Application Device
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an application device and to dental methods using the device.
Background to the Invention
The inventor is aware of syringes and swabs being used in the field of dentistry in order to apply medicaments and/or substances or compositions to a substrate. However, these methods are unsatisfactory since with the use of such prior art methods hygiene is difficult to ensure at low cost because disposal of syringes is uneconomical as is sterilisation of ste lisable syringes.
Furthermore, the above methods are not usable when the medicament and/or composition or substrate to be applied is light curing, such as the base layer material applied to a dentine before a filling is applied.
Another reason why the prior art cannot be conveniently used is that contamination of material to be applied, which is in the tip, with disinfectant solution makes the application materials less predictable because of possible chemical reactions.
The inventor believes, that a need exists for an application device which is specific to the volume of medicament and/or substance or composition to be applied, which may be calibrated so as to have greater control over the volume of substance to be applied and which, in some embodiment, may be used to apply light curing substances and or any form of fluid used in dental practice.
Summary of the Invention
Thus, according to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a dental applicator for applying a medicament and/or substance or composition to a substrate, the applicator including a capillary portion, the internal diameter and length of which can be selected in relation to the volume of medicament and/or a substance or composition to be applied.
The capillary portion may be manufactured from any suitable material having minimal cohesion or adhesion properties in relation to medicament and/or substance or composition to be applied thereby to reduce the volume of medicament and/or substance or composition retained within the capillary portion after use.
The capillary portion may be manufactured from any suitable opaque or translucent material.
When working with light curing substances, such as those used as base layer material being applied to a dentine before the application of a filling, the capillary portion may be manufactured from a light filtering material thereby inhibiting curing of the light curing substances in the applicator.
The capillary portion may be calibrated, so as to facilitate application of an exact volume of substance to the substrate.
The capillary portion may, at a first end, have an applicator tip which may include a sponge, a brush, a tip shaped and dimensioned so as to administer individual drops of fluid, or any other suitable means for applying a substance to a substrate, attached to, or forming an integral part of, the applicator tip.
The capillary portion may, at a second end, have attached to it, or forming an integral part of the capillary portion, a means for drawing fluid into the capillary portion and, optionally, for subsequently forcing said fluid out of the capillary portion at its first end.
The above means may, for example, be a rubber bulb similar to that used on a pipette or it may be a piston arrangement, syringe-fashion.
Typically, the substrate is a dental substrate such as a portion of a tooth or the gums of a patient.
The capillary portion may, in the region of the second end and/or the middle section, have attached to it a reservoir for storing a substance which is to be administered to a substrate.
The reservoir may be calibrated. Different reservoirs may be attached to accommodate the mixing of different substances such as those all ready used immediately before application. Thus, a multi-compartment reservoir for multi- component substances may be used with the invention, such that, when the dividers between the various compartments are broken, mixing occurs and the reaction starts while the mixed substance is being applied.
The reservoir may have attached to it the means for drawing fluid into the capillary portion and for subsequently forcing said fluid out of the capillary portion at its first end.
At least a portion of the capillary portion may be flexible, so as to permit delicate manipulation thereof in the mouth of a patient.
Detailed Description of the Invention
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of non-limiting examples.
Figures 1 to 5 show various embodiments of an application device in accordance with the invention.
In the figures, reference numeral 10 generally indicates an application device in accordance with the invention.
The application device 10 is preferably calibrated 14, so that an operator can administer an exact volume of substance to a substrate.
The application device 10 may have various types of applicator tips 34, depending on how the operator wishes to administer a given substance.
If, for example, one wishes to administer a substance to a substrate dropwise, a pointed applicator tip 12 could be used.
If the substance is to be administered to the substrate as a continuous layer, a brush 16 or a sponge 18 could be used.
If one wishes to administer a substance to a gap between two dentines, a flat- tipped applicator tip 24 could be used.
In order to draw the substance into the application device 10, one could, for example, attach a piston 20 to the application device 10, depress the piston 20 as far as possible, dip the applicator tip 32 into the substance to be administered and then pull the piston 20 upward, away from the applicator tip 32, thereby sucking the substance to be administered into the application device 10.
Alternatively, one could attach a bulb 22 to the application device 10, dip the applicator tip 32 into the substance to be administered, apply pressure to the sides of the bulb 22, thereby compressing it and then release the pressure on the sides of the bulb 22, thereby sucking the substance to be administered into the application device 10.
In order to force the substance to be administered out of the application device 10 at the application tip 32, one could either depress the piston 20 or exert pressure on the sides of the bulb 22, depending on which embodiment of the invention one is using.
Should one wish to administer a large volume of substance to a substrate,
one could attach a reservoir 30 to one end of the application device 10, which is preferably calibrated 28 and which can be sealed off using a stopper 26.
A bulb 22 or a piston 20 could in turn be attached to the reservoir 30 in order to draw the substance to be administered into the application device 10 and to subsequently force it out of the application device 10 at the applicator tip 32.
The application device 10 can be manufactured from any suitable opaque, transparent or light filtering material.
Typically, the application device 10, broadly in accordance with the invention, is the size of a toothpick and is made from a cheap material such as polyethylene, PVC, polycarbonate, perspex, and the like so that it may be disposed of after a single use, thereby ensuring patient safety and hygiene.
It is to be appreciated that the invention is not limited to any specific embodiment or configuration as hereinbefore generally described or illustrated.