Patent ID: 8696353
Filing Date: 2014-04-15
Classification: A46B,A61C,A61K,A61P,A61Q

Abstract:
1. An appliance system for delivering a bacteria-killing agent to the vicinity of dental biofilm for killing the bacteria there, the appliance system comprising: a polymeric capsule-containing source in the appliance system having polymeric capsules containing gas bubbles and a bacteria-killing agent therein; a system in the appliance system for delivering the polymeric capsules from the polymeric capsule-containing source in the direction of the biofilm; and a source of ultrasonic energy in the appliance system for moving the capsules toward the dental biofilm, the ultrasound energy having sufficient intensity for thereafter bursting the capsules in the vicinity of the biofilm, releasing the gas bubbles and the bacteria-killing agent, wherein the ultrasound has a frequency which is related to the size of the gas bubbles such that the released gas bubbles vibrate in the ultrasound field in the vicinity of or against the biofilm, disrupting the biofilm to the extent that the released bacteria-killing agent acts effectively to kill the bacteria in the disrupted dental biofilm.