SYSTEM, DEVICE AND PROCESS FOR COOLING DENTAL RESTORATION PARTS

Abstract

A system of a dental restoration part or several dental restoration parts, and/or with a dental restoration part which is possibly embedded in a muffle, and a cooling device is provided. The cooling device comprises cooling bodies as bulk material and a movement device by means of which cooling bodies and the dental restoration part(s) may be moved relative to one another.

Claims

1. A system for cooling one or more dental restoration parts, and/or one or more dental restoration parts embedded in a muffle comprising a cooling device, one or more dental restoration parts, wherein the cooling device comprises cooling bodies (14) as bulk material and a movement device by which cooling bodies (14) and the dental restoration part(s) (12) may be moved relative to one another.

2. A system for cooling one or more dental restoration parts, and/or one or more dental restoration parts embedded in a muffle comprising a cooling device, one or more dental restoration parts, wherein the cooling device comprises cooling bodies (14) as bulk material, and wherein the cooling device (19) comprises a trickle opening (40) for the cooling bodies (14), above and/or below the one or more dental restoration parts (12).

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movement device comprises a movement element which is intended to move the cooling bodies (14) together with the one or more dental restoration parts in a relative movement space of cooling bodies (14) and the one or more dental restoration parts (12).

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooling bodies (14) are configured as one or more of granules, hollow bodies, prismatic bodies, cuboids with rounded corners and edges, and round bodies.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooling bodies (14) are each configured in a shape of a ball, each comprising contact points and/or contact surfaces.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a number of contact points and/or contact surfaces between the one or more dental restoration parts and the cooling bodies is between 3 contacts/cm.sup.2 and 100,000 contacts/cm.sup.2 or is between 12 contacts/cm.sup.2 and 12,000 contacts/cm.sup.2.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooling bodies (14) comprise a ceramic, glass or of metal, a composite of ceramic and/or glass and/or metal.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the ceramic comprises aluminum oxide or zirconium oxide and the composite comprises metal cooling bodies coated with a glass or ceramic.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooling bodies (14) for dental restoration parts (12) comprise a size between 50 m and 10 mm.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a closed or open vessel (16) receives the cooling bodies (14) and the one or more dental restoration parts (12), wherein volume of the cooling bodies (14) is at least three times volume of the one or more dental restoration parts (12).

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the vessel (16) for receiving the cooling bodies and the one or more dental restoration parts, comprises a cooling body support surface which comprises active cooling elements by which the cooling bodies may be cooled subsequently.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a vessel (16) comprises a reception volume for receiving the cooling bodies (14) and the one or more dental restoration parts (12), said reception volume having a volume many times the volume of the dental restoration part.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooling bodies are required cooling bodies, said system further comprising cooling bodies that are not required, said cooling bodies that are not required are stored in a vessel at room temperature and are exchangeable with the required cooling bodies.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a deep-freezing device as part of the cooling device is adjacent to or in a vicinity of the cooling bodies during relative movement of the cooling bodies with regard to the one or more dental restoration parts or the muffle for subsequent cooling thereof, and wherein the deep-freezing device is disposed at the bottom of the relative movement space of the cooling bodies (14).

15. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one part of the cooling bodies (14) is stored in a deep-freezing device, at a temperature which is significantly below room temperature or below 0 degrees, and is intended to be used towards the end of the cooling phase.

16. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a vessel (16) comprises a liquid for receiving the one or more dental restoration parts and the cooling bodies.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the liquid is located below the one or more dental restoration parts before the cooling bodies (14) are placed or inserted, and wherein a level of liquid rises as the cooling bodies (14) are inserted and whereby the liquid reaches the one or more dental restoration parts (12).

18. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the size and/or dimensions of the trickle opening (40) are adjustable.

19. A process for cooling a dental restoration part (12) with or without being embedded in a muffle, using a cooling device (19), comprising receiving one or more dental restoration parts (12) in a bed of loose cooling bodies (14) of the cooling device (19), said cooling bodies (14) being moved as bulk material relative to the one or more dental restoration parts (12), wherein contact surfaces (20) of the cooling bodies (14) move and contact with the one or more dental restoration parts (12) and cool said one or more dental restoration parts thereat.

