Apparatus and method for heating an endodontic instrument by infrared radiation
AssigneeOrmco Corporation
InventorErik Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for heating an endodontic instrument by infrared radiation includes a housing defining a chamber. An infrared heating element is positioned within the chamber. The housing includes an aperture and an adjacent holder for holding the endodontic instrument, such as an obturator. The endodontic instrument held by the holder extends through the aperture and into the chamber. The infrared heating element directs infrared radiation toward the endodontic instrument, which heats the endodontic instrument.
Claims21
A method of filling a root canal with a heat softenable filling material carried on an endodontic instrument, the method comprising:
- holding the endodontic instrument with at least a filling material portion thereof extending into a chamber;
- directing infrared radiation from an infrared radiation heating element at the filling material portion within the chamber;
- heating and softening the filling material portion with the radiation;
- filling the root canal with the softened filling material portion;
- drawing cool air from an ambient environment into the chamber through a first air vent;
- and
- expelling heated air from the chamber into the ambient environment through a second air vent.
A method of filling a root canal with a heat softenable filling material carried on an endodontic instrument, the method comprising:
- providing an apparatus having a housing, an infrared radiation heating element in the housing, an air inlet in the housing below the infrared radiation heating element, and an air outlet in the housing above the infrared radiation heating element,
- holding the endodontic instrument with at least a filling material portion thereof extending into the housing;
- directing infrared radiation from the infrared radiation heating element at the filling material portion so as to soften the filling material portion with infrared heat from the infrared radiation heating element;
- cooling an interior of the housing with natural convection by passing air in to the housing through the air inlet, upwardly through the housing, and out of the housing through the air outlet, to remove convective heat from the housing generated by the infrared radiation heating element so as to reduce softening of the filling material portion due to convective heat generated by the infrared radiation heating element;
- the heating and softening of the filling material portion thereby being primarily due to infrared heating;
- and
- filling the root canal with the softened filling material portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.