Steam cleaning device and methods of use

Abstract

According to various implementations, a dental cleaning device includes a steam conduit and a cooling fluid conduit. The steam conduit has a distal tip with an opening defined therein that allows steam to be applied intraorally close to a dental implant to flush away bacteria that has colonized on or adjacent the dental implant. The cooling fluid conduit has a distal tip with an opening defined therein that allows a cooling fluid to be applied intraorally close to the dental implant following the application of the steam to cool the tissue and prevent overheating of the tissue and bone adjacent the dental implant. For example, the cooling fluid may be applied intermittently with the steam, or the cooling fluid may be applied continuously while the steam is applied intermittently, according to various implementations.

Claims

1. A method of steam cleaning an intra-oral surface of a dental implant comprising: applying steam to the intraoral surface of the dental implant for a first time period; and applying a cooling fluid to the intra-oral surface of the dental implant for a second time period, the second time period immediately following the end of the first time period, wherein the cooling fluid prevents the steam from damaging bodily tissues and bone adjacent the intra-oral dental implant surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time period is about 3 seconds and the second time period is about 2 seconds.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein steam is applied again after the application of the cooling fluid, and the cooling fluid is applied again after the second application of the steam.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a diameter of the steam applied to the intraoral surface of the dental implant is within 1 mm of a diameter of the dental implant to be sanitized by the steam.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cooling fluid has a temperature of about 98.6° F. or less.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time period begins in response to receiving a first input from a control device; and the first time period ends in response to receiving a second input from the control device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the control device comprises a timer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The device is explained in even greater detail in the following exemplary drawings. The drawings are merely exemplary to illustrate the structure of preferred devices and certain features that may be used singularly or in combination with other features. The invention should not be limited to the implementations shown.

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a dental cleaning device system according to one implementation.

(3) FIG. 2A through 2C illustrates distal tips of steam conduits according to various implementations.

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a cut-away side view of a dental implant within gum tissue according to one implementation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) According to various implementations, a dental cleaning device includes a steam conduit and a cooling fluid conduit. The steam conduit has a distal tip with an opening defined therein that allows steam to be applied intraorally close to a dental implant to flush away bacteria that has colonized on or adjacent the dental implant. The cooling fluid conduit has a distal tip with an opening defined therein that allows a cooling fluid to be applied intraorally close to the dental implant following the application of the steam to cool the tissue and prevent overheating of the tissue and bone adjacent the dental implant. For example, the cooling fluid may be applied intermittently with the steam, or the cooling fluid may be applied continuously while the steam is applied intermittently, according to various implementations. This dental cleaning device allows cleaning of implant surfaces without damaging the surfaces, which improves the chances for reintegration.

(6) FIG. 1 illustrates a dental cleaning device according to one implementation. The dental cleaning device 10 includes a cooling fluid reservoir 12, a steamer 14, a solenoid valve 16, a computer processor 18, a steam conduit 20 having a distal tip 22 with an opening 24 defined therein, and a cooling fluid conduit 26 having a distal tip 28 with an opening 30 defined therein. The steam conduit 20 extends from the distal tip 22 and the solenoid valve 16, and the solenoid valve 16 is in fluid communication with the steamer 14. The steam conduit 20 is configured for delivering steam through the opening 24. The cooling fluid conduit 26 extends between the distal tip 28 and a peristaltic pump 34, and the peristaltic pump 34 is in fluid communication with the cooling fluid reservoir 12. The cooling fluid conduit 26 is configured for delivering the cooling fluid through the opening 30.

(7) The distal tips 22, 28 are disposed adjacent each other on a hand piece 32. For example, in the implementation shown in FIG. 1, a portion of the steam conduit 20 is disposed within the hand piece 32 and a portion of the cooling fluid conduit 26 is disposed along an outer surface of the hand piece 32. In another implementation (not shown), the portion of the cooling fluid conduit 26 also may be disposed within the hand piece 32. In both implementations, the distal tips 22, 28 are disposed adjacent each other and a distal end of the hand piece 32. This arrangement of the distal tips 22, 28 allows the cooling fluid to be applied to the portion of the implant surface and the patient's tissue to which the steam is applied to prevent the steam from over-heating the patient's tissue and bone.

(8) In some implementations, the steam distal tip 24 and the cooling fluid distal tip 28 may be removably secured to the hand piece 32. The distal tips 24, 28 may be removed for cleaning/sterilization or to change the size and/or shape of the distal tips depending on the application. Various sized and shaped distal tips are shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, but other suitable shapes and sizes are within the scope of this invention.