20. A process for cooling a dental restoration part (12) with or without being embedded in a muffle comprising using a cooling device (19), wherein cooling bodies (14) fall onto the dental restoration part from a bulk material container (42) above the dental restoration part (12) through a trickle opening, wherein changing contact surfaces (20) of the cooling bodies (14) are in contact with the dental restoration part (12) and cool said dental restoration part thereat.

21. A process for cooling one or more dental restoration parts (12) with or without being embedded in a muffle, comprising using a cooling device (19), wherein a plurality of cooling bodies (14) having a size of more than 1 mm, each having changing, contact surfaces (20) in contact or in cold conduction connection with the one or more dental restoration parts and cool said one or more dental restoration parts thereat.

22. A process for cooling a dental restoration part(s) as claimed in the claim 19, wherein initially larger and then smaller cooling bodies are brought into contact with the one or more dental restoration parts (12).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0063] Further advantages, details and features may be taken from the following description of several exemplary embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the drawings.

[0064] FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of the invention;

[0065] FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the invention, also in a schematic illustration; and

[0066] FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the invention which is modified with respect to FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] FIG. 1 shows an inventive system 10 of a dental restoration part 12 and a cooling device 19. The dental restoration part 12 is received and embedded in a plurality of cooling bodies 14.

[0068] The cooling bodies 14 are received in a vessel 16 as bulk material, namely up to a filling level 18. When the dental restoration part 12 is inserted, the filling level 18 is at approximately 90% of the height of the vessel and is considerably lower, for instance at 80%, without the dental restoration part.

[0069] The cooling bodies 14 are substantially ball-shaped, but comprise contact surfaces 20 in numerous different designs, that is to say shapes and sizes. They are configured to offer numerous possibilities of being in contact with the dental restoration part 12 in a flat manner. Preferably, different sizes of balls are provided wherein the smallest balls have a size of not less than 0.05 mm. Preferably, the largest balls have a diameter which ensures that they fit even into small cavities of the restoration.

[0070] The contact surfaces 20 support the transfer of heat particularly well.

[0071] In FIG. 1, the contact surfaces are illustrated in an uneven distribution deliberately. This is intended and allows for different possibilities of contact with the dental restoration part 12. The inventive cooling device 19 also comprises a stirrer 23. It serves to stir the initially hot dental restoration part 12 with the initially cold cooling bodies 14. The mass of the cooling bodies 14 exceeds that of the dental restoration part by a multiple, for instance by 5 to 200 times, by 20 times in the exemplary embodiment illustrated.

[0072] The stirring motion causes alternating contact of the surfaces of the dental restoration part 12 with contact surfaces 20 of the cooling bodies 14. In this way, continuously new and in many cases cold contact surfaces 20 come into contact with the dental restoration part 12 which cool it surprisingly fast but still gently.

[0073] According to the invention, the cooling bodies preferably comprise a medium value of thermal conductivity, considerably larger than plastic and considerably smaller than metal. They may consist of ceramics, for instance.

[0074] It is particularly favorable that the dental restoration part 12 is received completely in the bed 22 of cooling bodies 14. To ensure this, the specific weight of the cooling bodies 14 is at most as large as the specific weight of the dental restoration part 12, and preferably 20% smaller. Thus, the dental restoration part 12 sinks into the bed 22 and is surrounded completely by the cooling bodies 14 thereat.

[0075] The inventive stirrer 23 is configured as a magnetic stirrer in the exemplary case. For this purpose, the vessel 16 is non-ferromagnetic, that is so say permeable to magnetic forces. A stirring bar 24 is received at the bottom center of the vessel 16. It is rather elongated in a way known per se and, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated, comprises a circular cross-section and a rounded end.

[0076] The stirring bar 24 comprises a coating made of glass, an enameling, or a coating made of PTFE, which is not apparent from FIG. 1.

[0077] Further, the stirrer comprises a support plate 26 as well as a magnet 28 which is received in the support plate 26 and rotates around an axis 30.

[0078] Due to the magnetic force, the stirring bar 24 also rotates around the axis 30 in a way known per se and thus sets the cooling bodies 14 and the dental restoration part 12 in motion.

