Dental coating system

Abstract

Provided is a system for more reliably sealing cracks, such as those that are starting points of dental caries, present in tooth crowns. A coating powder Q containing diamond powder is sprayed onto a tooth T in which a microcrack T0 is present. As a result, the microcrack T0 is filled with a plurality of particles of the coating powder Q, and the coating powder Q is deposited starting from a base layer adhered to a surface of the tooth T. Then, a coating on the tooth T is formed by applying an adhesive R to the surface of the tooth T and curing the adhesive R so as to solidify the coating powder Q deposited on the surface of the tooth T.

Description

Dental Coating Systems

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for coating the surfaces of teeth or dental crowns of animals, including humans.

[0002] Caries begins in microcracks on the surface of the enamel at the crown of the tooth. Large cracks can also form in the occlusal fissures on the premolars and molars. Various methods have been developed to seal these cracks and prevent the progression of caries.

[0003] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a system for more reliably sealing cracks in the crown of a tooth that may be the starting point of caries.

[0004] The dental coating system of the present invention comprises a powder injector that injects a coating powder containing diamond powder onto the surface of a tooth, and an adhesive applicator that applies an adhesive to the tooth surface to which the coating powder sprayed by the powder injector has adhered.

[0005] According to this dental coating system, cracks present on the tooth surface are filled with a coating powder containing diamond powder sprayed onto the tooth surface. A base layer of the coating powder adheres to the tooth surface, and the coating powder builds up and adheres to each other starting from the base layer. An adhesive is then applied to the tooth surface with the coating powder attached, and the adhesive hardens, forming a coating layer on the tooth surface in which the deposits of coating powder are hardened by the adhesive. This more reliably seals cracks in the crown of the tooth that could be the starting point for caries.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a structural explanatory diagram of a dental coating system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a tooth and cracks present on its surface. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of coating powder adhering to and depositing on a tooth surface. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an adhesive that is applied to a tooth surface and hardens the coating powder. FIG. 1 is a structural explanatory diagram of a dental coating system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of coating powder deposited on a tooth surface in a first stage. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of coating powder deposited on a tooth surface in a second stage. FIG. 4 is a structural explanatory diagram of a dental coating system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram of coating powder deposited on a tooth surface in a first stage. FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram of coating powder deposited on a tooth surface in a second stage. FIG. 7 is a structural explanatory diagram of a dental coating system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0007] 1 shows a dental coating system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which is configured with a coating device equipped with a powder injector and an adhesive applicator. The coating device is shaped like a spray gun and has a substantially columnar main body 10, a grip 11 protruding from the proximal end of the main body 10, and a tiltable trigger 12 protruding from the middle of the main body 10.

[0008] The powder injector is configured to eject coating powder Q supplied from powder source 21 through powder path 211 together with compressed air from the tip of powder nozzle 212. Powder source 21 may be provided in a location separate from the coating equipment. The adhesive applicator is configured to eject liquid adhesive supplied from adhesive source 20 through adhesive path 201 from the tip of adhesive nozzle 202. The powder injector and adhesive applicator may be configured separately rather than integrally. For example, a spray gun constituting the powder injector and a spray gun (or an applicator having such a shape) constituting the adhesive applicator may be configured as separate units.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1 , when a user holds the grip portion 11 with a hand H and tilts the trigger portion 12 with a finger (index finger) of the hand H, coating powder Q is sprayed from the powder nozzle 212 onto the patient's tooth T (see FIG. 3 ), or adhesive R is dispensed from the adhesive nozzle 202 onto the patient's tooth T (see FIG. 4 ). By operating a push-type or touch panel button or switch provided on the main body 10, the grip portion 11, or the trigger portion 12, coating powder Q may be sprayed from the powder nozzle 212 onto the patient's tooth T, or adhesive R may be dispensed from the adhesive nozzle 202 onto the patient's tooth T. The user can switch between spraying the coating powder Q and dispensing the adhesive R by operating a switch (e.g., a switch that rotates like a revolver or a touch panel switch) provided on the main body 10 of the coating device.

[0010] The coating device includes a control device 200 for controlling the spray speed of the coating powder Q and other parameters. The control device 200 is configured with a microcomputer. The microcomputer is configured with an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU and a memory or storage device such as a ROM or RAM. The arithmetic processing device may be configured to read necessary data and programs from the storage device and automatically control the spray speed of the coating powder Q and other parameters in accordance with the programs. The data may include, for example, clinical data regarding the patient's dental treatment history, the tooth T with microcracks, the severity of the microcracks, and the like. The spray speed of the coating powder Q may be adjusted in response to the operation of a switch or button provided on the coating device (e.g., the main body 10).

