Abstract:
Tooth whitening compound includes a whitener and a carrier selected for adhering the carrier and whitening composition to a patient&#39;s teeth. The whitening compound may be applied in an uncovered layer. The whitening compound may be applied by the method including painting, washing, sponging, coating, daubing, spraying, wiping, rubbing, and by any movement relative to a horizontal or vertical axis of the patient&#39;s tooth. A whitening compound and method of applying such may be carried out with or without a coating covering the layer of whitening compound applied to the patient&#39;s teeth.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the priority of application Ser. No. 60/207,183, filed May 26, 2000, and this application claims the priority of application Ser. No. 60/213,297, filed Jun. 22, 2000, and each of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The invention relates to systems and methods for treating teeth. More specifically, the invention relates to a system (e.g., a novel delivery system) for delivering a tooth whitener to a tooth and a method for whitening teeth. The invention likewise relates to a system and method for whitening teeth without the use of a mouth tray or other retaining device of the type which retain the tooth whitener in place against the teeth during use.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Tooth whiteners are known. Conventional tooth whiteners are laborious, unwieldy, and expensive.  
           [0004]    Conventional tooth whitening methods are complicated and expensive, and, hence, are limited to a small portion of the population.  
           [0005]    In one typical method, the patient whose teeth are to be whitened must first visit a dentist in order to have a mouth tray made which is molded to fit that patient&#39;s teeth from a cast made from an impression.  
           [0006]    After the conventional steps of producing the mouth tray have been completed, then the mouth tray is given to the patient, along with the tooth whitening compound(s).  
           [0007]    In some tooth whitening methods, the patient then takes the tooth whitening compounds home, and uses them in conjunction with the mouth tray in the privacy of his or her home.  
           [0008]    In use, the mouth tray is at least partially filled by the patient with the tooth whitening compound provided by the dental practitioner.  
           [0009]    The patient must then take the proper mouth tray for the respective upper or lower jaw and press the mouth tray filled with whitening compound up (or down) against the teeth to be whitened.  
           [0010]    The patient then holds the mouth tray filled with the compound in place against the teeth for a specified period of time.  
           [0011]    After the specified period of time, the patient removes the mouth tray and the bulk of the compound, and discards the used whitening compound.  
           [0012]    Typically, the whitening procedure is a multi-day procedure.  
           [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,691 to Sagel et al. discloses a delivery system for a tooth whitener using a strip of material having low flexural stiffness.  
           [0014]    Some known conventional whitening methods (e.g., the type of methods that utilize either an traditional tray or an adhesive strip) require that the whitening compound be forced on the gingival tissue in the region adjacent to the teeth to be whitened. That forcing whitening compound on the gingival tissue may result in a burning sensation to that tissue.  
           [0015]    Known prior art patents include:  
                                       5,693,315   Bevilacqua       5,780,015   Fisher et al.       5,792,446   Ashley       5,139,768   Friedman       3,567,823   Yamaga et al.       5,403,577   Friedman       5,690,912   Campbell et al.       5,849,266   Friedman       4,556,561   Brown et al.       5,395,241   Kandelman       5,797,749   Bertolotti et al.       5,032,178   Cornell       5,279,816   Church et al.       5,290,566   Schow et al.       5,302,375   Viscio       5,409,631   Fischer       5,425,953   Sintov et al.       5,631,000   Pellico et al.       5,698,182   Prencipe et al.       5,718,886   Pellico       5,746,598   Fischer       5,785,527   Jensen et al.       5,858,332   Jensen et al.       5,922,307   Montgomery       5,928,628   Pellico       6,030,222   Tarver       6,036,493   Sharma       4,976,955   Libin       5,000,942   Libin       5,264,205   Kelly       5,310,563   Curtis et al.       5,614,174   Hsu et al.       5,766,574   Christina-Beck et al.       5,785,957   Losee et al.       5,814,304   Wong et al.       5,879,691   Sagel et al.       5,891,453   Sagel et al.       5,902,568   Ryles et al.       5,084,268   Thaler       5,171,564   Nathoo et al.       5,208,010   Thaler       5,376,006   Fischer       5,437,858   Hungerbach et al.       5,846,570   Barrow et al.       5,985,249   Fischer       4,980,152   Frazier et al.       4,983,380   Yarborough       5,820,852   Burgess et al.       5,849,269   Burgess et al.       5,372,802   Barrows et al.       5,403,578   Gordon       4,684,517   Clipper et al.       5,009,885   Yarborough       5,217,710   Williams et al.       5,851,512   Fischer       5,708,052   Fischer et al.       5,824,289   Stoltz       6,183,251   Fischer                  
 
           [0016]    Many known whitening compounds have the drawback that they dry out the teeth, in use, owing to the whitening compounds drawing moisture out of the teeth. Such dried out teeth are more sensitive to hot and cold. Accordingly, many prior art whiteners required desensitizers (desensitizing compounds) so that the patients would not be bothered by their temperature-sensitive dried out teeth.  
         OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0017]    It is an object of the invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art methods, compounds, and devices.  
           [0018]    A further object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening method that is easier to use, more cost effective, and available to a greater percentage of the population.  
           [0019]    A still further object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening method that eliminates the need for mouth trays which fit the respective upper and lower sets of teeth in the patient&#39;s mouth for retaining the whitening compound against the teeth to be whitened, as in the conventional methods.  
           [0020]    Yet another object of the invention is to eliminate entirely the need for a mouth tray to retain the tooth whitening compound.  
           [0021]    Yet another object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening method which is easier to use than the known methods.  
           [0022]    Another object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening system and method which dries out the user&#39;s teeth less than conventional whitening methods, so that the use of tooth desensitizing agents in the whitening compound may be reduced or eliminated.  
           [0023]    A further object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitener system and method that directly applies a whitening agent onto the surfaces of the patient&#39;s teeth, thus eliminating the need for any type of tray or other mechanical retention device to retain the whitening agent on the surfaces of the teeth.  
           [0024]    Another object of the invention is to provide a whitener delivery system which reduces or eliminates the discomfort or burning sensation of the patient&#39;s gingival tissue that may occur when using prior art delivery systems.  
           [0025]    Yet another object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening system in which the whitening compounds are applied substantially directly to the facial and labial surfaces of the teeth to be whitened.  
           [0026]    Another object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening system and method which reduce or eliminate the annoyance and inconvenience of using and wearing pre-made trays or adhesive-type products.  
           [0027]    A still further object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening system and method which are more effective than known over-the-counter whitening methods requiring the use of boil-and-bite type trays that do not fit the teeth properly and, hence, are often ineffective and result in less than desirable tooth whitening.  
           [0028]    In summary, the invention provides a tooth whitening method which can be performed without the use of a mouth tray for retaining a tooth whitening compound against the patient&#39;s teeth.  
           [0029]    It should be understood that relative terms such as up, and down are for convenience only and are not intended to be limiting.  
           [0030]    It should likewise be understood that throughout the specification the features and advantages described in connection with the tooth whitening system apply equally to the features and advantages of the method of whitening teeth described herein.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0031]    [0031]FIG. 1 is a elevational view of a tooth whitening system accordingly to the invention;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 2 shows the brush of FIG. 1 in use;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 3 shows a first layer or whitening agent as applied to the user&#39;s teeth, which is a cross sectional view of teeth taken along line  3 - 3  of FIG. 2;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 4 illustrates a further container for use with a further preferred embodiment of a tooth whitening system according to the invention;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a user&#39;s incisor with a whitening layer and an overcoat layer on the front surface of the tooth;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 6 illustrates a user&#39;s molar with a whitening layer covered by an overcoat layer, both of which are disposed on the front and lower face of the tooth;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 7 shows a further preferred embodiment of an applicator for use with the systems according to the invention;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 8 shows a still further preferred embodiment of an applicator for use with the systems according to the invention;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the applicator of FIG. 8; and  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 10 illustrates yet another preferred embodiment of an applicator in the form of a sprayer in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
       [0041]    Relative terms such as up, down, left, and right are for convenience only and are not intended to be limiting.  
