IP Library Granted Patent US 8,747,113
Granted Patent B2
US 8,747,113 · App. 12/385,589 · Granted Jun 10, 2014

Moldable tray, system, and method for whitening teeth

Inventors: Damon J. Brown (Boston, MA); Graham K. Philp, Jr. (San Diego, CA)
Assignee: Dentovations Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,747,113
App. No.
12/385,589
Granted
Jun 10, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

Tooth whitening system includes a moldable dental tray of sufficiently moldable material so that a user can form the tray to substantially match the configuration of the user's teeth, in use. Moldable dental tray includes a raised region and a valley that are adjacent to and free of contact with a corresponding raised region and valley of a user's tooth adjacent a user's gum line. Thus, a tooth provided on the moldable dental tray is free of contact with the user's gingiva, in use. Tooth whitener includes a carrier, a whitening agent, and a sufficiently adhesive so that both the tooth whitener and the moldable dental tray are adhered to a user's tooth for a sufficiently long period of time to achieve a whitening of the user's tooth by the whitening agent. Tooth whitener and tray can be made of organic, natural materials.

Claims (104)

1. A tooth whitening system, comprising:

a) a generally flat moldable wax dental tray;

b) the generally flat moldable wax dental tray being sufficiently moldable so that a user can form the moldable wax dental tray to generally match the configuration of the user's teeth, in use;

c) the moldable wax dental tray including an upper gingival region and a lower incisal portion, the lower incisal portion being generally flat, and the upper gingival region being generally parallel to the lower incisal portion; and the dental tray including a left side and a right side, the left side being generally parallel to the right side; and the dental tray including a reduced portion provided generally centrally on the lower incisal portion; and the upper gingival region including a raised region and a valley, and configured so that, in use, the raised region and valley are adjacent to and free of contact with a corresponding raised region and valley of a user's tooth adjacent a user's gum line, respectively, and so that, in use, a gap is defined between the respective raised regions and valleys;

d) the moldable wax dental tray including an absorbent layer provided on a region which faces a user's teeth;

e) a tooth whitener provided on the absorbent layer of the moldable wax dental tray, the tooth whitener including:

i) a carrier;

ii) a whitening agent; and

iii) an adhesive material, the adhesive material being sufficiently adhesive so that both the tooth whitener and the moldable wax dental tray formed to substantially match the configuration of the user's teeth, in use, are adhered to a user's tooth for a sufficiently long period of time to achieve a whitening of the user's tooth by the whitening agent;

e) the tooth whitener includes, as a percent by weight:

i) glycerin

10%-95%;

ii) urea hydrogen peroxide

.001-40%;

iii) methyl hydrogenated rosinate

.001-35.0%;

iv) carbomer

.001-10%;

v) triethanolamine

.001-5%;

vi) spearmint oil

0.00-2%;

and

vii) sodium saccharin

0.00-2%;

and

g) the raised region and valley of the moldable wax dental tray, in use, with the tooth whitener on the moldable wax dental tray, causing the tooth whitener to be free of contact with the corresponding raised region and valley of the user's tooth and gum adjacent the gum line, so as to substantially prevent contact of the tooth whitener with the user's gum, in use.

2. Tooth whitening system as in claim 1 , wherein:

a) the tooth whitener includes material applied by the user and provided on a region on the moldable wax dental tray that faces the user's teeth, in use.

3. Tooth whitening system as in claim 1 , wherein:

a) the moldable wax dental tray includes a natural wax.

4. Tooth whitening system as in claim 1 , wherein:

a) the moldable wax dental tray includes a beeswax.

5. Tooth whitening system as in claim 1 , wherein:

a) the moldable wax dental tray includes a jojoba wax.

6. Tooth whitening system as in claim 1 , wherein:

a) the absorbent layer includes cloth fibers.

7. A method of whitening teeth, comprising:

a) providing a generally flat moldable wax dental tray;

b) the generally flat moldable wax dental tray being sufficiently moldable so that a user can form the moldable wax dental tray to generally match the configuration of the user's teeth, in use;

c) the moldable wax dental tray, including an upper gingival region and a lower incisal portion, the lower incisal portion being generally flat, and the upper gingival region being generally parallel to the lower incisal portion; and the dental tray including a left side and a right side, the left side being generally parallel to the right side; and the dental tray including a reduced portion provided generally centrally on the lower incisal portion; and the upper gingival region including a raised region and a valley, and configured so that, in use, the raised region and valley are adjacent to and free of contact with a corresponding raised region and valley of a user's tooth adjacent a user's gum line, respectively, and so that, in use, a gap is defined between the respective raised regions and valleys;

d) the moldable wax dental tray including an absorbent layer provided on a region which faces a user's teeth;

e) providing a tooth whitener on the absorbent layer of the moldable wax dental tray, the tooth whitener including:

i) a carrier;

ii) a whitening agent; and

iii) an adhesive material, the adhesive material being sufficiently adhesive so that both the tooth whitener and the moldable dental tray formed to substantially match the configuration of the user's teeth, in use, are adhered to a user's tooth for a sufficiently long period of time to achieve a whitening of the user's tooth by the whitening agent;

