Dental and medical treatments and procedures

Abstract

A method treating a root canal in a tooth by introducing into the pulp chamber of a tooth and pulsing a laser light into the fluid reservoir so as to disintegrate pulp within the root canal without generation of any significant heat in said liquid fluid so as to avoid elevating the temperature of any of the dentin, tooth, or other adjacent tissue more than about 5° C.

1 . A method for treating a root canal in a tooth containing a crown portion and an elongate root, the root having a root canal containing pulp including nerve and other tissue in open communication with a pulp chamber in the crown, the method comprising:
 removing pulp from said pulp chamber to provide an open area therein to gain access to pulp in said root canal,   introducing liquid into at least said open area in said pulp chamber in an amount sufficient to provide a liquid reservoir, the upper level of which rises to an immersion level,   providing a laser system containing a source of a laser light beam and an elongate optical fiber connected to said source and configured to transmit said laser light beam to a tip portion thereof, substantially the entire surface of which is uncovered so that said laser light beam is emitted therefrom generally omnidirectionally,   substantially completely immersing at least said tip of said laser into said liquid reservoir, and   pulsing said laser source,   wherein at least a substantial portion of the pulp in said pulp chamber and root canal is disintegrated into pulp material in admixture in and with said liquid, and removing said liquid mixture containing said pulp material from the opening in the crown,   rinsing, irrigating, and disinfecting said pulp chamber and root canal so as to provide substantially clean and substantially pulp-free dentin walls lining said chamber and root canal ready for filling,   obturating said pulp chamber and root canal with a suitable filling material,   wherein disintegration of pulp using the laser is accomplished without generation of any significant heat in said liquid so as to avoid elevating the temperature of any of the dentin, tooth, or other adjacent tissue more than about 5° C.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said tip is tapered convexly to an apex distally of the source. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said tip is tapered to an apex distally of the source. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a pulse frequency is maintained constant. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a pulse frequency is varied during each pulse cycle. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a pulse frequency is from about 2 Hz to about 25 Hz. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the laser is pulsed at a power level of from about 0.1 W to about 1.5 Watts. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a pulse duration is maintained substantially constant during each cycle at from about 100 nanoseconds to about 1000 microseconds. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of removing at least part of the pulp from said root canal to make an opening in said root canal in flow communication with said open area in said pulp chamber prior to introducing the liquid into the open area. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the optical fiber contains cladding in the form of a continuous sheath coating extending from the source to a terminus edge spaced proximally from said apex of said tapered tip toward said source by a distance of from about 2 mm to about 10 mm so that a surface of said optical fiber is uncovered over the entirety of said tapered tip and over any part of a cylindrical outer surface of said fiber between said terminus and the beginning of the tapered tip. 
     
     
         11 . A method for treating a root canal, sulcus or tissue space in a tooth, the method comprising:
 introducing an aqueous solution into the root canal, sulcus, or tissue space in an amount sufficient to provide a liquid reservoir, the upper level of which rises to an immersion level,   providing a laser system containing a source of a laser light beam and an elongate optical fiber connected to said source and configured to transmit said laser light beam to a tip portion thereof, substantially the entire surface of which is uncovered so that said laser light beam is emitted therefrom generally omnidirectionally,   substantially completely immersing at least said tip of said laser into said liquid reservoir,   treating the interior of the root canal, sulcus, or tissue space by pulsing said laser source so that light is emitted therefrom generally omnidirectionally to create a series of photoacoustic waves which propogate from the surface of the tip portion of the fiber optic, said waves propogating generally omdirectionally through the aqueous solution in the interior of the root canal, sulcus or tissue space and into contact with root canal wall surfaces or other adjacent surfaces, tissues or structures,   wherein the treatment is accomplished without generation of any significant heat in said aqueous solution so as to avoid elevating the temperature of any of the dentin, tooth, or other adjacent tissue more than about 5° C.   
     
     
         12 . A laser system for treating a root canal in a tooth containing a source of a laser light beam and an elongate optical fiber connected to said source and configured to transmit said laser light beam to a tip portion thereof, said tip containing a tapered tip tapering to an apex with a surrounding conical wall, substantially the entire surface of which is uncovered so that said laser light beam is emitted therefrom generally omnidirectionally, wherein the optical fiber contains cladding in the form of a continuous sheath coating extending from the source to a terminus edge spaced proximally from said apex of said tapered tip toward said source by a distance of from about 2 mm to about 10 mm so that the surface of said optical fiber is uncovered over the entirety of said tapered tip and over any part of a cylindrical outer surface of said fiber between said terminus and the beginning of the tapered tip. 
     
     
         13 . (canceled)