylaxis cup; and deflashing the prophylaxis cup using a cryogenic deflashing system.

The substance and advantages of the present invention will become increasingly apparent by reference to the following drawings and the description.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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