(9) The steam opening 24 and the cooling fluid opening 30 may be defined at the end of the distal tips 22, 28 or on side surfaces thereof. For example, FIGS. 2A and 2C illustrate exemplary distal tips with openings at the end of the distal tip, and FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary distal tip with the opening on a side surface thereof. Furthermore, the openings may have the same or differently sized and shaped openings, such as circular (as shown in FIG. 2A), oval (as shown in FIG. 2B), triangular, rectangular, diamond (as shown in FIG. 2C), or other suitable shape.

(10) The distal tips 22, 28 may be formed of a metal or polymeric material, or a combination thereof.

(11) In certain implementations, the steam opening 24 is sized such that a width of the steam exiting the steam opening 24 is within about 1 millimeter of a diameter of the dental implant that is being cleaned intraorally with the dental cleaning device 10. For example, the steam opening 24 may be between about 0.1 and about 1.5 mm in diameter. In addition, during application of the steam, the steam opening 24 may be disposed between about 0.5 and about 5 mm away from the implant surface being cleaned.

(12) The solenoid valve 16 is in electrical communication with the computer processor 18 and is configured for selectively allowing steam to pass through the solenoid valve 16 to the opening 24. In some implementations, the valve 16 is opened and closed intermittently.

(13) In some implementations, the cooling fluid is applied intraorally after application of the steam to prevent the steam from cooking the patient's gum tissue. For example, the cooling fluid may have a temperature of about 98.6° F. or less.

(14) In the implementation shown in FIG. 1, the steamer 14 receives cooling fluid from the cooling fluid reservoir 12 and heats the fluid until it becomes steam. The steam then flows through the solenoid valve 16 and the steam conduit 20 (when the solenoid valve 16 is open) to the distal tip 24. However, in other implementations (not shown), the fluid supplied to the steamer 14 may be from another source that is external to the system 10 or a second reservoir that is part of the system 10. The steam may be pressurized to between about 40 and about 80 psi, according to some implementations.

(15) The solenoid valve 16 is in electrical communication with the computer processor 18, and the computer processor 18 is configured for instructing the solenoid valve 16 to open or close. In addition, the computer processor 18 may be further configured for: (1) receiving a first input requesting that the solenoid valve 16 be opened; (2) causing the solenoid valve 16 to open in response to receiving the first input; (3) receiving a second input requesting that the solenoid valve 16 be closed; and (4) causing the solenoid valve 16 to close in response to receiving the second input.

(16) The first input may be a signal resulting from the depression of a button on the hand piece 32 to which a portion of the steam conduit 20 and the cooling fluid conduit 26 are attached, according to one implementation, or from the depression of a pedal. Alternatively, the first input may be a signal from a timer that is part of the computer processor 18, and the computer processor 18 is configured for generating instructions for the solenoid valve 16 to close after steam has passed through the steam opening 24 for a preset time period. The preset time period for applying the steam may be about 3 seconds, for example. In other implementations, the preset time period may be greater or less than about 3 seconds. In another alternative implementation (not shown), the timer may be separate from the computer processor 18 but in electrical communication therewith.

(17) In certain implementations, the flow of the cooling fluid through the cooling fluid conduit 26 is controlled by the peristaltic pump 34 in electrical communication with the computer processor 18. In such implementations, the computer processor 18 is further configured for: (1) increasing a speed of the peristaltic pump 34 to cause the cooling fluid to flow through the distal end 28 of the cooling fluid conduit 26 immediately after the solenoid valve 16 has closed, and (2) decreasing the speed of the peristaltic pump 34 to cease the cooling fluid from flowing through the distal end 28 of the cooling fluid conduit 26 after the cooling fluid has passed through the cooling fluid opening 30 for a second preset time period. In other implementations, the computer processor 18 may be configured for: (1) increasing a speed of the peristaltic pump 34 to cause the cooling fluid to flow through the cooling fluid opening 30 of the cooling fluid conduit 26 immediately after the solenoid valve 16 has closed, and (2) decreasing the speed of the peristaltic pump 34 to cease the cooling fluid from flowing through the cooling fluid opening 30 of the cooling fluid conduit 26 immediately before the solenoid valve 16 is opened. And, in yet another implementation, the computer processor 18 may be configured for increasing or decreasing the speed of the peristaltic pump 34 after a preset time period. For example, the preset time period may be about 2 seconds after the steam has been applied for about 3 seconds. However, in other implementations, the preset time periods may be greater or less than this example. In other implementations, the flow of cooling fluid may be controlled by a valve or other suitable mechanism.

(18) The device 10 may also be used to apply steam extra orally, such as to sterilize or clean surfaces prior to installation within the patient's body, according to some implementations. For example, the device 10 may be useful for extra orally steaming provisionals, crowns, veneers, and implant componentry.

(19) The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular implementations only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

(20) The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of various implementations of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The implementations were chosen and described to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various implementations with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.