         [0042]    The term painting is intended to cover all manner of applying a layer of the whitening compound to a tooth, the term painting including, but not limited to brushing, sponging, coating, daubing, spraying, wiping, rubbing, and applying by movement relative to the tooth (i.e., any movement relative to a vertical or horizontal axis of a tooth) yielding a layer of whitening compound on the tooth. The movement relative to the tooth is not intended to be limited to movement toward and away from the gum. For example, spraying and daubing may be carried out with little or essentially no movement along an axis that is at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the tooth (e.g., a central, substantially vertical axis of a patient&#39;s tooth).  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0043]    FIGS.  1 - 3  illustrate a first preferred embodiment of a tooth whitening delivery system  10  according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0044]    Tooth whitening system  10  includes a container  14  for holding a whitening agent or first whitening compound  60 . Container  14  may be provided with a resealable opening  16  for repeated access to the inside and, hence, the contents of container  14 .  
         [0045]    A brush  20  having a handle  24  and bristles  26  may be provided for applying the whitening agent held in container  14 .  
         [0046]    Bristles  26  may have tips  28  configured for applying the whitening agent to the user&#39;s teeth.  
         [0047]    Brush  20  may be disposable, or may take another form, as described below.  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 2 illustrates the user&#39;s or patient&#39;s jaw  40  including an upper jaw  44  and a lower jaw  48 .  
         [0049]    Teeth  50  include an outer surface  52  and a corresponding inner surface  54 .  
         [0050]    In some cases, only outer surface  52  will be whitened by use of the whitening agent  60 , as it is outer surface  52  which is visible when the user&#39;s lips are drawn back exposing teeth  50 .  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 2 illustrates how brush  20  is applying the whitening agent on outer surface  52  of teeth  50 . It should be noted that bristles  28  may be configured and sized so as to reach all exposed surfaces of teeth  50 . Preferably, brush  26  and bristles  28  are selected so that the whitening agent  60  may be applied directly to all the exposed surfaces which the patient desires to whiten.  
         [0052]    A single coat or multiple coats or layers of whitening agent  60  may be applied.  
         [0053]    Whitening agent  60  is formulated so that it need not be covered use by a device, such as a tray or tape, as the formulation is selected so that contact of whitening agent  60  with the mouth tissue causes little or no discomfort nor harm to the mouth tissue.  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 3 illustrates the manner in which the whitening agent or the bristles  26  or both are selected so that whitening agent or first layer  60  extends into the exposed crevices  62  between teeth  64 , for example. FIG. 3 shows whitening agent  62  applied to the outer surfaces  52  of tooth  64 .  
         [0055]    Whitening agent  60  of FIGS.  1 - 3  is formulated so as to require no covering protective layer, in use, unlike in the embodiment of FIGS.  4 - 6 , as described below.  
         [0056]    In other words, whitening agent  60  of FIGS.  1 - 3  has been successfully used with only first layer  60  as the whitening agent. In use, there was no apparent burning or ill effects of whitening agents  60  when whitening agent  60  contacted the mouth tissue.  
         [0057]    However, there may be patients or applications for which a covering or protective layer of material is desired or useful. An embodiment in which a covering or protective layer is used in outlined below in connection with the embodiment of FIGS.  4 - 6 .  
         [0058]    FIGS.  4 - 6  illustrate another preferred embodiment of a whitening system  100  according to the invention. Whitening system  100  includes a container  104  having an opening  106  for providing access to the contents of container  104 .  
         [0059]    Container  104  may be provided with a second material which differs from the first material or whitening agent  108 . The second material will be termed an overcoat to highlight the use of the second material.  
         [0060]    The second material or overcoat or layer  110  may be applied on top of the first material or whitening agent  108 . That is, the overcoat  110  may be applied to whitening agent  108  after whitening agent  108  has been applied to teeth  108 .  
