Therapeutic Tooth Bud Ablation
AssigneeTriAgenics, Inc.
InventorLeigh E. Colby
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ablation procedure. The ablation procedure may be applied to tooth buds and result in tooth agenesis. The ablation procedure may be applied to lesions or tumors. A method for using a tooth bud ablation system in a tooth bud ablation procedure for ablating a tooth bud, said tooth bud having a middle, said procedure resulting in the agenesis of said tooth. The tooth may be a third molar in a human patient. A method for creating a third molar tooth bud ablation system including a custom surgical stent and an ablation probe tip for use in a third molar tooth bud ablation procedure that results in the agenesis of a third molar in a human patient.
Claims28
A method for using a third molar tooth bud ablation system in a third molar tooth bud ablation procedure for ablating a third molar tooth bud, said third molar tooth bud having a middle, said procedure resulting in the agenesis of said third molar in a human patient, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an ablation probe unit capable of providing ablation energy;
- (b) providing an ablation probe tip having a shaft, mechanical stop structure, and a center of ablation, said center of ablation positioned on said shaft, said ablation probe tip connectable to said ablation probe unit;
- (c) providing a custom surgical stent with at least one surgical guide corresponding to at least one third molar tooth bud surgical site, said at least one surgical guide having guiding structure, said at least one surgical guide being a passageway through said surgical stent, said passageway being sized to guide placement of said ablation probe tip only at a pre-defined angle, said at least one surgical guide having mechanical stop structure to limit the depth of said ablation probe tip to a pre-defined depth;
- (d) guiding said ablation probe tip at said pre-defined angle using said guiding structure;
- (e) limiting the depth of said ablation probe tip through said at least one surgical guide until there is a mechanical stop between said mechanical stop structure of said at least one surgical guide and said mechanical stop structure of said ablation probe tip;
- and
- (f) at least partially ablating said third molar tooth bud using said ablation energy when said center of ablation is in the middle of the third molar tooth bud.
A method for creating a third molar tooth bud ablation system including a custom surgical stent and an ablation probe tip for use in a third molar tooth bud ablation procedure that results in the agenesis of a third molar in a human patient, said system comprising:
- (a) measuring a three-dimensional location and volume of a third molar tooth bud of said human patient to obtain three-dimensional location measurements and volume measurements;
- (b) calculating a middle of said third molar tooth bud using said volume measurements;
- (c) obtaining said ablation probe tip, said ablation probe tip having a shaft and a center of ablation, said center of ablation positioned on said shaft;
- (d) calculating a pre-defined angle to guide said ablation probe tip so that said center of ablation is in the middle of the third molar tooth bud, the calculations of said pre-defined angle being based on said three-dimensional location measurements and volume measurements;
- (e) calculating a pre-defined depth to limit the depth of said ablation probe tip so that said center of ablation is in the middle of the third molar tooth bud, the calculations of said pre-defined depth being based on said three-dimensional location measurements and volume measurements;
- and
- (f) creating said custom surgical stent with at least one surgical guide corresponding to at least one third molar tooth bud surgical site, said at least one surgical guide having guiding structure, said at least one surgical guide being a passageway through said surgical stent, said passageway being sized to guide placement of said ablation probe tip only at said pre-defined angle, said at least one surgical guide having mechanical stop structure to limit the depth of said ablation probe tip to said pre-defined depth.
A method for using a tooth bud ablation system in a tooth bud ablation procedure for ablating a tooth bud, said tooth bud having a middle, said procedure resulting in the agenesis of said tooth bud, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an ablation probe unit capable of providing ablation energy;
- (b) providing an ablation probe tip having a shaft, mechanical stop structure, and a center of ablation, said center of ablation positioned on said shaft, said ablation probe tip connectable to said ablation probe unit;
- (c) providing a custom surgical stent with at least one surgical guide corresponding to at least one tooth bud surgical site, said at least one surgical guide having guiding structure, said at least one surgical guide being a passageway through said surgical stent, said passageway being sized to guide placement of said ablation probe tip only at a pre-defined angle, said at least one surgical guide having mechanical stop structure to limit the depth of said ablation probe tip to a pre-defined depth;
- (d) guiding said ablation probe tip at said pre-defined angle using said guiding structure;
- (e) limiting the depth of said ablation probe tip through said at least one surgical guide until there is a mechanical stop between said mechanical stop structure of said at least one surgical guide and said mechanical stop structure of said ablation probe tip;
- and
- (f) at least partially ablating said tooth bud using said ablation energy when said center of ablation is in the middle of the tooth bud.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.