Periodontal pocket irrigating and medication delivery dispenser and gel system

Abstract

A periodontal pocket irrigating and treatment system includes a dispenser capable of containing a medication. The system enables an individual patient to self-administer a medication or irrigant into periodontal pockets while at home or travelling. A housing holds a tube of medication, and a roller squeezes the tube, thereby releasing an incremental portion of the medication therefrom. A control, operable from the outside of the housing, urges the roller in increments along the interior of the housing, squeezing the tube in a controlled fashion. A nozzle is attached to the tube for delivering the medication from the tube through a nozzle outlet end of small diameter to the periodontal pocket. Optionally, a flexible tip is attached to end of nozzle for elimination of pain and for guidance around curvatures of the periodontal pocket. A ratchet preferably controls the amount of medication dispensed by the device. The medication preferably is a gel, but may be in other form, which includes an active medication and a water-soluble carrying agent. In one embodiment, the active medication is contained in micropellets in the gel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.