         [0061]    Overcoat  108  may be a material selected so as to protect the soft tissue in the patient&#39;s mouth.  
         [0062]    The use of overcoat  110  eliminates the need to protect the soft tissue of the patient&#39;s mouth by use of a mouth tray surrounding the whitening agent of prior art systems.  
         [0063]    [0063]FIG. 5 illustrates how one of the patient&#39;s incisors  124  is whitened. In the case of incisor  124  the whitening agent  108  may be applied only to the outer surface  52  of incisor  124 . Then, overcoat  110  is applied on top of whitening agent  108 .  
         [0064]    Typically, a user will find it unnecessary to whiten the inner surfaces  54  of his or her incisors  124 , as the inner surfaces of the user&#39;s incisors  124  are rarely visible to others, for example.  
         [0065]    [0065]FIG. 6 illustrates the case where a user would like to whiten the outer surface  52  as well as the lower surfaces of his or her teeth, such as the illustrated molars  64 . In that case, whitening agent  108  is applied to outer surface  52  as well as the lower surface of the illustrated upper molar. Then, the overcoat  110  is applied to the whitening agent  108  so as to cover whitening agent substantially completely, in most cases.  
         [0066]    In the case where the user would like to whiten the inner surface  54  of molar  64 , the whitening agent  108  and overcoat  110 , in turn, will be applied to inner surface  54  of the molar.  
         [0067]    [0067]FIG. 7 illustrates another preferred embodiment of an applicator  150 , according to the invention.  
         [0068]    Applicator  150  includes a handle  154  and a material  156  disposed at one of its ends. The material may be a soft absorbent material such as cotton, and applicator  150  may take the form of a cotton swab.  
         [0069]    Applicator  150  may be disposable. Applicator  150  may be a cotton swab such as a Q-TIP® brand cotton swab.  
         [0070]    [0070]FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate yet another preferred embodiment of an applicator  170  according to the invention.  
         [0071]    Applicator  170  includes a handle  174  and a material  176  disposed at one of its ends.  
         [0072]    Material  176  may be shaped to conform to the shape of the surface of tooth  50  to enhance the application of whitening agent on tooth  50 .  
         [0073]    Material  176  may be made of a foam material, such as a cellular foam.  
         [0074]    Applicator  170  may be disposable, in a manner similar to the other applicator embodiments.  
         [0075]    [0075]FIG. 10 shows a still further preferred embodiment of an applicator  200  in accordance with the invention.  
         [0076]    Applicator may include a sprayer including an actuator button  210  having a nozzle  214  therein. A fluid passage  218 , such as the illustrated tube, may be used to connect nozzle  214  to a canister  224 . Canister  224  may be a pressurized or pressurizable cylinder. A conventional pressurized sprayer or so-called “spray can” pre-filled with the whitening agent and carrier may be used. Such may be similar to pocket-sized pressurized breather freshener canisters that are readily available.  
         [0077]    In use, it is contemplated that the whitening compounds described herein may be applied by hand, such as by applying the whitener to a fingertip then daubing on the whitening compound with the user&#39;s fingertip(s) or the dentist&#39;s fingertip(s).  
         [0078]    Depending on the strength of the whitening agent, and whether or not a dentist is the one applying the whitening compound to the patient&#39;s teeth, reusable or disposable surgical gloves may be used when applying the whitening compound.  
         [0079]    In use, the sprayer  200  of FIG. 10 will be held at a distance typically selected so that there will be little or no overspray. In other words, so that whitening compound  250  is sprayed substantially only onto the patient&#39;s teeth, as illustrated, and little, if any, of compound  250  is sprayed onto the patient&#39;s gums or tongue, for example.  
         [0080]    It is contemplated that in any of the embodiments of FIGS.  1 - 10  any suitable whitening agent may be used that can whiten without irritating the mouth tissues.  
         [0081]    In the case of the preferred embodiment of FIGS.  4 - 6  where overcoat  110  is used in conjunction with whitening agent  60 , whitening agent  60  need not be a material selected so as to not irritate the mouth tissue. That is because overcoat  110  will be made of a material selected to protect the mouth tissue from whitening agent  60 .  
