Oral therapeutic delivery appliance
OwnerPeter J Zegarelliinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to an oral therapeutic delivery appliance. By using this oral therapeutic delivery appliance medicaments may be delivered to oral soft tissues, where medicaments are easily absorbed. To aide the delivery of medicaments to oral soft tissues the oral therapeutic delivery appliance contains a therapeutic pooling reservoir where the medicaments may be placed. The oral therapeutic delivery appliance may be used to treat or aide in the treatment of various oral maladies such as periodontal disease (i.e., gum disease) as well as treating or aiding the treatment of other physical ailments and systemic diseases (e.g., diabetes and other chronic diseases which require either single, intermittent or constant dosing of medicament).
Claims85
An oral therapeutic appliance for delivering medicament to a patient's oral soft tissue, the appliance being formed from a sheet material molded to fit contours of at least a portion of the patient's teeth, edentulous areas or both, and adjacent buccal and lingual soft tissues, the appliance comprising one or more pooling reservoirs for holding a precise volume of medicament to be delivered to the oral soft tissue, said reservoirs located on the appliance corresponding to the oral soft tissue of the patient's mouth, wherein said one or more pooling reservoirs allow movement of said medicament.
A method of delivering medicament to a patient's oral soft tissue comprising:
- (a) covering at least a portion of the patient's teeth, edentulous areas or both, and adjacent buccal and lingual soft tissues with a molded contoured oral therapeutic appliance that is configured to extend beyond the patient's gingival margin, the oral therapeutic appliance further comprising one or more pooling reservoirs for holding a precise volume of medicament to be delivered to the oral soft tissue, said reservoirs located on the oral therapeutic appliance corresponding to the soft tissue at or near the gingival margin for holding medicament, wherein said one or more pooling reservoirs allow movement of said medicament;
- (b) placing the medicament to be delivered within the oral therapeutic delivery appliance;
- (c) positioning the oral therapeutic appliance over the teeth, edentulous areas or both in the area where the medicament is to be delivered such that at least a portion of the medicament within one or more of the pooling reservoirs is able to contact the soft tissue;
- and
- (d) maintaining the oral therapeutic appliance in position for a sufficient time to allow a therapeutically effective amount of the medicament to be absorbed by the soft tissue.
An oral therapeutic appliance comprising one or more pooling reservoirs for delivering a precise volume of medicament to a patient's oral soft tissue, wherein said one or more pooling reservoirs allow movement of said medicament, the appliance being formed from a sheet material molded to fit contours of at least a portion of the patient's teeth, edentulous areas or both, and adjacent buccal and lingual soft tissues.
A method of delivering medicament to a patient's oral soft tissue comprising:
- (a) covering at least a portion of the patient's teeth, edentulous areas or both, and adjacent buccal and lingual soft tissues with a molded contoured oral therapeutic appliance that is configured to extend beyond the patient's gingival margin, the oral therapeutic appliance further comprising one or more pooling reservoirs for holding a precise volume of medicament to be delivered to the oral soft tissue, wherein said one or more pooling reservoirs allow movement of the medicament;
- (b) placing the medicament to be delivered within the oral therapeutic delivery appliance;
- (c) positioning the oral therapeutic appliance over the teeth, edentulous areas or both in the area where the medicament is to be delivered such that at least a portion of the medicament is able to contact the soft tissue;
- and
- (d) maintaining the oral therapeutic appliance in position for a sufficient time to allow a therapeutically effective amount of the medicament to be absorbed by the soft tissue.
A method of forming an oral therapeutic appliance comprising:
- (a) forming an impression of a patient's mouth that registers at least a portion of the patient's teeth, edentulous areas or both, and surrounding gingival tissue;
- (b) using the impression to form a stone cast model of the mouth;
- (c) placing a precise volume of flowable composite on the stone cast model at a region corresponding to the patient's oral soft tissue;
- (d) curing the flowable composite on the stone cast;
- and
- (e) molding a thermoplastic sheet over the stone cast such that said cured flowable composite forms one or more pooling reservoirs within the oral therapeutic appliance for holding a precise volume of medicament to be delivered to the oral soft tissue, wherein said one or more pooling reservoirs allow movement of a medicament.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.