Patent Publication Number: US-2019167380-A1

Title: Packaging body for viscous dental material

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a packaging body for viscous dental material that includes a container and a viscous dental material filled in the container. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     When viscous dental materials, such as dental filling materials, materials for artificial teeth, and materials for producing dental crown materials, are treated in the dental field, such viscous dental materials of high viscosity are commonly provided in a mode of being filled in a cylindrical disposable container (packaging body for viscous dental material). 
     Structures and use modes of common packaging bodies for viscous dental material are disclosed for example in Patent Literatures 1 to 4. That is, a pressing member (e.g. piston to be screwed with threads) is inserted into a cylindrical member (e.g. syringe) with a viscous dental material in it from one end of the cylindrical member, and a small amount of the viscous dental material is extruded from the other end of the cylindrical member. Then, the extruded viscous dental material is scraped with a dental instrument of stick shape having a spherical or spatular end, and applied to a tooth to be healed or a dental material to be produced. 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     Patent Literature 1: JPHO6-20468 B 
     Patent Literature 2: JPH08-56962 A 
     Patent Literature 3: JP2006-61739 A 
     Patent Literature 4: JP3102378 U 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     The techniques described in these Patent Literatures have effects relating to extraction of viscous dental materials. However, each structure thereof tends to be complicated and bulky, which causes problems in view of productivity, price, amount of wastes when disposed of, and the like. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a packaging body for viscous dental material of easy structure. 
     Solution to Problem 
     Hereinafter the present invention will be described. Here, reference numerals added to the drawings are also described in parentheses for easy understanding. However, the present invention is not limited to them. 
     An aspect of the present invention is a packaging body for viscous dental material comprising: a container of cylindrical shape whose wall thickness is 0.1 mm to 0.8 mm, including one end closed with a sealed part that is formed of facing edges of the one end, the edges being joined together; and a viscous dental material filled inside the container, having a consistency of 10 mm to 25 mm. 
     Advantageous Effects of Invention 
     According to the present invention, the packaging body for viscous dental material has very easy structure, and the amount of wastes after use of the viscous dental material can be decreased. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a plan view of a packaging body for viscous dental material  10 ,  FIG. 1B  is a side view of the packaging body for viscous dental material  10 ,  FIG. 1C  is a cross-sectional view taken along Ic-Ic in the packaging body for viscous dental material  10 , and  FIG. 1D  is a cross-sectional view taken along Id-Id in the packaging body for viscous dental material  10 : 
         FIGS. 2A to 2C  are views to explain a situation where the packaging body for viscous dental material  10  is used: 
         FIG. 3A  is a view to explain a packaging body for viscous dental material  20 , and  FIG. 3B  is a view to explain a packaging body for viscous dental material  30 ; and 
         FIG. 4A  is a plan view of a packaging body for viscous dental material  40 , and  FIG. 4B  is a side view of the packaging body for viscous dental material  40 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter the present invention will be explained based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. 
       FIG. 1  includes views to explain an embodiment, explaining a packaging body for viscous dental material  10 .  FIG. 1A  is a plan view.  FIG. 1B  is a side view,  FIG. 1C  is a Ic-Ic cross-sectional view, and  FIG. 1D  is a Id-Id cross-sectional view. 
     As seen from  FIG. 1 , the packaging body for viscous dental material  10  of this embodiment includes a container  11  and a viscous dental material  15 . 
     The container  11  is a container in which the viscous dental material  15  is to be filled, and is cylindrical in shape, whose one end is a sealed end  12  that is closed by a sealed part  12   a . In this embodiment, the other end is open, which allows, for example, insertion of instruments into the container  11 . 
     The sealed part  12   a  is formed of facing edges of the one end on the sealed end  12  side of the cylindrical shape. The edges are squashed to face to each other and joined together. Thus, an opening of the container  11  can be closed without any other members, resulting in a very easy structure. 
     The size etc. of the container  11  is not limited to particular values. The thickness of the container  11  is preferably 0.1 mm to 0.8 mm. If the thickness is smaller than 0.1 mm, the container  11  easily deforms, and defects such as incorporation of air bubbles easily occurs. If the thickness is over 0.8 mm, the container  11  becomes very hard and difficult to cut with scissors and the like. 
     The material of the container  11  is not particularly limited, and a hard material having a predetermined strength is preferable. Specific preferable examples include polyethylene, polyacetal, polypropylene, polyamide, vinyl chloride resin, nylon, phenol resin, polyurethane, saturated polyester resin, melamine resin, polyvinylidene chloride, unsaturated polyester resin, polybutadiene, polystyrene, EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer) resin, styrol resin, polymethylpentene, methacrylic styrene, ABS (acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene) resin, polycarbonate resin, and the like. 
     The container  11  is preferably produced by extrusion molding. 
     The container  11  formed of a comparatively hard material can be squashed to a large degree by force from a person and the like, and can prevent incorporation of air bubbles into the viscous dental material when the container is squashed or recovers its shape. 
     On the other hand, the container  11  may be cut with scissors and the like with a decrease in the amount of the viscous dental material as it is used. Thus, it is preferable to hold down the hardness of the container  11  to such a degree that the container  11  can be cut. 
