Holder for obturation material delivery device

An obturator comprising;

• a delivery device comprising a shaft having a connecting portion and a bed portion at a distal end of said shaft and a plug of solid, unheated filler material mounted on the bed portion;
• and a holder for the delivery device comprising;
• a holder body having a side surface, a forward end, a back end, and an internal channel extending inwardly from the forward end of said body;
• said channel being sized and shaped to removably receive at least an upper portion of the connecting portion of the shaft of said delivery device;
• whereby, when the delivery device is received in the internal channel, the delivery device bed and the filler material are external of, and spaced from, the forward end of the holder;
• a heating circuit having a heating device proximate said internal channel;
• said heating device being positioned proximate said internal channel to be in thermal communication with said delivery device connecting portion when said delivery device connecting portion is received in said internal holder channel;
• and
• an electronically activated delivery device retractor internal of said holder body and at least partially in said channel of said internal holder body;
• said delivery device retractor operably and removably engaging said connecting portion of said delivery device when said delivery device connecting portion is received in said internal channel and being operable, when activated, to move said delivery device axially in said internal channel when the delivery device connecting portion is received in said internal channel from an extended position to a retracted position to withdraw said delivery device bed from the filler material during an obturation procedure.

An obturator for sealing an apical end of a prepared root canal, the obturator comprising a delivery device for delivering a plug of unheated filler material into a prepared root canal, a holder for the delivery device, and an apex locating circuit;

• the delivery device comprising a shaft having a connecting end and a bed at a distal end of said shaft;
• said shaft and said bed comprising heat conductive and electrically conductive material;
• said bed having in inner concave surface and an outer convex surface;
• a plug of thermoplastic biocompatible filler material being mounted to said bed inner surface such that said bed outer surface opposite said filler material is substantially free of biocompatible filler material;
• the apex locating circuit being defined in part by said delivery device;
• and
• the holder comprising:
• a body having a side surface, a forward end, a back end, and an internal channel extending inwardly from the forward end of said body;
• said channel being sized and shaped to removably receive at least an upper portion of the connecting end of the shaft of said delivery device;
• and
• a heating circuit having a heating device;
• said heating device being contained in the holder proximate said channel such that said heating device is in thermal communication with said delivery device, whereby, when said heating circuit is activated, heat is delivered along the shaft of the delivery device to the bed of the delivery device to heat the filler material.

An obturation system for facilitating filling of a root canal system, comprising:

• a holder;
• a delivery device removably receivable by the holder and comprising a shaft having a bed portion at a distal end thereof;
• said bed portion having an inner surface and an outer surface opposite said inner surface;
• said inner surface defining a filler material receiving surface;
• said bed portion being generally arcuate in shape and wherein said inner surface is concave and said outer surface is convex;
• said bed portion being at least partially electrically conductive along said bed outer surface;
• and said shaft being at least in part electrically conductive;
• a plug of a biocompatible thermoplastic filler material comprising an upper surface, a side surface, and a distal end;
• wherein the delivery device bed portion has a greater thermal conductivity than the filler material,
• wherein the plug of filler material is mounted to the inner surface of the bed portion and the outer surface of the bed portion is substantially free of filler material such that said outer surface of said bed portion can contact a surface of the root canal at least at a distal end of said bed during use;
• the bed portion of the delivery device being shaped to wrap at least partially around the side surface of the plug of filler material and contacting the plug of filler material substantially along the length of the plug of filler material from the upper end of the plug of filler material to at or proximate the distal end of the filler material to facilitate direct heat transfer to the distal end of the plug of filler material, thereby facilitating heating of the filler material and delivery of the plug of filler material to the root canal system;
• the holder comprising a heating circuit;
• the heating circuit comprising a heat sensor and a heating device configured to be in thermal communication with said bed portion when said delivery device is received by said holder;
• whereby, when said heating device is activated said bed portion is heated;
• the delivery device bed portion being configured to transfer heat to the filler material from the side surface of the filler material;
• said heat sensor generating a signal indicative of the temperature of the filler material;
• an apex locating circuit, said delivery device being part of said apex locating circuit;
• said apex locating circuit generating a signal indicative of the location of the delivery device and the filler material plug on the delivery device within the root canal;
• and
• a controller, said controller being in communication with said heating device and said apex locating circuit;
• said controller controlling activating the heating device in response to the output of the apex locating circuit and controlling the heating device once activated in response to the output of said temperature sensor to uniformly heat the filler material to a temperature slightly above a molding temperature for the filler material.

An obturation system for facilitating filling of a root canal system, comprising:

• a delivery device comprising a shaft having a bed portion at a distal end thereof;
• said bed portion having an inner concave surface and an outer convex surface;
• said bed portion being at least partially electrically conductive along said bed outer surface;
• and said shaft being at least in part electrically conductive;
• a plug of a biocompatible thermoplastic filler material comprising an upper surface, a side surface, and a distal end;
• wherein the delivery device bed portion has a greater thermal conductivity than the filler material;
• wherein the plug of filler material is mounted to the inner surface of the bed portion and the outer surface of the bed portion is substantially free of filler material;
• the bed portion of the delivery device wrapping at least partially around the side surface of the plug of filler material and contacting the plug of filler material substantially along the length of the plug of filler material from the upper end of the plug of filler material to at or proximate the distal end of the filler material to facilitate direct heat transfer to the distal end of the plug of filler material, thereby facilitating heating of the filler material and delivery of the plug of filler material to the root canal system;
• a heating device in thermal communication with said bed portion;
• whereby, when said heating device is activated said bed portion is heated;
• the delivery device bed portion being configured to transfer heat to the filler material from the side surface of the filler material;
• an apex location confirming circuit comprising said delivery device;
• said delivery device comprising an electrically conductive member extending along at least the outer surface of said delivery device bed portion and which will contact a surface of the root canal when the device is inserted in the root canal;
• said apex location confirming circuit generating a location signal indicative of the location of said delivery device in the root canal being treated;
• and
• a controller, said controller being in communication with said heating device and said apex location confirming circuit to control said heating device;
• said controller controlling the heating device in response to signals received from said apex location circuit to heat the filler material to a temperature slightly above a molding temperature for the filler material;
• the bed portion contacting the filler material such that the plug of filler material is substantially uniformly heated to said temperature.