US3386440A - Dental pad - Google Patents

Description

June 4, 1968 M. J. col-EN DENTAL PAD Filed om.. 19, 1965 United States Patent O 3,386,440 DENTAL PAD Milton J. Cohen, 711 vConnecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, Md. 20015 Filed Oct. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 497,887 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-268) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to a compressible and flexible dental pad of H shape configuration with the cross piece of the H being adapted to overlay either the open socket created by a freshly extracted tooth or a tooth in pain and the Wings of the H adapted to straddle the gums so as to hold the pad in place. The pad may also be impregnated or otherwise contain a drug to either control and stop bleeding or to alleviate pain.

This invention relates to a more effective means of aiding in the control of hemorrhage after an extraction of the teeth, plus a modification of same to produce a more effective means of retaining medication within an area of the mouth for a prolonged effect.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a means of control which will more effectively be retained in the area of the hemorrhage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for hemorrhage control which conforms anatomically to the area desired for better sealing of that area.

Another object of the invention is `to provide a modification of said means of control which will produce a simple method of containing medication to an area in the mouth.

Another object is to provide the above means in a way that wil be simple to produce, inexpensive to buy, easy to use and be of a one-use disposeable nature.

These and other objectives of the invention and the manner in which such objectives are accomplished will become more readily apparent from the following description of the invention, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross section of the invention ready to be placed in the area desired, showing the anatomic relationship of said invention and the tissues to be treated.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross section of the invention showing the anatomic relationship between it and the tissues to be treated, as it is applied and being used.

FIG. 3 is a 3 dimensional view of the device.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross section of the modification of the device, showing its adaptation as a container for medication and including the method of concentration of said medicament in the area desired.

In brief, after an extraction the normal procedure today is to insert a solid wad of gauze over the open socket after an extraction after which the patient bites down upon same. However, since the patient will invariably move the jaws around and even separate them slightly because of the taste and feeling of the gauze, nervousness, et cetera, the gauze wad will tend to move Iaway from the socket, thus defeating its purpose, plus `tending to gag the patient. This invention is intended to overcome those objections by being so constructed anatomically that there is an interrelation of parts involved between the device and the socket and opposing teeth which will hold the invention from moving away froward or backward, and should the patient tend to open up his jaws any distance, the lateral wings of the invention prevents a falling into the mouth opening proper, thus eliminating any tendency to gag or swallow same. Also, in complete closing of the patients 3,386,440' Patented June 4, 1968 jaws, the device assumes a natural position to prevent uncomfortableness to the patient. Again, hemostatic medication impregnated within the bulk of the pad will definitely stay in the extracted area for more definite results. In the modified form, one of the wings of the device has merely been modified in such a manner as to form a pocket which is filled with a soluble powdered medication for the controlof local pain and since the device is of a porous nature, there will be a time lapse for the saliva to penetrate and dissolve said medication, so that a prolonged effect is effected. The medication used and its effects, has been accidentally discovered from use of said medication by patients, since it was noticed by the inventor many times, that when a patient presented hmself with a troublesome tooth, he had used the placing of an aspirin besides the tooth at its gum area. Although causing a sloughing of the tissues or a whitening, said placing did stop the pain for a certain period. The normal use of aspirin is that it be swallowed to take effect upon the brain indirectly; the unscientiflc action of the patient showed that aspirin did become absorbed enough to act locally in the mouth, so that it was natural :to dwell upon the use of said aspirin as an analgesic which acted directly upon the local tissues of the mouth. The reason for the sloughing or whitening of the tissue was that aspirin is acid in action and hence was burning the tissues, much as some patients claim that they get a burning feeling in the stomach when they swallow aspirin. Hence, coupled with the aspirin in the device is a neutralizer, or base, such as sodium bicarbonate or any other chemical which will do the same, so that when the powder dissolves and bathes the surrounding gingival area, there will not be any sloughing of said area, because of the neutralizing action of the combined chemicals. I believe this device to be the first attempt to use aspirin, buffered, locally in the mouth for a direct local action by the patient himself.

Referring again to the drawings:

In FIGURE 1, is a longitudinal cross section of the device, an H-shaped section of one of the new compressible porous cellulose materials, showing the device in position ready to be applied, the cross-bar of the H or body 4 being bulky, the top 7 and bottom 8 of said body being convex, said body being of sufficient length to encompass sufiicient tooth `or Igum area, said body being poised over the area of extraction 5 and under the tooth 2 or force for compressability.

In FIGURE 2, the pad containing the aspirin and buffering chemical has been utilized, and said body 4 has been compressed by the opposing tooth 2 pressure, to effectively seal the socket 5 for hemorrhage control, and simultaneously, with the closing together of the jaws, the wings 3, 9, 10 and 11 have grasped the gum tissue 1 and 6, to insure a stable position of said pad as it is used.

In FIGURE 3, is represented a 3 dimensional view of the device and its integral parts.

In FIGURE 4, is the modification, in which two of the wings have been made larger to form a bag or sack 12, said area 13 for holding medication being mlade by a slitting 15 almost all of the way through, leaving enough open area between the walls formed to make a bag effect, and Iwithin said bag -has been placed the medication powder 14. The body 4, has been compressed between opposing teeth 2 and 16 for gripping said bag, while its integral normal wings 10 and 11 aid in prevention of the falling away of the pa-d as in FIGURE 2.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and there-fore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the vdrawings 4and described in the specifications, but only as indicated in the accompanying drawings.

To use, one inserts one of the pads into the extraction area in such a manner that the wings of the pad are overlying the gingival or gum area with the body 'bulk of the pad centered over the bleeding socket. The jaws are then brought together, which allows the wings to cover more of the gum area and at the same time cause the bfulky pad to be compressed at its center against the open socket by the opposing tooth. This pressurized pad Iwith its impregnated hemostatic medication causes the blood to clot, the porosity of the pad preventing a traumatizing Contact which 'could later cause undue added pain by the breaking of the clot. In the case of using the therapeutic medicated version of the pad, the p'ad is inserted with its win'gs lying along the gum area facing the tongue area, and having the bag portion lying against the gum area and the cheek area. The jaws are then brought together causing the opposing teeth to bear against and grip the integrally connected thin layered body that connects the wings to the bag. Thus the therapeutic bag isheld in the area to be treated, and, lying in the mouth and thus held Ias described above, the saliva eventually penetrates said bag and dissolves the combination of aspirin and buiering agent, and d-ue to the porosity of the bag, the solution formed between the medication and saliva comes out slowly from the bag so that the action is prolonged, to relieve the pain. After a prescribed period of time., the constituents of the bag are evacuated after which it is discarded.

-I claim:

1. A dental pad for the control of hemorrhage follow ing the extraction of a tooth or pain caused by a tooth comprising 'an H-shaped stnucture formed of a compressible and flexible material, said H-shaped struct-ure having `a center portion with |a first end and a second end opposite from said first end to form a cross-bar of the H when compressed, a first upwardly extending wing attached to said irst end of said center portion, a second upwardly extending wing attached to said second end of said center portion and cooperating with said rst upwardly extending wing for gripping Contact with the upper gingivafl surface areas, a rst downwardly extending wing attached to said first end of said center portion and a second downwardly extending wing attached to said second end of said center portion and cooperating wit-h said rst upwardly extending wing for gripping contact with the lower gingival surface areas.

2. A pad as in claim 1 wherein a medic-ation is contained in said pad.

3. A pad as in claim 2 wherein said medication is contained in 'a pocket in at least one of said wings of said pad.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,501,544 3/1950 shronrz 12s-26s ADELE M. EAGER,P1imm-y Examiner.

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