Holder for tooth treatment material and method

The invention provides a tooth polishing paste holder having a cup member, a connector member and a base member. The cup has an inner wall. The inner wall has a circumference less than 10 cm. The connector connects the cup to the base. The base is adapted to support the cup in an upright position on a horizontal surface.

The invention relates to holders for tooth treatment material. The 
invention provides a holder for tooth treatment material, such as 
polishing paste, the holder having a cup, a connector and a base adapted 
to support the cup in an upright position on a horizontal surface. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The prior art uses metal rings and plastic fingerclips to hold polishing 
paste in a single use container. For example NUPRO (trademark) dental 
polishing paste is sold by Dentsply International Inc in a single use 
container. One prior art clip holds the container to a finger of a dentist 
(or hygienist) while the single use container is fixed on top of the clip. 
Prior art fingerclip holders are able to clasp single use containers, but 
are not adapted to hold paste without a container. A prior art fingerclip, 
while in use is held firmly to the finger which presses on the finger 
becoming uncomfortable after a while. Sharp edges of the metal clips 
damage the user's examination glove(s). Prior art holder mounting and 
removal require the use of a second hand to move the holder from or to the 
user's finger. Thus, a prior art holder fingerclip cannot be removed from 
the user's finger by the hand on which the holder is mounted, so a second 
hand is needed. Prior art holders bend and loosen the hold on the 
container when removing polishing paste from the container. Retention for 
paste containers in prior art holders is therefore poor and decreases over 
time. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Holders in accordance with the invention provide the user with the ability 
to hold all kinds of dental materials and medicaments like polishing paste 
in cups, in bulk, fluoride varnish and gel and other materials for 
professional use. Holders in accordance with the invention make it easy to 
directly apply material into the patient's mouth. Holders in accordance 
with the invention provide users with the ability to hold a holder and a 
dental instrument or a dental tool at the same time in one hand without 
any discomfort or interference by the dental tool or instrument in the use 
of the holder. 
Holders in accordance with the invention are made of autoclavable material. 
Holders in accordance with the invention have no wear or breakage of the 
clips by time. Holders in accordance with the invention are used in one 
hand with no need for a second hand to remove the holder from and/or clip 
the holder to the finger. Holders in accordance with the invention are 
easy to pick-up and put down on a tray. Holders in accordance with the 
invention provides the user with the ability to be used between the 
fingers of your choice either on right or left hand in upright or downside 
position. 
Holders in accordance with the invention provide users with the ability to 
be put down at the tray in upright position. Holders in accordance with 
the invention allow different grasps of a holder to accommodate hand 
positions. 
Tooth polishing paste is typically effectively a nonvolatile material 
containing abrasive particles, and is applied to teeth in a patient's 
mouth while supported by a motor driven rotating carrier. 
The prior art does not provide a tooth polishing paste holder having a cup 
member, a connector member and a base member wherein the cup has an inner 
wall with a circumference less than 10 cm, the connector connects the cup 
to the base and the base is adapted to support the cup in an upright 
position on a horizontal surface. 
It is an object of the invention to provide an undivided unitary tooth 
polishing paste holder having a cup member, a connector member and a base 
member wherein the cup has an inner wall with a circumference less than 10 
cm, the connector connects the cup to the base and the base is adapted to 
support the cup in an upright position on a horizontal surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is now described with more particular reference to FIGS. 2 
through 6. The invention provides a tooth polishing paste holder 10, 
having a cup member 12, a connector member 14 and a base member 16. The 
cup 12 has an inner wall 18. The inner wall 18 has a circumference less 
than 10 cm. Preferably, the inner wall 18 has a circumference less than 6 
cm. The connector 14 connects the cup 12 to the base 16. 
The base 16 is adapted to support the cup 12 in an upright position on a 
horizontal surface. The connector 14 is substantially rectangular in 
cross-section. The holder 10 is made of a material adapted to not melt and 
maintain the shape of the holder at temperatures greater than 100.degree. 
C. The connector 14 has a length to width ratio between 1 to 1 and 4 to 1, 
and a width to depth ratio between 2 to 1 and 30 to 1. Preferably, the 
connector 14 has a length to width ratio between 1 to 1 and 3 to 1, and a 
width to depth ratio between 2 to 1 and 10 to 1. Holder 10 is preferably 
used in combination with a container 20 which supports tooth polishing 
paste therein while the container is supported by the cup 12. 
Holder 10 is preferably used in combination with tooth polishing paste 
while the paste is supported by the cup 12. Preferably the inner wall 18 
has a circumference less than 5 cm. Preferably the paste comprises fine 
particles of abrasive material. 
Preferably cup 12 has a truncated rounded upper face and truncated rounded 
lower face, and said base has a truncated rounded upper face and a planar 
lower face. 
Holder 10 has a central axis A which extends vertically while the lower 
face 22 of the base 16 is positioned in a horizontal plane, for example by 
being substantially coplanar with and supported by a horizontal surface. 
The connector 14 extends laterally from the vertical axis in two 
orthogonal directions B and C. Preferably the connector extends laterally 
more than twice as far in one orthogonal direction C than in the other 
orthogonal direction B. More preferably the connector extends laterally 
more than thrice as far in one orthogonal direction C than in the other 
orthogonal direction B. Most preferably the connector extends laterally 
more than four times further in one orthogonal direction C than in the 
other orthogonal direction B. 
The invention provides a method of dispensing tooth polishing paste by 
providing a paste holder having a cup, a connector and a base, the 
connector connecting the cup to the base, the base being adapted to 
support the cup in an upright position on a horizontal surface, the cup 
supporting tooth polishing paste, and dispensing the tooth polishing paste 
from the cup. The user positions a container in the cup. The container 
supports dental treatment material such as tooth polishing paste. 
Alternatively the user positions dental treatment material such as tooth 
polishing paste in the cup. Conveniently the user positions the connector 
between two fingers of one of the user's hands. Then the user applies the 
paste either to a hand held dental tool or hand held dental device or to a 
tooth polishing device for polishing one or more teeth in a patient's 
mouth. Preferably the paste comprises fine particles of abrasive material. 
Preferably the tooth polishing paste holder 10 has an overall length (L) 
which is less than 5 cm and more than 0.5 cm, and cup 12 has a width (W) 
which is less than 5 cm and more than 0.5 cm. More preferably the tooth 
polishing paste holder (L) has an overall length (L) which is less than 4 
cm and more than 1 cm, and cup 12 has a width (W) which is less than 5 cm 
and more than 1 cm. 
Preferably holder 10 is made of material having a melting point higher than 
100.degree. C. and is effectively insoluble in acetone at 23.degree. C. 
Preferably holder 10 is held by positioning the connector between two 
adjacent fingers of a user's hand, and released by the user spreading 
those fingers. 
It should of course be understood that this invention may be modified in 
various aspects. Such modifications all are within the scope of the claims 
which follow.