초록 ▼

A kit that may be used to place a dental bracket and a medicament-releasing pellet in the mouth of a patient, and methods for using such kits. The pellet is designed to provide slow release of fluoride or another medicament over a desired period of time. The kit includes a medicament-releasing pelle

A kit that may be used to place a dental bracket and a medicament-releasing pellet in the mouth of a patient, and methods for using such kits. The pellet is designed to provide slow release of fluoride or another medicament over a desired period of time. The kit includes a medicament-releasing pellet, a dental bracket, and a placement device. The dental bracket comprises a base and a socket. The bracket may be installed by a dental practitioner and may remain attached to the patient's tooth for up to 20 years. The placement device aids the dental practitioner in placing the bracket on a patient's tooth.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A kit for use in placing a dental bracket designed to receive a medicament-releasing pellet onto a tooth, comprising: a medicament-releasing pellet; a dental bracket designed to receive the medicament-releasing pellet, the dental bracket comprising: a base configured for atta

What is claimed is: 1. A kit for use in placing a dental bracket designed to receive a medicament-releasing pellet onto a tooth, comprising: a medicament-releasing pellet; a dental bracket designed to receive the medicament-releasing pellet, the dental bracket comprising: a base configured for attachment to a tooth surface; and a socket that is sized and configured to receive therein a correspondingly-sized and shaped pellet; and a placement device having a body sized and configured to be at least partially inserted into a person's mouth, a protrusion disposed on the body sized and configured so as to releasably attach to the socket of the dental bracket, and wherein the socket of the dental bracket is releasably attached to the protrusion of the placement device. 2. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the medicament-releasing pellet is substantially spherical or substantially circular. 3. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the medicament-releasing pellet is substantially elliptical, substantially ellipsoidal, substantially bar-shaped or substantially loaf-shaped. 4. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the body comprises an elongate handle, wherein the protrusion is at an end of the elongate handle. 5. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the protrusion is male so as to mate within a correspondingly-sized and shaped female socket of a dental bracket. 6. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the protrusion includes a female cavity so as to receive therein the socket of a dental bracket. 7. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the placement device is transparent so as to allow light emitted by a dental curing light to pass through the placement device so as to cure an adhesive used to bond a dental bracket to a patient's tooth. 8. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the protrusion is substantially spherical. 9. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the protrusion is substantially circular. 10. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the protrusion is substantially ellipsoidal. 11. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the protrusion is substantially bar-shaped. 12. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the protrusion is substantially loaf-shaped. 13. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the medicament-releasing pellet is releasably attached to the placement device. 14. A kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the kit further comprises bonding resin and etch. 15. A kit as recited in claim 14, wherein the bonding resin comprises a light curable adhesive resin. 16. A method of placing a bracket and medicament-releasing pellet onto a tooth, comprising: (a) providing a kit comprising: a medicament-releasing pellet; a dental bracket designed to receive the medicament-releasing pellet, the dental bracket comprising: a base configured for attachment to a tooth surface; and a socket that is sized and configured to receive therein a correspondingly-sized and shaped pellet; and a placement device having a body sized and configured to be at least partially inserted into a person's mouth, a protrusion disposed on the body sized and configured so as to releasably attach to the socket of the dental bracket; (b) attaching the protrusion of the placement device to the socket of the dental bracket, so that the dental bracket is releasably coupled to the placement device; (c) manipulating the placement device to position the dental bracket against a patient's tooth in a desired position; (d) bonding the dental bracket to the tooth; (e) removing the placement device from the dental bracket; (f) inserting the medicament-releasing pellet so as to be received and retained within the socket of the dental bracket. 17. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising etching the surface of the patient's tooth prior to bonding the dental bracket to the patient's tooth. 18. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein (d) is performed prior to (f). 19. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein (f) is performed prior to (d). 20. A kit for use in placing a dental bracket designed to receive a medicament-releasing pellet onto a tooth, comprising: a dental bracket designed to receive a medicament-releasing pellet, the dental bracket comprising: a base configured for attachment to a tooth surface; and a socket that is sized and configured to receive therein a medicament-releasing pellet; a placement device having a body sized and configured to be at least partially inserted into a person's mouth, a protrusion disposed on the body sized and configured to releasably attach to the socket of the dental bracket; and a medicament-releasing pellet, the pellet being releasably attached to the placement device.