f) the tooth whitener includes, as a percent by weight:

i) glycerin

10%-95%;

ii) urea hydrogen peroxide

.001-40%;

iii) methyl hydrogenated rosinate

.001-35.0%;

iv) carbomer

.001-10%;

v) triethanolamine

.001-5%;

vi) spearmint oil

0.00-2%;

and

vii) sodium saccharin

0.00-2%;

and

g) the raised region and valley of the moldable wax dental tray, in use, with the tooth whitener on the moldable wax dental tray, causing the tooth whitener to be free of contact with the corresponding raised region and valley of the user's tooth and gum adjacent the gum line, so as to substantially prevent contact of the tooth whitener with the user's gum, in use;

h) placing the moldable wax dental tray with tooth whitener thereon on the user's teeth;

i) molding the moldable wax dental tray to conform to the configuration of the user's teeth; and

j) leaving the tooth whitener and molded wax dental tray on the user's teeth a sufficiently long time so as to whiten the user's teeth.

8. Method of whitening teeth as in claim 7 , wherein:

a) the tooth whitener includes an impregnated region provided on a region of the moldable wax dental tray that faces the user's teeth, in use.

9. Method of whitening teeth as in claim 7 , wherein:

a) the tooth whitener includes material applied by the user and provided on a region on the moldable wax dental tray that faces the user's teeth, in use.

10. Method of whitening teeth as in claim 7 , wherein:

a) the moldable wax dental tray includes a natural wax.

11. Method of whitening teeth as in claim 7 , wherein:

a) the absorbent layer includes cloth fibers.

12. A tooth whitening system, comprising:

a) a generally flat moldable wax dental tray;

b) the generally flat moldable wax dental tray being sufficiently moldable so that a user can form the moldable wax dental tray to generally match the configuration of the user's teeth, in use;

c) the moldable wax dental tray including an upper gingival region and a lower incisal portion, the lower incisal portion being generally flat, and the upper gingival region being generally parallel to the lower incisal portion; and the dental tray including a left side and a right side, the left side being generally parallel to the right side; and the dental tray including a reduced portion provided generally centrally on the lower incisal portion; and the upper gingival region including a raised region and a valley, and configured so that, in use, the raised region and valley are adjacent to and free of contact with a corresponding raised region and valley of a user's tooth adjacent a user's gum line, respectively, and so that, in use, a gap is defined between the respective raised regions and valleys;

d) the moldable wax dental tray including an absorbent layer provided on a region which faces a user's teeth;

e) a tooth whitener provided on the absorbent layer of the moldable wax dental tray, the tooth whitener including:

iv) a carrier;

v) a whitening agent; and

vi) an adhesive material, the adhesive material being sufficiently adhesive so that both the tooth whitener and the moldable wax dental tray formed to substantially match the configuration of the user's teeth, in use, are adhered to a user's tooth for a sufficiently long period of time to achieve a whitening of the user's tooth by the whitening agent;

f) the tooth whitener includes, as a percent by weight:

glycerin

73.982%;

urea hydrogen peroxide

15.0%;

methyl hydrogenated rosinate

10.0%;

carbomer

0.478%;

triethanolamine

0.322%;

spearmint oil

0.156%;

and

vii), sodium saccharin

0.062%;

and

g) the raised region and valley of the moldable wax dental tray, in use, with the tooth whitener on the moldable wax dental tray, causing the tooth whitener to be free of contact with the corresponding raised region and valley of the user's tooth and gum adjacent the gum line, so as to substantially prevent contact of the tooth whitener with the user's gum, in use.

13. Tooth whitening system as in claim 12 , wherein:

a) the absorbent layer includes cloth fibers.

Assignments (6)
NOTICE OF RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Recorded Apr 3, 2023
From: ECAPITAL ASSET BASED LENDING CORP. (FORMERLY KNOWN AS GERBER FINANCE INC.)
To: FRENCH TRANSIT, LLC
Reel/Frame 063239/0046 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 11, 2021
From: FRENCH TRANSIT, LLC
To: GERBER FINANCE INC.
Reel/Frame 055562/0920 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Mar 8, 2021
From: FIDUS INVESTMENT CORPORATION, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: FRENCH TRANSIT, LLC
Reel/Frame 055517/0336 →
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Jun 21, 2019
From: FRENCH TRANSIT, LLC
To: FIDUS INVESTMENT CORPORATION, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 049558/0064 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 5, 2016
From: DENTOVATIONS, INC.
To: FRENCH TRANSIT, LLC
Reel/Frame 039941/0909 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 3, 2009
From: BROWN, DAMON J.; PHILP, JR., GRAHAM K., DECEASED, BY GRAHAM K. PARISH-PHILP, LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE
To: DENTOVATIONS INC.
Reel/Frame 023190/0265 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTUS2006040021 · Oct 12, 2006
Related Publication 20090325129A1 · Dec 31, 2009