[0011] The coating powder Q may be, for example, a diamond powder having a particle size distribution such that D10, D50, and D90 are shown in Table 1, or a mixed powder of the diamond powder with other powders. As the diamond powder, a single crystal diamond powder and / or a polycrystalline diamond powder is used.

[0012] The other powders may include, for example, at least one inorganic powder selected from the group consisting of synthetic amorphous silica, crystalline silica, barium silicate, barium borosilicate, barium fluoroaluminoborosilicate, barium aluminoborosilicate, strontium silicate, strontium borosilicate, strontium aluminoborosilicate, calcium silicate, aluminosilicate, silicon nitride, titanium dioxide (TiO2), calcium hydroxyapatite, zirconia (ZrO2), and bioactive glass. For example, when the inorganic powder is white, such as titania powder or white zirconia powder, the inorganic powder imparts a white color to the coating, adding depth to the color of the coating and improving its aesthetic appeal.

[0013] The mass ratio of the diamond powder to the other powder in the mixed powder may be changed in various ways, such as 0.95-0.05:0.05-0.95.

[0014] The adhesive R or adhesive material may be, for example, a dental liquid adhesive containing a methacrylate monomer (or an acrylamide monomer), an additive (such as an initiator), a thickener (an inorganic substance such as fumed silica), and a solvent. The adhesive material is cured by radical polymerization initiated by visible light or a chemical reaction, and in photopolymerization, it is cured by visible light.

[0015] According to the dental coating system configured as described above, first, coating powder Q is sprayed onto a tooth T (or a crown) where microcracks T0 exist, as shown schematically in Fig. 2. The spraying speed of the coating powder Q may be controlled to a constant value, or may be controlled to decrease or increase in a stepwise or continuous manner. As a result, as shown schematically in Fig. 3, multiple particles of coating powder Q fill the microcracks T0 and are deposited starting from the base layer attached to the surface of the tooth T. It is presumed that a portion of the coating powder Q bites into the surface of the tooth T and is fixed to the tooth T by an anchor effect.

[0016] 4, an adhesive R is applied to the surface of the tooth T, and the adhesive R hardens to solidify the coating powder Q deposited on the surface of the tooth T, thereby forming a coating on the tooth T. The thickness of the coating is, for example, 20 μm to 750 μm, 50 μm to 500 μm, or 100 to 300 μm. By selecting an adhesive R that becomes transparent or translucent after hardening, an aesthetically pleasing coating is formed on the surface of the tooth T, allowing the gloss of the coating powder Q to be visually recognized.

[0017] Second Embodiment A dental coating system according to a second embodiment of the present invention, shown in Figure 5, includes a first powder injector for injecting a first coating powder Q1 onto the surface of the tooth T and a second powder injector for injecting a second coating powder Q2 onto the surface of the tooth T. In the second embodiment, the first coating powder Q1 has a relatively small diameter (e.g., see sections 1-2 in Table 1), and the second coating powder Q2 has a relatively large diameter (e.g., see sections 3-5 in Table 1). As a variation of the second embodiment, the first coating powder Q1 may have a relatively large diameter (e.g., see sections 4-6 in Table 1), and the second coating powder Q2 may have a relatively small diameter (e.g., see sections 1-3 in Table 1).

[0018] The diamond powder content ratio α in the first coating powder Q1 may be higher than the diamond powder content ratio β in the second coating powder Q2. For example, the ratios α and β may be adjusted such that α is in the range of 0.70 to 0.95 and β (<α) is in the range of 0.05 to 0.80. Conversely, the diamond powder content ratio α in the first coating powder Q1 may be lower than the diamond powder content ratio β in the second coating powder Q2. For example, the ratios α and β may be adjusted such that α (<β) is in the range of 0.05 to 0.80 and β is in the range of 0.70 to 0.95.

[0019] The first powder injector is configured to discharge the first coating powder Q1 supplied from the first powder supply source 21 together with compressed air from the tip of the second powder nozzle 222 through the first powder path 211, the path switcher 220, and the second powder path 221 in this order. The second powder injector is configured to discharge the second coating powder Q2 supplied from the second powder supply source 22 together with compressed air from the tip of the second powder nozzle 222 through the second powder path 221, which has the path switcher 220 installed midway.