         [0082]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, whitening agent  60  may have the following range of compositions.  
         [0083]    Each of the following compositions may be made in a manner similar to that spelled out below in connection with Solution No.  16 . For example, the solids may be dissolved in the respective ethanols, and the balance brought up to a total volume of 100 ml by adding the respective ethanols, as required, to yield 100 ml of the respective compositions.  
                                                                     WHITENING AGENT COMPOSITION A1       (to yield 100 ml of composition)                        Undenatured Ethanol   balance ml           Urea Peroxide   0.5-40 g           Copal    5-20 g           Cetostearyl Alcohol    1-20 g           total   100 ml                        WHITENING AGENT COMPOSITION A2       (to yield 100 ml of composition)                        Ethanol (ethyl alcohol)   balance ml           Urea Peroxide   .001-40 g           Resin   .001-30 g           Hydroxyl propyl cellulose   .001-20 g           total   100 ml                      
 
         [0084]    A preferred embodiment of the protective layer or overcoat  110  may have the following compositions.  
                                                                     PROTECTIVE LAYER COMPOSITION B1       (total yield 100 ml of composition)                        Undenatured Ethanol   balance ml           Copal   5-20 g           Cetostearyl Alcohol   1-20 g           total   100 ml                        PROTECTIVE LAYER COMPOSITION B2       (total yield 100 ml of composition)                        Ethanol (ethyl alcohol)   balance ml           Urea Peroxide   .001-40 g           Resin   .001-30 g           Hydroxyl propyl cellulose   .001-40 g           total   100 ml                      
 
         [0085]    A further preferred embodiment of the whitening agent follows.  
                                                                     WHITENING AGENT COMPOSITION A3       (total yield 100 ml of composition)                        Undenatured Ethanol   balance ml           Urea Peroxide   10 g           Copal   10 g           Cetostearyl Alcohol    5 g           total   100 ml                        WHITENING AGENT COMPOSITION A4       (total yield 100 ml of composition)                        Ethanol (ethyl alcohol)   balance ml           Urea Peroxide   8 g           Resin   10 g            Hydroxyl propyl cellulose   .5 g            total   100 ml                      
 
         [0086]    Whitening agent  110  of composition A 3  may be made with 100% pure undenatured ethyl alcohol and 98% pure urea peroxide.  
         [0087]    Rosin may be substituted for resin in all formulas.  
         [0088]    Urea hydrogen peroxide may be substituted for urea peroxide in all formulas.  
         [0089]    Whitening agents requiring no protective layer may be formulated as follows:  
                                             WHITENING AGENT COMPOSITION A5       (total yield 100 ml of composition)                                    Rosin   .001-30 g           Urea hydrogen peroxide   .001-40 g           Hydroxypropyl cellulose 1500 cps   .001-20 g           Ethyl alcohol (95%)   balance ml           Total Volume   100 ml                      
 
         [0090]    The following is an example of a tooth whitening compound that has been formulated in accordance with the invention, and which whitening compound was of the type that did not require a protective layer.  
         [0091]    The following is the formulation of a procedure for making 100 ml of a Solution No.  16 .  
         [0092]    In the following formula, the resin, the urea hydrogen peroxide USP, and the hydroxypropyl cellulose 1500 cps are all expressed as a weight per volume (w/v; i.e., g/100 ml) and the ethanol  95  was added in a quantity as needed (q.s.) to yield the desired 100 ml of whitening agent.  
                                             WHITENING AGENT COMPOSITION OF SOLUTION NO. 16       (total yield 100 ml of composition)                                    Rosin   12.5 g           Urea hydrogen peroxide    8.0 g           Hydroxypropyl cellulose 1500 cps    0.5 g           Ethyl alcohol (95%)   balance ml           Total Volume   100 ml                      
 
         [0093]    Solution No.  16  was formulated as follows to yield 100 ml of product:  
         [0094]    1. Dissolve 12.5 g of resin in 75 ml of the ethanol in a beaker having a spin bar therein;  
         [0095]    2. The spin bar was spun using the spinning device (stirrer) of an unheated hot plate of the type having a magnetic stirrer disposed therein, the spinning was continued until the unheated rosin and ethanol solution was clear;  
         [0096]    3. 8 g of the urea hydrogen peroxide were weighed out and ground into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle, added to the rosin and ethanol solution, and then stirred on the spinning device. A cloudy solution resulted.  