[0079] By means of this movement, continuously new parts of the dental restoration part 12 come into contact with different contact surfaces 20 of different cooling bodies.

[0080] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the support plate 26 comprises a cooling coil 32 which cools it further. The cooling bodies 14 are cooled subsequently by the relatively thick bottom 36 of the vessel 16 which rests on the support plate 26.

[0081] However, in case of an accordingly large and thus favorable mass ratio between the cooling bodies 14 and the dental restoration part 12 this is not required such that subsequent cooling is expendable.

[0082] As an alternative to subsequent cooling, spare cooling bodies 14 may be kept ready in a storage vessel, and after the dental restoration part 12 has cooled the vessel 16 containing the cooling bodies 14 and the dental restoration part 12 is emptied completely without further ado, and a new bed 22 of cooling bodies 14 is provided from the storage vessel in the vessel 16 for receiving the next hot dental restoration part 12.

[0083] To operate the inventive cooling device 19 the hot dental restoration part 12 is placed initially on the bed 22 of cooling bodies 14. The stirrer 23 is then put into operation immediately and causes the cooling bodies 14 to move driven by the stirring bar 24.

[0084] As a result, the slightly heavier dental restoration part 12 sinks into the bed 22 of cooling bodies 16 and is cooled from all sides.

[0085] FIG. 2 shows a modified embodiment of an inventive system 10. In this embodiment, the cooling device 19 comprises a trickle opening 40. The trickle opening 40 is disposed at the bottommost position of a bulk material container 42 for cooling bodies 14.

[0086] Preferably, the trickle opening 40 may be adjusted with respect to the size of its opening and the cross-section of its opening. This may be realized by means of a slider 44, as is schematically illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0087] The bulk material container 42 together with the trickle opening 40 acts as an hourglass. Cooling bodies 14 fall from the trickle opening 40 onto the dental restoration part 12. There, they form a type of heap under which the dental restoration part 12 is buried such that it is cooled through contact with the cooling bodies 14.

[0088] In a further modified embodiment, it is provided to dispose a small shaking device below the dental restoration part 12. It causes continuously new cooling bodies 14 to come into contact with the dental restoration part such that the cooling effect is intensified.

[0089] A further modified embodiment of an inventive system 10 is apparent from FIG. 3. Here, a water bath 46 extends just below the dental restoration part 12. For this purpose, the dental restoration part 12 rests on a pedestal 48 having a height, which is sufficient that the dental restoration part 12 is above the water level at the beginning of the cooling process. Now, the dental restoration part 12 is cooled, namely initially substantially from the top, by means of cooling bodies 14 which are applied, for instance, through the trickle opening 40 according to FIG. 2.

[0090] The cooling bodies 14 fall through the pedestal which is provided with a grate 50 into the water 46. As a result, the water level rises and thus the dental restoration part 12 is also cooled from below, in addition.

[0091] Here, an initially gentle cooling by means of the balls is favorable, and then, when thermal shocks are not to be expected anymore, at for instance 60 C., a quick cooling process to end temperature by means of water is carried out. As a result, the delta T is increased again such that final cooling does not proceed too slowly.

[0092] Instead of water as mentioned herein any other desired liquid cooling medium may be used which gets along with the respectively used material of the dental restoration part 12.

[0093] It is particularly favorable to adapt the thermal conductivity and thermal capacity, but also the mass of the cooling medium, to that of the cooling bodies 14 in order to ensure uniform cooling.

[0094] In a further embodiment, a type of washing drum is provided as a vessel.

[0095] In case of cooling by free convection, long waiting times are caused between the end of the heat treatment and the point in time at which the restoration may be processed further.

[0096] In an inventive embodiment, cooling is provided in the form of a washing drum. A rotating cylinder comprises numerous holes to form a screen. Either, the restoration rests freely among the balls or in a fixed cage which is permeable to the balls.

[0097] The cooling bodies or the granules must withstand the maximum temperature of the dental restoration part (approx. 1000 C.) and must absorb heat as fast and well as possible.

[0098] It is particularly favorable ifregardless of the embodimentthe restoration is in a defined region/at a defined position such that it is not necessary to look for it among the cooling bodies after the cooling process has ended.