FR3013208B1 - DEVICE FOR CLEANING AND / OR TREATING A DENTAL ARCADE. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for cleaning and / or treating the upper or lower dental arch of a human being. This device is remarkable in that it comprises: - two arcuate gutters, called "interior" (2) and "exterior" (3), nested one inside the other, the two gutters (2, 3) being interconnected by means (4) allowing the relative movement of the inner gutter relative to the outer gutter (3), the outer gutter being provided at its base with a sealing bead (32) intended for be placed against the gum of the human being, - means (23, 36) for introducing a treatment and / or cleaning product into said internal gutter (2) and means for evacuating (24) of this product out of said inner gutter, and - means (55, 6) for setting in motion said inner gutter (2) relative to said fixed outer gutter (3). The invention also relates to an assembly including this device and an external control unit.

Description

The invention is in the field of oral hygiene of dependent persons, for example the elderly or disabled or showing disabling neurological disorders or other.

The present invention more specifically relates to a cleaning device and / or treatment of the upper (maxillary) or lower (mandibular) dental arch of a human being.

Dependent people are often unable to wash their teeth alone. Those around them or the caregivers who care for them often give up their teeth because this is a delicate task for others and takes time. It follows that these dependents have poor oral hygiene, or even lose some of their teeth, which does not allow them to eat properly and eventually causes a degradation of their general condition. It would therefore be useful to provide a device: - which can be introduced into the mouth of the dependent person by a third party, - which allows the teeth to be cleaned, or even possibly to apply a treatment of periodontal order or others, such as by example the desensitization of the necks of the teeth or the dentinal hyperesthesia, and - which works automatically.

Document US 2012/0295218 already discloses a device for cleaning the teeth, which comprises two aligners arranged back to back, in order to allow simultaneous cleaning, respectively of the upper dental arch and the dental arch. inferior. This cleaning device also comprises means for injecting a cleaning liquid into each of the high and low gutters and suction means thereof, after use. Finally, these gutters are equipped on their inside with pads carrying cleaning bristles, which may be subject to a vibration movement.

This device allows simultaneous treatment of the two dental arches, but does not plan to treat one. People with disabilities may have trouble closing their mouths and squeezing such a bulky device. In addition, such a device is not waterproof, so that when the cleaning liquid is injected, it flows in part into the patient's mouth. This can be problematic for people with disabilities or disabling neurological conditions, as they may choke on the liquid.

Also known from FR 2 987 555, a dental cleaning device comprising a single groove whose inner wall is provided with cleaning bristles and which is further bordered by a peripheral bead intended to be applied against the gum . This device also comprises means for injecting and extracting a cleaning liquid inside the gutter.

The gutter is set in motion on the one hand by the fact that it is made of a flexible material that accepts deformation (of the type of silicone used for the manufacture of bottle nipples), and on the other hand by application of repeated cycles of injection and extraction of cleaning liquid under pressure. This makes it possible to create successive states of pressure and depression in the gutter.

The movement of this gutter ensures the movement of the cleaning bristles and thus the brushing of the teeth.

Such a device is however not perfectly tight since, as soon as the gutter is set in motion following the cycles of injection and extraction of the cleaning liquid, the bead can also move.

Finally, US 5,443,386 discloses a tooth cleaning device which includes a single gutter for application to the upper or lower portion of a patient's jaw. This gutter has on its inner face cleaning bristles and is further equipped with several orifices for introducing and discharging a cleaning product. It has at its base a seal. Finally, the gutter is provided on its front portion with a handle that allows manual manipulation by the user.

Once again, it will be noted that this device is not perfectly tight since, when the user moves the gutter, the bead placed at its base is alternately plated, then removed from the gum. The invention therefore aims to solve the aforementioned drawbacks of the state of the art and to provide a device for cleaning and / or oral treatment, which meets the criteria previously defined and which is further sealed, so that the cleaning or treatment liquid used does not escape into the patient's mouth, and that this device can be used even by persons with disabilities or displaying disabling neurological or other disorders. To this end, the invention relates to a device for cleaning and / or treating the upper or lower dental arch of a human being.

According to the invention, this device comprises: two arc-shaped gutters, called "inner" and "outer", nested one inside the other, the two gutters being interconnected by means allowing the movement relative to the inner gutter with respect to the outer gutter, the outer gutter being provided at its base with a sealing bead intended to be placed against the gum of the human being, - means for introducing a product treatment and / or cleaning in said inner gutter and means for discharging this product out of said inner gutter, and - means for moving said inner gutter relative to said fixed outer gutter.