     The viscous dental material  15  is for example a dental filling material, a material for artificial tooth, and a material for producing dental crown materials in the dental field. Specific examples thereof include a paste material called composite resin, which is a curable resin that has a color of teeth and cures when irradiated with light. The base material of the composite resin is a multifunctional monomer, and fillers such as glass powder and silica powder are dispersed in the resin. 
     The viscous dental material  15  is a material of high viscosity, among the above-described materials. Its specific viscosity is of 10 mm to 25 mm of consistency. If the consistency is less than 10 mm, the material is too hard and is basically unfavorable for treatment. If the consistency is over 25 mm, which means the viscosity is too low, the viscous dental material may leak from the packaging body for viscous dental material, or is difficult to be scraped and used with dental instruments such as spatula. Preferably, the consistency is 10 mm to 15 mm. 
     Here, the consistency is defined by a value measured by the following method. That is: a sample formed by vacuum-defoaming a prepared viscous dental material and thereafter letting the obtained material stand at 25° C. for 2 hours is used; the sample was weighed to be 0.5 mL, allowed to stand on a glass plate (5 cm×5 cm) in a thermostatic chamber at 25° C. (40% of humidity), in a manner to be heaped at a center of the glass plate; then, on the sample, a 40 g glass plate (5 cm×5 cm) is put; thereafter, the long diameter and the short diameter of the sample after 120 seconds has passed is measured through the glass plate; the consistency is defined as a calculated value of the arithmetic average of the long diameter and the short diameter. The long diameter is the longest diameter of the sample among the diameters that pass the center of the sample, and the short diameter is the diameter that is orthogonal to the long diameter among the diameters that pass the center of the sample. 
     Such a viscous dental material  15  is filled inside the container  11  of cylindrical shape. 
     The packaging body for viscous dental material  10  described above may be produced as below for example. 
     That is, firstly, a cylindrical body to be the container  11 , whose both ends are open, is prepared. 
     Next, the viscous dental material  15  is filled inside the cylindrical body, from one open end. 
     Then, one open end of the cylindrical shape is squashed and the edge of the squashed open end is joined by heat welding to form the sealed part  12   a , to be the sealed end  12 . 
     According to such a production method, a viscous dental material can be filled inside the container  11  without incorporation of air bubbles into the viscous dental material. 
     The packaging body for viscous dental material  10  described above is used as below for example.  FIG. 2  includes views for explanation.  FIGS. 2A to 2C  are cross-sectional views showing a situation where the packaging body for viscous dental material  10  is used, as an example. 
     As shown by  FIG. 2A , a practitioner such as dentist inserts a dental instrument  16  of stick shape having a spherical or spatular end into the container  11  from the open end of the container  11 , scrapes the viscous dental material  15 , and then applies the viscous dental material  15  to a tooth to be healed or a surface of a dental material to be produced. 
     Or, as shown by  FIG. 2B , a practitioner such as dentist pushes the outer periphery of the container  11 , to push out part of the viscous dental material  15  from the open end of the container  11 . Then, the practitioner scrapes the viscous dental material  15  pushed out from the open end with a dental instrument, and applies it to a tooth to be healed or a surface of a dental material to be produced. 
     Repeating such scrape causes the viscous dental material  15  to decrease, and at the open end side of the container  11 , the viscous dental material  15  is gone and only the container  11  is left. Then, the portion of the container  11  where the viscous dental material  15  is gone is cut with scissors and the like, as shown by  FIG. 2C . This makes it possible to scrape the viscous dental material  15  again as described above, with the dental instrument  16 . 
     The packaging body for viscous dental material  10  described above has an easy structure and excellent productivity and price. In addition, the user can reduce wastes when disposing of it after use. 
       FIG. 3A  is a view to explain a packaging body for viscous dental material  20  according to a modification, and  FIG. 3B  is a view to explain a packaging body for viscous dental material  30  according to a modification. 
     As can be seen from  FIG. 3A , the packaging body for viscous dental material  20  comprises the above-described packaging body for viscous dental material  10  and a lid  21  attachable to the open end of the packaging body for viscous dental material  10 . This makes it possible to avoid dirt and polymerization to cure of the viscous dental material  15  by exposure to light, when the viscous dental material  15  is not used, in addition to the above effect of the packaging body for viscous dental material  10 . 
     As can be seen from  FIG. 3B , the packaging body for viscous dental material  30  is an example where the both ends of a container  31  are respectively provided with sealed parts  12   a  and  32   a , to be sealed ends  12  and  32 . In addition to the above effect of the packaging body for viscous dental material  10 , the packaging body for viscous dental material  30  can improve the quality maintenance during transportation and storage after production, because the both ends are sealed until used. Then, the sealed part  32  is cut by scissors and the like in use. 
       FIG. 4  includes views to explain a packaging body for viscous dental material  40  according to another modification.  FIG. 4A  is a plan view of the packaging body for viscous dental material  40 , and  FIG. 4B  is a side view of the packaging body for viscous dental material  40 . 
     In this embodiment, a sealed part  42   a  at a sealed end  42  is formed in a manner to extend long in a direction of an axis of the container  11 . This makes it possible to use the sealed part  42   a  as a handle or a space to attach labels, which increases the usability. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
     
         
           10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40  packaging body for viscous dental material 
           11 ,  31 ,  41  container 
           12 ,  32 ,  42  sealed end 
           12   a ,  32   a .  42   a  sealed part 
           15  viscous dental material 
           21  lid