[0020] The path switch 220 is configured, for example, by a switching valve, and selectively connects the first powder path 211 and the upstream second powder path 221 to the downstream second powder path 221. The path switch 220 may be operated by a user operating a switch (for example, a switch that rotates like a revolver or a touch panel switch) provided on the main body 10 of the coating device. The operation of the path switch 220 may be controlled by the control device 200 so that after the first coating powder Q1 is sprayed from the second powder nozzle 222, the second coating powder Q2 is sprayed from the second powder nozzle 222 after the cumulative spray amount or cumulative spray time of the first coating powder Q1 reaches a specified value.

[0021] The other configurations of the dental coating system of the second embodiment are almost the same as those of the dental coating system of the first embodiment (see Figure 1), so detailed explanations of the similar configurations will be omitted and the same symbols will be used.

[0022] In the dental coating system configured as described above, first, while the powder supply source for the second powder nozzle 222 is switched to the first powder supply source 21 by the path switch 220, the first coating powder Q1 is sprayed onto the tooth T (see FIG. 2) where microcracks T0 exist. The spraying speed of the first coating powder Q1 may be controlled to be constant, or may be controlled to decrease or increase in a stepwise or continuous manner. As a result, as shown schematically in FIG. 6A , multiple particles of the first coating powder Q1 fill the microcracks T0 and are deposited starting from the base layer attached to the surface of the tooth T. It is presumed that a portion of the first coating powder Q1 bites into the surface of the tooth T and is fixed to the tooth T by an anchor effect.

[0023] Next, the path switch 220 switches the powder supply source for the second powder nozzle 222 to the second powder supply source 22, and the second coating powder Q2 is sprayed onto the teeth T (see FIG. 2) on which the first coating powder Q1 has been deposited. At this time, the spray speed of the second coating powder Q2 may be controlled to be constant, or may be controlled to decrease or increase in a stepwise or continuous manner. As a result, as schematically shown in FIG. 6B , multiple second coating powder particles Q2 are further deposited on the multiple deposits of the first coating powder Q1.

[0024] Then, adhesive R is applied to the surface of the tooth T, and the adhesive R hardens to solidify the first coating powder Q1 and second coating powder Q2 deposited on the surface of the tooth T, thereby forming a coating on the tooth T (see Figure 4).

[0025] (Variation of Second Embodiment) In a variation of the second embodiment, the path switch 220 may be omitted. In this case, the first powder injector is configured to eject the first coating powder Q1 supplied from the first powder supply source 21 from the tip of the first powder nozzle 212 together with compressed air through the first powder path 211. Furthermore, the second powder injector is configured to eject the second coating powder Q2 supplied from the second powder supply source 22 from the tip of the second powder nozzle 222 together with compressed air through the second powder path 221.

[0026] In a variation of the second embodiment, the dental coating equipment may have three or more separate powder injectors for separately injecting three or more types of coating powders or diamond powders with different particle size distributions or properties onto the surface of the tooth T.

[0027] In the modified example of the second embodiment, a powder coating layer having a two-layer structure (a layer of first coating powder Q1 and a layer of second coating powder Q2) is formed on the surface of the tooth T, but a powder coating layer having a laminated structure of three or more layers (e.g., a layer of first coating powder Q1 → a layer of second coating powder Q2 → a layer of first coating powder Q1 → a layer of second coating powder Q2, etc.) may also be formed on the surface of the tooth T.

[0028] (Third Embodiment) A dental coating system as a third embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 7 includes a first powder injector for injecting positively charged coating powder Q+ onto the surface of the tooth T and a second powder injector for injecting negatively charged coating powder Q- onto the surface of the tooth T.

[0029] The first powder injector is configured to eject the first coating powder Q1 supplied from the first powder supply source 21 from the tip of the first powder nozzle 212 together with compressed air through the first powder path 211. The first powder path 211 is provided with a first charging mechanism 241 for positively charging the first coating powder Q1 by corona or triboelectric means. As a result, the first coating powder Q1 is sprayed from the tip of the first powder nozzle 212 as positively charged coating powder Q+.

[0030] The second powder injector is configured to eject the second coating powder Q2 supplied from the second powder supply source 22 from the tip of the second powder nozzle 222 together with compressed air through the second powder path 221. The second powder path 221 is provided with a second charging mechanism 242 for negatively charging the second coating powder Q2 by corona or triboelectric means. As a result, the second coating powder Q2 is sprayed from the tip of the second powder nozzle 222 as negatively charged coating powder Q-.

