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US-12622774-B2 - Method of whitening teeth

US12622774B2US 12622774 B2US12622774 B2US 12622774B2US-12622774-B2

Abstract

A method of whitening teeth that decreases the amount of time that the whitening composition is in contact with the teeth. Specifically, by pretreating the whitening composition with light before contacting the teeth with the whitening composition, the amount of time that the whitening composition needs to be in contact with the teeth can be reduced. In one aspect, the method may include dispensing a tooth whitening composition from a reservoir device into a channel of a mouth tray; activating an electromagnetic radiation source to emit light onto the tooth whitening composition in the channel of the mouth tray for a first period of time to pretreat the tooth whitening composition; and inserting the mouth tray into the oral cavity of the user so that the user's teeth are in contact with the tooth whitening composition in the channel for a second period of time to whiten the teeth.

Inventors

  • Hallena Strotman
  • Leighton Davies-Smith

Assignees

  • COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20200903

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A method of whitening teeth comprising: dispensing a tooth whitening composition from a reservoir device into a channel of a mouth tray; prior to placing the mouth tray into an oral cavity of a user, activating an electromagnetic radiation source to emit electromagnetic radiation onto the tooth whitening composition in the channel of the mouth tray for a first period of time to pretreat the tooth whitening composition; after expiration of the first period of time, inserting the mouth tray into the oral cavity of the user so that the user's teeth are in contact with the tooth whitening composition in the channel for a second period of time to achieve a desired whitening effect; and after expiration of the second period of time, removing the mouth tray from the oral cavity of the user and deactivating the electromagnetic radiation source; wherein a sum of the first period of time and the second period of time equals a total treatment time, wherein the first period of time is at least 20% of the total treatment time, and wherein the first period of time initiates a chemical change in the tooth-whitening composition prior to contact of the tooth-whitening composition with the user's teeth, thereby reducing the second period of time required to achieve the desired whitening effect.
  2. 2 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the first period of time is between 40% and 60% of the total treatment time.
  3. 3 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the total treatment time is ten minutes.
  4. 4 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the first period of time is at least two minutes.
  5. 5 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the mouth tray comprises the electromagnetic radiation source, wherein the mouth tray comprises a floor, an inner sidewall, and an outer sidewall that collectively define the channel, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation source comprises a plurality of lighting elements located along the outer sidewall of the mouth tray.
  6. 6 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the tooth whitening composition comprises hydrogen peroxide.
  7. 7 . The method according to claim 6 wherein a concentration of the hydrogen peroxide in the tooth whitening composition is approximately 9%.
  8. 8 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the light emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source has a wavelength between 400 nm and 420 nm.
  9. 9 . An oral treatment apparatus configured to perform the method according to claim 1 , wherein the oral treatment apparatus comprises: a timer device; a first indicator; a second indicator; and a processor configured to: start the timer device upon activation of the electromagnetic radiation source; activate the first indicator upon expiration of the first period of time to instruct the user to insert the mouth tray into the oral cavity; and activate the second indicator upon expiration of the second period of time to instruct the user to remove the mouth tray from the oral cavity.
  10. 10 . A method of whitening teeth comprising: dispensing a tooth whitening composition onto a mouth tray; emitting light onto the tooth whitening composition on the mouth tray for a first period of time; after expiration of the first period of time, inserting the mouth tray into an oral cavity of a user so that the user's teeth are in contact with the tooth whitening composition on the mouth tray for a second period of time to achieve a desired whitening effect; and wherein a sum of the first and second periods of time equals a total treatment time, and wherein the first period of time is at least 20% of the total treatment time; and wherein the first period of time initiates a chemical change in the tooth-whitening composition prior to contact of the tooth-whitening composition with the user's teeth, and wherein the second period of time required to achieve the desired whitening effect is reduced as a result of the initiated chemical change.
  11. 11 . The method according to claim 10 wherein the first period of time is at least 30% of the total treatment time.
  12. 12 . The method according to claim 11 wherein the first period of time is at least 40% of the total treatment time.
  13. 13 . The method according to claim 10 wherein the tooth whitening composition comprises hydrogen peroxide having a concentration greater than 1%.
  14. 14 . The method according to claim 13 wherein the tooth whitening composition comprises hydrogen peroxide having a concentration of approximately 9%.
  15. 15 . The method according to claim 10 wherein the light is emitted onto the tooth whitening composition on the mouth tray during the second period of time while the teeth are in contact with the tooth whitening composition on the mouth tray.
  16. 16 . The method according to claim 10 wherein the light is emitted onto the tooth whitening composition on the mouth tray for an entirety of the total treatment time.
  17. 17 . The method according to claim 10 wherein the mouth tray comprises an illumination source, and wherein the illumination source is configured to emit the light onto the tooth whitening composition on the mouth tray, and wherein the light emitted from the illumination source has a wavelength between 400 nm and 420 nm.
  18. 18 . The method according to claim 10 wherein the teeth are not in contact with the tooth whitening composition during the first period of time.
  19. 19 . A method of whitening teeth comprising: dispensing a tooth whitening composition onto a mouth tray; emitting light onto the tooth whitening composition on the mouth tray for a non-contact treatment time; and inserting the mouth tray into an oral cavity of a user so that the user's teeth are in contact with the tooth whitening composition on the mouth tray for a contact treatment time to achieve a desired whitening effect; wherein a ratio of the non-contact treatment time to the contact treatment time is approximately 1:1; and wherein the non-contact treatment time initiates a chemical change in the tooth-whitening composition prior to contact of the tooth whitening composition with the user's teeth, thereby reducing the contact time required to achieve the desired whitening effect by at least 20% relative to a whitening method of equal total duration in which the non-contact treatment time is omitted.
  20. 20 . The method of whitening teeth according to claim 19 wherein a sum of the non-contact treatment time and the contact treatment time is a total treatment time, and the total treatment time is ten minutes.

