Method for sealing of a canal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11311360-B2
Application number	US-201715466146-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2017
Priority date	Mar 22, 2016
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for sealing of a circumferentially closed canal. A closure element is secured to one free end of a light guide conducting a laser beam. The light guide with the closure element is introduced into the canal. The closure element is positioned in the region of the canal to be sealed and after positioning of the closure element energy is introduced, so that the closure element melts or softens and remains in this position in the canal and seals it tightly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for sealing of a circumferentially closed canal, comprising the steps of:
attaching a connection material and a closure element to one end of a light guide;
providing the light guide having the connection material and the closure element attached, the closure element having a melting temperature T2 and the connecting material having another melting temperature T1 that is different from T2;
introducing, responsive to the attaching, the light guide with the connection material and the closure element into the canal, so that the closure element is positioned, by the introducing, in a region of the canal to be sealed;
providing the light guide with a laser beam that provides laser energy;
operating the laser beam with a pulse duration between 5 μs and 1000 μs and a pulse energy exiting from the light guide between 0.5 mJ and 50 mJ;
directing the laser energy to the closure element through the connection material so that the closure element melts or softens and remains in its position in the canal and seals the canal tightly; and
melting the connection material through use of the laser beam, responsive to the directing, in order to detach the closure element and the connection material from the light guide, without displacing the closure element from its position during removal of the light guide, the melting being done at a temperature between 45° C. and 200° C.;
wherein the melting temperature T1 of the connecting material is higher than the another melting temperature T2 of the closure element.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the closure element is melted through laser radiation transmitted through the light guide or through electrical energy.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein after sealing of the canal a closure material is introduced into the canal and the light guide within the closure material is moved in the longitudinal axis direction of the canal at the same time as the laser beam is introduced.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a sealing material is used that melts and/or foams through the introduction of heat energy and forms a closed-pore canal seal after cooling.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the sealing material is sodium hydrogen carbonate enveloped by gutta percha material.

6. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
sealing the canal by causing the closure element to expand based on a demand step;
wherein the demand step includes (i) applying laser energy to the closure element, which includes an expanding material that expands in order to seal the canal responsive to the applying, or (ii) causing a reaction of the closure element by an application of a reaction causing material to the closure element prior to inserting the closure element in the canal, wherein responsive to the reaction, the closure element expands to seal the canal.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a material is used as a closure element that includes a volume-scattering core material and an expanding material that envelops the volume-scattering core material and expands at a temperature lower than the melting temperature Ti of the connection material.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein an Er:YAG laser, Er:YSGG laser or CTE laser is used as the laser beam.

9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the laser beam is operated with a pulse duration between 25 μs and 400 μs.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the laser beam has a pulse energy exiting from the light guide between 1 mJ and 10 mJ.

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the laser beam is operated with a pulse duration between 50 μs and 200 μs and has a pulse energy exiting from the light guide between 1 mJ and 10 mJ.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising providing for an absorption coefficient at the laser beam to be high enough to deposit energy in a localized region of a connection interface of the light guide in order to melt the connection material using a power of less than 2 W.

Assignees

• Dentsply Sirona Inc

Inventors

• Ertl Thomas
• Diebolder Rolf

Classifications

• A61C5/50 Primary

  Implements for filling root canals; Methods or instruments for medication of tooth nerve channels · CPC title

• A61B2018/0063

  Sealing · CPC title

• A61N2005/0659

  infrared · CPC title

• A61C17/02 Primary

  Rinsing or air-blowing devices, e.g. using fluid jets {or comprising liquid medication} (combined with receptacles for spittle A61C17/14; combined with power-driven cleaning or polishing devices A61C17/16) · CPC title

• A61N5/0624

  for eliminating microbes, germs, bacteria on or in the body · CPC title