According to other advantageous and nonlimiting features of the invention, taken alone or in combination: the inner groove is provided with teeth cleaning means, the teeth cleaning means are brush bristles which cover at least a portion of the inner face of the inner gutter, the means for cleaning the teeth are strips of plastic foam, which cover at least a portion of the inner face of the inner gutter, the means for discharging the treatment product and / or cleaning, out of said inner gutter, comprise a discharge tube, fixed on the inner face of the inner gutter, preferably at its bottom, this discharge tube being connected to an exhaust connection which passes through the two gutters and opens out of the device, the means for introducing the treatment product and / or cleaning comprise one or more tubes of introduction, fixed on the inner face of the side walls of the inner gutter, these introduction tubes being connected to an introduction fitting, which passes through the two gutters and opens out of the device, the product introduction means treatment and / or cleaning comprises an introduction tube, fixed on the outer face of the outer trough and pierced with a plurality of orifices which open into the space between the outer trough and the inner trough, this tube introduction device being connected to an introducer, which passes through both gutters and opens out of the device, the means for setting the inner gutter in motion relative to the fixed outer gutter are vibratory transducers, for example of the piezoelectric or ferro-magnetic type, or generating ultrasound and these means are attached to the inner groove (2) and dared between the two gutters, the means for moving the inner gutter relative to the fixed outer gutter are an electric micro-motor for inducing a movement back and forth of the inner gutter, - the outer gutter is provided of at least two occlusal wedges arranged on the outer face of its bottom and on each of its branches, these occlusal wedges being shaped to cooperate with the opposing dental arch. The invention also relates to a cleaning and / or treatment assembly of the upper or lower dental arch of a human being.

According to the invention, it comprises a device as mentioned above, and an external control unit, which comprises a storage tank of the treatment and / or cleaning product to be dispensed, a tank for recovering said product after use, means for connecting said reservoirs respectively to the introduction means and the discharge means of said cleaning device, pumping means for circulating said product between the storage tank and the recovery tank via the device, means for setting in motion the inner gutter of the device and means for supplying electrical energy to said pumping and moving means. Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the description which will now be made, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent, by way of indication but not limitation, a possible embodiment.

In these drawings: - Figure 1 is an exploded schematic view of the device according to the invention and a lower dental arch, - Figure 2 is a diagram showing the cleaning assembly and / or treatment according to the invention, which includes the aforementioned device and its control unit, and - Figures 3, 4 and 5 are diagrams showing various alternative embodiments of the device according to the invention, seen in transverse vertical section, positioned on the teeth of the patient to be treated.

With reference to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the cleaning and / or treatment device 1 according to the invention comprises two simple aligners having the shape of an arc corresponding to a dental arch, here the lower arch, these gutters being said respectively "inner" 2 and "outer" 3.

In Figure 1, the two gutters 2 and 3 are shown in exploded view, only to facilitate the explanation. However, they are intended to be nested one inside the other and as such, they are oriented in the same direction, so that the convex portion of the inner groove 2 is oriented towards the concave portion of the outer channel 3. The nested position is illustrated in the diagrams of Figures 3 and 4.

The two inner and outer gutters 2 3 each have a cross section having the general shape of a U. They have two side walls 20, respectively 30, interconnected by a bottom 21, respectively 31.

The inner and outer gutters 2 and 3 further have an inner face 201, respectively 301 and an outer face 202, respectively 302.

The inner groove 2 is intended to be disposed on the dental arch AD. In FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be seen that this dental arch AD comprises the teeth D and the gingiva G. The language is referenced LA.

In the embodiment of Figure 1, the device 1 according to the invention is shown applied to the lower dental arch. It can, however, be applied to the upper dental arch.

The two gutters 2 and 3 are made of a rigid material, preferably a plastic material, such as a resin for example.

The inner groove 2 can be developed for example from a conventional dental impression (alginate-based), a digital or optical impression, or also from an adjustable preform, or from the scanner of the jaw.

Adjustable preforms are prefabricated gutters of different sizes, adjusted by grinding and / or hot modeling on the dental arch. They make it possible to obtain a lower degree of precision than with an impression or a scanner but are less expensive.

This inner groove 2 is designed from the previous measurements, so as to cover all the teeth of the dental arch AD, with a small space e1, constant or almost constant, preferably of the order of 1 to 2 mm .

This inner gutter 2 is itself manufactured by molding or using a 3D printer, for example.

The outer groove 3 is made for example by the same techniques, and so that its inner face 301 has a space e2 with the outer face 202 of the inner groove 2. This space e2 is preferably constant and is about 1 to 2 mm.

The inner gutter 2 is connected to the outer gutter 3 by means 4 allowing its movement relative to the fixed outer gutter. The means 4 are for example flexible rubber fasteners whose two ends are fixed respectively to one and the other of the gutters, or sliding rails whose slide is secured to one of the two gutters and the slide solidarity with the other.