[0031] In the third embodiment, the particle size distribution of the first coating powder Q1 and the particle size distribution of the second coating powder Q2 may be the same, or may be different as in the second embodiment. To positively charge the first coating powder Q1, the first coating powder Q1 or at least a portion of the diamond powder and / or inorganic powder constituting the first coating powder Q1 may be coated with at least one substance selected from the group consisting of glass, mica, and nylon, which is higher in the triboelectric series (and does not impair the color or whiteness of the coating). A small amount (e.g., 0.5 to 1 wt % of the total) of powder of this substance may be added to the first coating powder Q1. To negatively charge the second coating powder Q2, the second coating powder Q2 or at least a portion of the diamond powder and / or inorganic powder constituting the second coating powder Q2 may be coated with at least one substance lower in the triboelectric series (and which does not impair the color or whiteness of the coating), such as silver, nickel, platinum, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, and silicon. A small amount (e.g., 0.5 to 1 wt % of the total) of powder of such a substance may be added to the second coating powder Q2.

[0032] The other configurations of the dental coating system of the third embodiment are almost the same as those of the dental coating system of the first embodiment (see Figure 1), so detailed explanations of the similar configurations will be omitted and the same symbols will be used.

[0033] According to the dental coating system configured as described above, first, a positively charged coating powder Q+ is sprayed onto a tooth T (see FIG. 2) where a microcrack T0 exists. The spraying speed of the positively charged coating powder Q+ may be controlled to be constant, or may be controlled to decrease or increase in a stepwise or continuous manner. As a result, as shown schematically in FIG. 8A , multiple particles of the positively charged coating powder Q+ fill the microcracks T0 and are deposited starting from the base layer attached to the surface of the tooth T. It is presumed that some of the positively charged coating powder Q+ penetrates into the surface of the tooth T and is fixed to the tooth T by an anchor effect.

[0034] Next, the negatively charged coating powder Q- is sprayed onto the tooth T (see FIG. 2) on which the positively charged coating powder Q+ has been deposited. At this time, the spraying speed of the negatively charged coating powder Q- may be controlled to be constant, or may be controlled to decrease or increase in a stepwise or continuous manner. As a result, multiple negatively charged coating powders Q- are further deposited on the multiple deposits of the positively charged coating powder Q+, as schematically shown in FIG. 8B. The order in which the positively charged coating powder Q+ and the negatively charged coating powder Q- are deposited on the surface of the tooth T may be changed.

[0035] Then, adhesive R is applied to the surface of the tooth T, and the adhesive R hardens to solidify the positively charged coating powder Q+ and negatively charged coating powder Q- deposited on the surface of the tooth T, thereby forming a coating on the tooth T (see Figure 4).

[0036] (Variant of the Third Embodiment) In the variant of the third embodiment, a powder coating layer having a two-layer structure (a layer of positively charged coating powder Q+ and a layer of negatively charged coating powder Q-) is formed on the surface of the tooth T, but a powder coating layer having a laminated structure of three or more layers may also be formed on the surface of the tooth T.

[0037] The base layer that is filled into the microcracks T0 and adheres to the surface of the tooth T may be formed of a positively charged powder other than diamond powder or a coating powder containing diamond powder instead of the positively charged coating powder Q+. The base layer may be formed of a negatively charged powder other than diamond powder or a coating powder containing diamond powder instead of the negatively charged coating powder Q-.

[0038] 9 shows a dental coating system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, which includes a powder injector for injecting positively charged coating powder Q+ onto the surface of the tooth T, and an ion generator 24 for generating negative ions. A charging mechanism 241 for charging the coating powder Q positively (+) by corona or triboelectric means is provided in the powder path 211. This allows the coating powder Q to be sprayed from the tip of the powder nozzle 212 as positively charged coating powder Q+.

[0039] To positively charge the coating powder Q, the coating powder Q may be coated with at least one material selected from the group consisting of glass, mica, and nylon, which is higher in the triboelectric series (and does not impair the color or whiteness of the coating). A small amount (e.g., 0.5 to 1 wt % of the total) of powder of such material may be added to the first coating powder Q1.

[0040] The ion generator 24 is configured to apply a high voltage to the air to generate negative ions, which are then supplied to the surfaces of the teeth T.

[0041] The other configurations of the dental coating system of the fourth embodiment are almost the same as those of the dental coating system of the first embodiment (see Figure 1), so detailed explanations of the similar configurations will be omitted and the same symbols will be used.