Description

BACKGROUND Many individuals are dissatisfied with their current tooth color. There are a range of tooth whitening products on the market including toothpastes, gels, trays, strips, and professional treatments. The color of human teeth comes from the combined color of the enamel and dentin. Enamel is a semi-transparent material that covers human teeth and thins over the course of time. The natural color of teeth becomes more yellow over time due to this thinning along with the accumulation of stains. These stains come from many sources such as medications, diet, and lifestyle choices. There are two different types of tooth stains that occur, extrinsic and intrinsic stains. Extrinsic stains are usually removed through the mechanical action of the abrasive system in a toothpaste in combination with the brushing action of the toothbrush. Intrinsic stains are accessible through bleaching agents such as hydrogen peroxide that can penetrate the surface of the enamel. The ability of bleaching agents to penetrate the surface of the tooth depends on many factors, including bleaching agent molecular size and concentration along with contact time with the surface. Longer contact time between the bleaching agents and the teeth is undesirable because: (1) it takes up too much of a user's time; and (2) there is a perception that longer contact time can cause greater sensitivity. Thus, a need exists for a tooth whitening method that reduces the amount of time that the bleaching agent is in contact with the teeth. BRIEF SUMMARY The present invention is directed to a method of whitening teeth that decreases the amount of time that the whitening composition is in contact with the teeth without diminishing the whitening result. Specifically, it has been found that by pretreating the whitening composition with light before contacting the teeth with the whitening composition, the amount of time that the whitening composition needs to be in contact with the teeth to achieve the same or better whitening effect can be reduced. In one aspect, the invention may be a method of whitening teeth comprising: dispensing a tooth whitening composition from a reservoir device into a channel of a mouth tray; prior to placing the mouth tray into a mouth of a user, activating an electromagnetic radiation (i.e., illumination) source to emit light onto the tooth whitening composition in the channel of the mouth tray for a first period of time to pretreat the tooth whitening composition; after expiration of the first period of time, inserting the mouth tray into the mouth of the user so that the user's teeth are in contact with the tooth whitening composition in the channel for a second period of time to whiten the teeth; and after expiration of the second period of time, removing the mouth tray from the mouth of the user and deactivating the electromagnetic radiation source. In another aspect, the invention may be a method of whitening teeth comprising: dispensing a tooth whitening composition into a channel of a mouth tray; emitting light onto the tooth whitening composition in the channel of the mouth tray for a first period of time; after expiration of the first period of time, inserting the mouth tray into a mouth of a user so that the user's teeth are in contact with the tooth whitening composition in the channel for a second period of time; and wherein a sum of the first and second periods of time equals a total treatment time, and wherein the first period of time is at least 20% of the total treatment time. In yet another aspect, the invention may be a method of whitening teeth comprising: dispensing a tooth whitening composition into a channel of a mouth tray; emitting light onto the tooth whitening composition in the channel of the mouth tray for a non-contact treatment time; and inserting the mouth tray into a mouth of a user so that the user's teeth are in contact with the tooth whitening composition in the channel of the mouth tray for a contact treatment time; and wherein a ratio of the contact treatment time to the non-contact treatment time is approximately 1:1. In a further aspect, the invention may be a method of whitening teeth comprising: a pretreatment step comprising emitting light onto a tooth whitening composition in a channel of a mouth tray for a first period of time; a treatment step comprising inserting the mouth tray into a mouth of the user so that the user's teeth are in contact with the tooth whitening composition in the channel of the mouth tray for a second period of time while the light continues to be emitted onto the tooth whitening composition in the channel of the mouth tray; wherein a sum of the first and second periods of time equals a treatment duration; and wherein the treatment duration is equal to a standard treatment time of a standard whitening method that comprises the treatment step and omits the pretreatment step. In a still further aspect, the invention may be an oral treatment apparatus comprising