         [0097]    4. As the rosin and ethanol solution was spinning, the 0.5 g of hydroxypropyl cellulose was added gradually (sprinkled into the vortex of the spinning solution resulting from the magnetic stir bar) in small amounts at a time. The spinning was continued for about an hour until the solution began to gel. Enough ethyl alcohol (95%) was added q.s. to bring the volume up to 100 ml, and the spinning was continued.  
         [0098]    5. The mixed solution was put in a refrigerator (at about 40° F.) and left overnight (i.e., about 19-20 hours) to allow the solution to completely hydrolyze.  
         [0099]    6. The refrigerated solution was removed from the refrigerator and again spun at room temperature at about 70° F.) for about 30 minutes to throughly mix the solution. The prepared solution was then put into the desired containers.  
         [0100]    It should be noted that in Step 4 of spinning the solution having the rosin, the urea hydrogen peroxide 1500 cps, and the hydroxypropyl cellulose, the added materials may not throughly dissolve. It appears that the step of allowing the solution to sit overnight in the refrigerator for a period of time, and then remixing the solution succeeds in yielding a homogeneous solution with the added materials dissolved and dispersed throughout.  
         [0101]    The following is the formulation of a Solution No. 18 that has been made.  
                                                 WHITENING AGENT COMPOSITION OF SOLUTION NO. 18       (total yield 60 ml (i.e., 51.43 g) of composition)                                    Rosin   7.5   g           Urea hydrogen peroxide   3.6   g           Hydroxypropyl cellulose 1500 cps   0.3   g           Ethyl alcohol (95%)   40.0   g           Spearmint Extract (1 drop)   0.03   g           Total weight   51.43   g                      
 
         [0102]    Thus, Solution No. 18 can be expressed on a weight per weight (w/w) basis of about 14.6% rosin; 7.0% urea hydrogen peroxide; 0.6% hydroxypropyl cellulose 1500 cps; 77.8% ethyl alcohol; and 0.06% spearmint extract; the total is not exactly 100% owing to the rounding of the percentages to one (1) significant digit.  
         [0103]    Solution No. 18 was prepared in a manner analogous to that as described above in connection with the preparation of Solution No. 16.  
         [0104]    It will be seen that the achievement of a tooth whitening delivery system has been realized that provides for directly applying a whitening agent onto the surfaces of the teeth, thus eliminating the need for any type of tray or other type of carrier.  
         [0105]    In other words, the invention achieves the object of an elegantly simple solution to the problem of expensive laborious and unwieldy tooth whitening systems that made such unavailable to the vast majority of the patient population.  
         [0106]    The tooth whitening system achieves the goal of applying and retaining a whitening agent against the patient&#39;s teeth without the need for a mouth tray or other retaining wall or retaining means that had previously been necessary.  
         [0107]    The method may be carried out without the use of a mouth tray, mold, or other retaining wall for keeping the whitening agent in place against the teeth. Such trays have previously been required to protect the soft mouth tissue as well.  
         [0108]    The whitening compound in one basic form includes a combined carrier that adheres to the patient&#39;s teeth, and a whitening agent.  
         [0109]    The inventive method eliminates the traditional use of any form of mouth trays for teeth whitening.  
         [0110]    The invention further includes a teeth whitener having a novel carrier that temporarily adheres to the tooth for the purpose of whitening the tooth with or without a desensitizing agent.  
