JPS63315071A - Method and apparatus for preventing dental caries - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To uniformly and rapidly irradiate the surface of the teeth with semiconductor laser beam while confirming the irradiation with laser beam without leaving a non-irradiated region, by applying a substance discoloring by laser beam to the teeth to irradiate the teeth with laser beam. CONSTITUTION:A substance 2a discoloring by the irradiation with laser beam is applied to the surface of the teeth 1 and the linearily converged laser beam 4a emitted from a laser beam generator 3 is allowed to irradiate the teeth coated with the substance discoloring by the irradiation with laser beam, for example, a dye and, when the teeth is irradiated with a definite quantity of laser beam, the applied dye discolors as shown by a numeral 2b. The substance discoloring by the irradiation with laser beam may be applied by a coating or spray method and, in a word, it is necessary to adhere the said substance to the total objective region of the teeth. The discoloring substance may one dependent on a wavelength, temp. or both of them.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a caries prevention method and an apparatus for carrying out the same, which makes it possible to use a semiconductor laser.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is well known that by irradiating teeth with a laser, acid resistance is generally enhanced and dental caries is prevented. The mechanism of action behind its acid resistance is still not completely understood, but it is probably because the laser irradiation closes the small holes on the tooth surface and the edges of the corrugations, making it difficult for plaque to adhere. At the same time, it is thought that the intrusion of acids is prevented.

However, the conventional method relies on the senses to irradiate the surface of the tooth with a laser. Furthermore, since the device focuses the laser light into a dot, it is difficult to uniformly irradiate the surface of the tooth with the laser light.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with the conventional device described above, it is extremely difficult to irradiate the entire surface of the tooth with a certain amount of laser light. difficult to do.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention applies a substance that changes color with laser light to teeth and then irradiates the teeth with laser light, and also includes a semiconductor laser and a convex lens that focuses the semiconductor laser light into a line. This is a caries prevention device consisting of a cylindrical lens.

A substance that changes color with the laser beam is applied to the surface of the tooth, and then the laser beam is irradiated onto the surface of the tooth, and the laser irradiated area is moved without observing the change in color of the substance that changes color with the laser beam. This allows the laser beam to be irradiated while checking the irradiation area, allowing for reliable processing.

Furthermore, since the linearly focused laser beam of the present invention has a certain width, the surface of the tooth can be evenly and quickly irradiated with the laser beam.

Example An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1i is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the caries prevention method of the present invention. The surface of the tooth 1 is coated with a substance 2a that changes color when irradiated with a laser beam, and the linearly focused laser beam 4a emitted from the laser generator 3 is applied to the tooth 1 coated with a substance that changes color when irradiated with the laser beam, such as a dye. When a laser beam of a certain size is irradiated, the applied dye changes color to 2b. The substance that changes color when irradiated with laser light may be applied or sprayed, and it is important that it adheres to the entire target area of the tooth.

Further, the substance that changes color may be wavelength dependent, temperature dependent, or both.

FIG. 2 illustrates an optical system related to a semiconductor laser medical device used in the caries prevention method. The laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 7 is converted into a parallel beam by the convex lens 5, and is focused by the cylindrical lens 6 into a linear beam 4b at the focal point F0. The linearly focused laser energy E has a distribution as shown in 8. For your convenience, the front view a and the side view are shown.

3a and 3b illustrate an optical system incorporating a semiconductor 9 in which a plurality of semiconductor laser elements are arranged in a straight line and housed in one package.

A is a front view, and b is a side view. A plurality of semiconductor laser elements 9a, 9b, 9c are arranged in a straight line, and the laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser 9 housed in one package is converted into a parallel light beam to each light source by a convex lens 10, and then transmitted to a cylindrical lens 11. The light is focused into a line 12 at the focal point F0. The linearly focused laser energy E has a distribution of 13a, 13b, and 13c for each light source.

13 is the total laser energy E seen from the side.

14 represents the distribution of the total energy E. Note that λ indicates the wavelength.

According to this embodiment, in the caries prevention method, semiconductor laser irradiation can be performed uniformly, and furthermore, it is possible to use a semiconductor laser containing a plurality of semiconductor laser elements,
Higher output laser light can be obtained, making it possible to achieve more accurate treatment and shorten treatment time.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, the surface of a tooth can be uniformly and quickly irradiated with semiconductor laser light without leaving any unirradiated areas while confirming laser light irradiation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual explanatory diagram of a caries prevention method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing the main parts of an apparatus embodying the method. 1... Tooth, 2a... Substance that changes color due to laser light, 2b... Area that has been irradiated with laser and has changed color, 3... Laser light generator , 4...
...Shape of laser beam at focal point F0, 6...
・Convex lens, 6... Cylindrical lens, 7
... Semiconductor laser, 8 ... Laser energy distribution curve, 9 ... Semiconductor laser containing a plurality of semiconductor laser elements, 10 ... Convex lens, 11... Cylindrical lens, 12.
...Laser beam shape at focal point F0, 13&. 1 ab, 13c...Distribution curve of laser energy by each light source, 13...Comprehensive energy curve seen from the side, 14...Comprehensive laser energy distribution curve . Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person No. 1
Figure IfI Figure 2F. Figure 3 Procedural Amendment 1 Display of the case 1985 Patent Application No. 151919 2 Name of the invention Dental caries prevention method and device 3 Person making the amendment Relationship with the case Patent application Person in charge - Place Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture 1006 Oaza Kadoma Name (582) Representative of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Akio Tanii 4 Agent 571 Address 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. ``In addition, λ indicates the band.'' (2) On page 5, line 14, ``wavelength'' will be corrected to ``bandwidth.'' @) Figure 3 Φ) will be corrected in the attached document. Figure 3

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A caries prevention method characterized by attaching a substance that changes color when irradiated with a laser beam to the surface of the tooth, and irradiating the surface with a laser beam. (2) A caries prevention device characterized in that a laser beam is focused into a line of constant width through a convex lens and a cylindrical lens. (3) The caries prevention device according to claim 2, characterized in that it incorporates a semiconductor laser in which a plurality of semiconductor elements are housed in one package to achieve high output. (4) A patent claim characterized in that the optical output of a long wavelength laser and a plurality of visible light diodes is passed through a convex lens and a cylindrical lens, and the width of the irradiation line of the long wavelength laser light is clearly indicated by the light of the visible light diodes. The caries prevention device according to item 2 or 3.