[0042] In the dental coating system configured as described above, negative ions generated by the ion generator 24 are first supplied to the tooth T (see FIG. 2) where microcracks T0 exist. This causes the surface of the tooth T to become negatively charged. Next, positively charged coating powder Q+ is sprayed toward the tooth T. The spray speed of the positively charged coating powder Q+ may be controlled to be constant, or may be controlled to decrease or increase in stages or continuously. This causes multiple particles of positively charged coating powder Q+ to fill the microcracks T0 and to deposit starting from the base layer attached to the surface of the tooth T (see FIG. 3). It is presumed that some of the positively charged coating powder Q+ adheres to the negatively charged surface of the tooth T due to Coulomb force.

[0043] Then, adhesive R is applied to the surface of the tooth T, and the adhesive R hardens to solidify the positively charged coating powder Q+ deposited on the surface of the tooth T, thereby forming a coating on the tooth T (see Figure 4).

[0044] (Variation of Fourth Embodiment) In a variation of the fourth embodiment, the dental coating system includes a powder injector for injecting negatively charged coating powder Q- onto the surface of the tooth T, and an ion generator 24 for generating positive ions. A charging mechanism 241 provided in the powder path 211 negatively (-) charges the coating powder Q using a corona or triboelectric method. As a result, the coating powder Q is sprayed from the tip of the powder nozzle 212 as negatively charged coating powder Q-.

[0045] To negatively charge the coating powder Q, the coating powder Q may be coated with at least one material that is lower in the triboelectric series (and that does not impair the color or whiteness of the coating), such as silver, nickel, platinum, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, and silicone. A small amount (e.g., 0.5 to 1 wt % of the total) of powder of such material may be added to the coating powder Q.

[0046] In the dental coating system configured as described above, negative ions generated by the ion generator 24 are first supplied to the tooth T (see FIG. 2) where microcracks T0 exist. This causes the surface of the tooth T to become negatively charged. Next, positively charged coating powder Q+ is sprayed toward the tooth T. The spray speed of the positively charged coating powder Q+ may be controlled to be constant, or may be controlled to decrease or increase in stages or continuously. This causes multiple particles of positively charged coating powder Q+ to fill the microcracks T0 and to deposit starting from the base layer attached to the surface of the tooth T (see FIG. 3). It is presumed that some of the positively charged coating powder Q+ adheres to the negatively charged surface of the tooth T due to Coulomb force.

[0047] Then, adhesive R is applied to the surface of the tooth T, and the adhesive R hardens to solidify the positively charged coating powder Q+ deposited on the surface of the tooth T, thereby forming a coating on the tooth T (see Figure 4).

[0048] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10... Main body 11... Grip portion 12... Trigger portion 20... Adhesive supply portion 24... Ion generator 201... Adhesive path 202... Adhesive nozzle 21... Powder supply source (first powder supply source) 211... Powder path (first powder path) 212... Powder nozzle (first powder nozzle) 220... Path switch 241... First charging mechanism 242... Second charging mechanism 22... Second powder supply source 221... Second powder path 222... Second powder nozzle Q... Coating powder Q1... First coating powder Q2... Second coating powder Q+... Positively charged coating powder Q-... Negatively charged coating powder R... Adhesive T... Tooth (crown portion) T0... Microcrack

Claims

1. A dental coating system comprising: a powder injector that injects a coating powder containing diamond powder onto a tooth surface; and an adhesive applicator that applies an adhesive to the tooth surface to which the coating powder sprayed by the powder injector has adhered.

2. A dental coating system according to claim 1, wherein the powder injector charges the coating powder by a corona method or a tribo method and then injects it onto the tooth surface.

3. A dental coating system according to claim 2, wherein the powder injector sprays the positively charged coating powder and the negatively charged coating powder onto the tooth surface in stages.

4. A dental coating system according to claim 2, wherein the powder injector injects charged base powder onto the tooth surface, and then injects the coating powder, which is charged with the opposite polarity to the powder, onto the tooth surface.

5. A dental coating system according to claim 2, further comprising an ion generator that supplies ions to the tooth surface, and wherein the powder injector charges the coating powder with a polarity opposite to that of the ions supplied to the tooth surface by the ion generator, and then injects the coating powder onto the tooth surface.

6. A dental coating system according to claim 1, further comprising a control device for gradually reducing the rate at which the coating powder is sprayed by the powder sprayer.

7. A dental coating system according to claim 1, further comprising a powder switching mechanism for gradually increasing the average particle size of the coating powder applied by the powder injector.

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