Preferably, the inner face 201 of the side walls 20 and the bottom 21 of the inner groove 2 is covered with means 22 for cleaning teeth D. These cleaning means 22 are preferably toothbrush bristles, arranged on at least one part of the face 201, preferably on the whole. These toothbrush bristles are for example bristles with a diameter of 15 hundredths.

According to another embodiment variant, not shown in the figures, the cleaning bristles 22 could be replaced by a layer of synthetic foam or compresses made of cotton fibers.

Advantageously, these cleaning means 22 are fixed to the inner face 201 of the lower trough 2 by removable fixing means, so as to be replaced as necessary. The brush bristles or the layer of foam are for example fixed on a pad, itself equipped with means ensuring a removable attachment. In the case of compresses, these can be simply put in the bottom of the gutter.

The base of the two side walls 30 of the outer gutter 3 is thicker so as to form a sealing bead 32.

As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, these beads 32 are designed to be pressed against the gums G, inside and outside the dental arch, when the device 1 according to the invention is in place.

According to the invention, the device 1 comprises, on the one hand, means for introducing, into the inner groove 2, a product for treating and / or cleaning the dental arch, and on the other hand, means of evacuation of this product, out of this inner gutter.

Two embodiments of these means are shown respectively in Figures 3 and 4.

According to the first embodiment shown in Figure 3, at least one tube 23, called "product introduction" is fixed on the inner face 201 of the inner groove 2. Preferably, these tubes are four in number , a pair on each of the side walls 20. They follow the contour of these side walls and are arranged to extend in a plane parallel or substantially parallel to that of the base of the inner groove 2. These four tubes of product introduction 23 are visible only in cross section in Figure 3.

These four tubes 23 are pierced with a plurality of orifices, not shown in the figures, which allow the distribution of the tooth cleaning product and / or periodontal treatment. This product is preferably a liquid.

As best shown in FIG. 2, these four tubes 23 meet on the front of the inner gutter 2, where they are connected to a tubular insertion connection 34, which passes through both gutters and opens out on the outside. device 1.

Moreover, a tube 24 for discharging the product is fixed on the inner face 201 of the inner groove 2, preferably at its bottom 21. This tube 24 matches the shape of the gutter and therefore has an arcuate shape. of a circle. It is visible in cross section in FIG.

This tube 24 is also pierced with a plurality of orifices, not shown in the figures, regularly distributed along its length and which allow the return and the suction of the cleaning product.

Finally, this discharge tube 24 is connected on the front of the inner gutter 2, to a tubular discharge connection 35, which passes through the two gutters and opens out of the device 1.

Preferably, the tubes 23 and 24 are dimensioned so that the flow of product supplied by the introduction tubes 23 is identical or substantially identical to the flow rate of the discharge tube 24. The tube 24 is therefore of larger diameter than the tube 23.

The variant embodiment of FIG. 4 differs only from that of FIG. 3, in that the four introduction tubes 23 are replaced by a single insertion tube 36, preferably disposed on the outside face 302 of the external trough. 3, more preferably in the middle of its bottom 31.

This insertion tube 36 is pierced with orifices, not shown in the figures, which open into the interior space 7 existing between the external trough 3 and the inner trough 2. In this case, the cleaning product flows completely. first down (arrows F1), towards the gum G, then is sucked up to the top of each tooth D, to be discharged through the tube 24 (arrows F2).

This single insertion tube 36 is also connected to the tubular connection 34.

The device 1 is intended to be connected to an external control unit 5, shown in FIG.

This external unit comprises a storage tank 51 of the cleaning product, possibly equipped with a filling gauge 510 and a reservoir 52 for recovering said product after use, possibly also equipped with a filling gauge 520.

A connecting pipe 511 connects the storage tank 51 to the inlet connection 34, while a connecting pipe 521 connects the discharge connection 35 to the tank 52.

In addition, a pump 53, such as a centrifugal pump, circulates the cleaning product from the tank 51 towards the device 1, then recovering the product in the tank 52, but does not recirculate the product a new once in the patient's mouth. The external unit 5 also includes a power source 54, such as batteries or a connection to a power supply, so as to operate the pump 53.

Finally, according to the invention, the device 1 comprises means 6 for setting the inner gutter 2 in motion relative to the external gutter 3 which is fixed.

These means 6 are for example vibratory transducers, of the piezoelectric or ferro-magnetic type or any system generating ultrasound. They are attached to the inner groove 2 and arranged in the space 7 formed between the inner groove 2 and the outer groove 3. According to another embodiment, the inner groove 2 can be connected to a vibration generator 55 of the External control unit 5. This generator 55 is for example a generator of ultrasounds or sub-sounds.

Such devices make it possible to vibrate the inner gutter 2 in the external gutter 3 which serves as a fixed reference.

