Device and method for delivering an oral care agent

Abstract

An oral care agent delivery device is provided which comprises a permanently deformable backing layer, an oral care layer, and a non-woven binding material with a first part that is substantially invested in the oral care layer and a second part that is substantially invested in the backing layer. The device is sized to fit over a plurality of teeth in an upper or lower dental arch of a subject. The oral care layer comprises at least one oral care agent and at least one hydrophilic polymer. When hydrated, the oral care layer has an adhesiveness relative to the surface of a user's teeth that is sufficient to retain the device on the user's teeth when placed thereon. The device can also have an oral care agent which is activated on hydration of the oral care layer, or an oral care layer which releases the oral care agent over time.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to the field of delivering an oral care agent, especially a tooth whitening agent, with a dental device. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] A variety of devices and methods have been developed to deliver a therapeutic or cosmetic agent to surfaces in the oral cavity. In particular, many systems which deliver a whitening agent to the teeth are available. [0003] A person desiring whiter teeth can choose from professional whitening systems, or can purchase an over-the-counter tooth whitening device for use in the home. In the professional teeth bleaching market, dentists have traditionally used devices for delivery of home bleaching agents which are rigid and custom-fitted to an individual patient's dental arches. One type of delivery device is molded to closely fit a patient's dental arches. Another type of device is an “oversized” rigid custom dental appliance, which is formed by augmenting the facial surfaces of the teeth on stone...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, the rigid, custom-fabricated dental appliances used in professional tooth whitening systems require time-consuming and expensive office visits, laboratory tests and the fitting of each patient's dentition.

Furthermore, any changes in the surface of the patient's teeth (such as fillings, crowns, and other accidental or therapeutic alterations of the dentition) affect the fit of the rigid custom dental appliance, and may warrant repeating the entire fabrication procedure.

Moreover, patients who are inexperienced and unaware of the importance of precision often dispense an improper amount of bleaching agent into the appliance.

Dispensing an excessive amount of bleaching agent into the appliance can cause the agent to be displaced from the appliance into the oral cavity when the device is placed on the teeth, where the agent can be ingested.

In addition to such displacement, the bleaching agent can spill or leak from these appliances into the oral cavity, causing, for example, an unpleasant taste sensation, gingival irritation, burning, edema, nausea or allergic reactions.

The risk of the more serious side effects increases with the number of treatments, and becomes most significant after the multiple treatments typically required to attain acceptable clinical results.

Patients who self-administer bleaching or other medicinal agents may also fail to provide the careful maintenance, cleaning, and storage necessary to ensure that the rigid custom dental appliance performs adequately throughout its entire service life.

There are additional drawbacks with custom bilaminated dental appliances, including occlusion and retention of bleaching agent.

Furthermore, cleaning and maintenance of foam-lined dental appliances may be problematic, due to the high surface area and pore volume of the foam materials typically used in such appliances.

Oversized rigid custom dental appliances also have additional drawbacks, including occlusions in the augmented region, increased appliance fabrication time and cost, irritation from the lip of the appliance contacting the gingival region, and decreased retention of the bleaching agent within the target area.

However, such generic appliances often have a greater void between the interior walls of the appliance and the teeth as compared to most professionally fitted appliances.

Furthermore, the poorer fit of the generic device means a greater loss of bleaching gel into the oral cavity, with the attendant problems described above for the professional tooth whitening appliances.

Thus, the leakage problems of professional tooth whitening systems are exacerbated by over-the-counter systems in which the user dispenses the whitening agent into the device.

The generic over-the-counter devices also tend to be bulky and uncomfortable in the mouth.

Over time, the inherent instability of hy

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