         [0111]    The tooth whitener is bound in the resin and is released or is activated by moisture or water from the mouth (i.e., from the saliva in the mouth) rather than by the tooth structure itself. It is believed that owing to the whitening compound being released throughout the thickness of the applied resin, the active layer is against the tooth being whitened, which tooth is buried in the resin. The hydrogen peroxide or peroxide compound against the mouth tissue is neutralized or broken down by the water in the saliva. In that manner, the tissue is unharmed.  
         [0112]    It has been observed that the whitening compound is released (activated throughout the resin for a period of about or about 10-30 minutes). This is seen as an effervescing over the coated tooth surfaces. This can be easily removed by brushing; and additional application(s) of the whitening compounds may be applied. It may be that the whitening compound is activated (released) against the tooth surfaces for a much longer time than the time period during which the effervescence is observed.  
         [0113]    The following formulations are in accordance with the invention.  
         [0114]    A whitening compound suitable for applying to teeth may comprise by weight percent:  
                                                       a) Undenatured Ethanol   40-80%;           b) Urea Peroxide   0.5-40%;           c) Copal   5-20%; and           d) Cetostearyl Alcohol   1-20%.                      
 
         [0115]    A whitening agent may include by weight percent:  
                                                       Undenatured Ethanol   75%;           Urea Peroxide   10%;           Copal   10%; and           Cetostearyl Alcohol   5%.                      
 
         [0116]    An overcoat for being applied to a tooth whitening compound, the overcoat may comprise by weight percent:  
                                                       a) Undenatured Ethanol   40-80%           b) Copal   0.5-20%; and           c) Cetostearyl Alcohol   1-20%                      
 
         [0117]    A whitening compound may comprise in weight percent:  
                                                       a)   the rosin is about 0.001-30%;           b)   the urea hydrogen peroxide is about 0.001-40%;           c)   the hydroxypropyl cellulose is about 0.001-20; and           d)   the balance is ethyl alcohol.                      
 
         [0118]    The inventive method also comprises a novel active ingredient imbedded in or carried by a novel carrier that permits sustainable release of the active ingredient and that would be painted on or brushed on the tooth surface and would remain active for a period of time.  
         [0119]    The carrier may be the copal described above or another non-toxic adhesive or resin. The copal may be copal varnish supplied by Cooley &amp; Cooley of Houston, Tex. The adhesive or resin may be synthetic or natural. The resin may be a rosin.  
         [0120]    The rosin may be a refined hydrogenated rosin such as supplied by Cooley &amp; Cooley of Houston, Tex.; e.g., Lot No. 00040702-3, as described above.  
         [0121]    The whitening agent may be any peroxide derivative or other chemical component that would whiten teeth. The whitening agent may be provided in varying concentrations depending on the carrier in which the agent is provided, as well as depending on the degree of whitening required, the physical properties of the teeth, and the like. For example, urea hydrogen peroxide, C.A.S. No. 124-43-6, supplied by Professional Compounding Centers of America of Houston, Tex. may be used as described above.  
         [0122]    Other known peroxides may be substituted for the above-described peroxides.  
         [0123]    Sodium bicarbonate may be substituted for peroxide(s) as the whitening agent.  
         [0124]    It is contemplated that the whitening compound will be selected so that the whitening agent and the carrier will yield a release of the whitening agent to the tooth surface over time. This optional time-release mechanism may be for less than a few minutes to ten (10) hours or more.  
         [0125]    The hydroxypropyl cellulose may be as supplied by Professional Compounding Centers of America, Houston, Tex.; e.g., hydroxypropyl cellulose 1500 cps, C.A.S. No. 9004-64-2, part no. 30-1996-100, Lot No. 26855, obtained in a 100 g lot, and used as described above.  
         [0126]    The spearmint oil may be Spearmint Oil N.F (i.e., National Formulary), supplied by Professional Compounding Centers of America (P.C.C.A.), Houston, Tex., Part No. 30-1178-30 used as described above.  
         [0127]    While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, it is understood that it is capable of further modifications, and uses and/or adaptations of the invention and following in general the principle of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains, and as may be applied to the central features hereinbefore set forth, and fall within the scope of the invention or limits of the claims appended hereto.