The means 6 for setting the internal gutter 2 in motion with respect to the external gutter 3 could also be replaced by means making it possible to introduce the cleaning product in the form of pulsed jets under pressure or by an electric micro-motor. allowing to induce a movement back and forth of the inner gutter 2.

The energy source 54 also supplies the transducers 6 or the generator 55.

According to an alternative embodiment shown in Figure 5, the outer channel may be provided with occlusal wedges 8. These are at least two in number. They are fixed on the outer face 302 of the trough 3, at the bottom 31, so as to be opposite the opposing dental arch (in Figure 5, the upper arch). There is also a shim 8 on each right and left branch of the gutter 3.

When the user wears the device 1, the occlusal wedges 8 come into contact with the opposing dental arch. This makes it possible to increase the stability of the device in the mouth and to further reinforce its tightness, by compressing the sealing bead 32 on the gums G.

If the anatomical arrangements of the patient permit, it may possibly double the device to clean and / or simultaneously treat the two lower and upper dental arches. In this case, the two bottoms 31 of the two outer gutters 3 will be joined.

The operation of the cleaning and / or treatment assembly according to the invention is as follows.

The device 1 is introduced into the mouth of the patient, it is connected to the external unit 5 and is then started for a duration of a few tens of seconds.

The disorganization and the elimination of the oral dental plaque is done by a double action, namely mechanics by the movement of the internal and antiseptic gutter by the injection then the recovery of the cleaning product and / or treatment.

The outer groove 3 is fixed, the sealing bead 32 remains pressed against the gums, while only the inner groove 2 is in motion. The device is therefore waterproof and the product does not flow into the patient's mouth.

Claims (11)

1. Device (1) for cleaning and / or treating the upper or lower dental arch of a human being, characterized in that it comprises: - two bow-shaped gutters, called "inner" (2 ) and "outer" (3), nested one inside the other, the two gutters (2, 3) being interconnected by means (4) allowing the relative movement of the inner gutter with respect to the external gutter (3), the outer trough being provided at its base with a sealing bead (32) intended to be placed against the gum of the human being, - means for introducing (23, 36) a product treatment and / or cleaning in said inner gutter (2) and means (24) for discharging this product from said inner gutter, and - means (55, 6) for moving said inner gutter ( 2) relative to said outer gutter (3) fixed. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner groove (2) is provided with cleaning means teeth (22). 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the teeth cleaning means (22) are brush bristles which cover at least a portion of the inner face (201) of the inner groove (2). 4. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the means for cleaning the teeth (22) are strips of plastic foam, which cover at least a portion of the inner face (201) of the inner groove (2) . 5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means for discharging the treatment product and / or cleaning, out of said inner groove (2), comprise a discharge tube (24), fixed on the inner face (201) of the inner gutter, preferably at its bottom (21), this discharge tube (24) being connected to a discharge connection (35) which passes through the two gutters (2, 3) and opens out of the device (1). 6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means for introducing the treatment product and / or cleaning comprise one or more introduction tubes (23), fixed on the inner face (201) of the side walls (20) of the inner gutter (2), these introduction tubes (23) being connected to an insertion fitting (34), which passes through the two gutters (2, 3) and opens out of the device (1). 7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the means for introducing the treatment product and / or cleaning comprises an introduction tube (36), fixed on the outer face (302) of the outer trough (3) and pierced with a plurality of orifices which open into the space (7) existing between the outer trough (3) and the inner trough (2), this insertion tube (36) being connected at an introduction connection (34), which passes through the two gutters (23) and opens out of the device (1). 8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means (6) for moving the inner gutter (2) relative to the outer gutter (3) fixed are vibratory transducers, for example of the type piezoelectric or ferro-magnetic, or generating ultrasound and, in that these means (6) are attached to the inner groove (2) and arranged between the two gutters. 9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the means for moving the inner gutter (2) relative to the outer gutter (3) fixed are an electric micro-motor for inducing a movement back and forth from the inner gutter. 10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer channel (3) is provided with at least two occlusal wedges (8) disposed on the outer face (302) of its bottom (31) and on each of its branches, these occlusal wedges (8) being shaped to cooperate with the opposing dental arch. 11. Cleaning and / or treatment of the upper or lower dental arch of a human being, characterized in that it comprises a device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, and a control unit external device (5), which comprises a storage tank (51) for the treatment and / or cleaning product to be dispensed, a recovery tank (52) for said product after use, means for connecting (511, 521) said reservoirs ( 51, 52) respectively to the introduction means (23, 36) and the discharge means (24) of said cleaning device, pumping means (53) for circulating said product between the storage tank (51) and the recovery tank (52) via the device (1), means (6, 55) for moving the inner gutter (2) of the device (1) and means for supplying electrical power (54) thereof. pumping means (53) and setting in motion (6, 55).