US1262629A - Process of filling teeth. - Google Patents

Description

G. A. BROUILLET! PROCESSOF FILLI'NG TEETH.

AFPLICATION mu) SEPT. 12. I912- 1,262,629. 1 Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

enoaens A. BROUILLET, or Bnoo-KLInn, nnssncnnsnrrs.

rnocnss or FILLING TEETH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

Application filed September 12, 1912. Serial No. 720,048.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonens A. BRoUILLnT, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Brookline, county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Processes of Filling Teeth, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to a process of filling teeth. It has heretofore been proposed to treat a decayed tooth by first cleaning the cavity and then filling the cavity with cement, and then applying a veneer plate of gold or other ductile metal to the exterior of the cement filling, said veneer plate having anchoring projections extending from its under face which are embedded in and interlocked with the cement filling. The advantage claimed for this type of filling is that the cement. makes a much more satisfactory filling for the cavity than gold or amalgam and the veneer plate which covers the cement takes the wear and prevents the cement from being deteriorated by the action of the saliva.

In order that the veneer plate may properly perform its function it is necessary that it should accurately fit the mouth of the cavity in thetooth so that no moisture or saliva can work under the edge of the veneer to act on the cement filling. The metal cap or veneer plate cannot be accurately fitted to thetooth unless said plate is made of a very thin and ductile material, but when the plate is made of this material it has not sufficient strength or stiffness to hold its shape during subsequent use of the tooth, and the edge of the veneer plate is very apt to curl up somewhat, thus exposing a part of the ocment filling.

My improvement consists in providing a novel method by which the veneer plate can be reinforced or stiffened after it has been shaped to the cavity or tooth, so thatrwhen it is finally applied to the cement filling it will be sufiiciently stifi and unyielding so that it will hold its shape and will also present a hard wearing surface capable of resisting any wear to which the tooth will be subjected.

In order to explain the, principle of the invention, I have shown in the drawings some views illustrative of my lmproved process.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tooth with my veneer plate fitted to a cavity.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tooth with the veneer-plate removed showing the cavity to be filled.

Fig.3 i'sra perspective view of the veneer plate before it is fitted to the tooth.

.Fig. 4: is a sectional view on the line zv-m, Fig. 1 showing the veneer plate fitted to the mouth of the cavity.

Fig. 5 is a view of the veneer plate after it has been fitted.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the veneer plate after it has been reinforced.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4 showing the tooth filled and the reinforced veneer plate applied thereto.

l designates a toothhaving a cavity 2 therein to be filled.- In filling this cavity in accordance with my'invention said cavity is first cleaned out in the usual manner, and then a veneer plate 3 is fitted to the mouth of the cavity, this preferably being done before the cavity is filled and immediately after itis cleaned out. This veneer plate 3is made of thin ductile metal, preferably gold, and is provided on its inner face with one or more anchoring projections 4.. These anchoring projections may be formed on the veneer plate in any suitable way and may conveniently be in the form of pins soldered to the plate. This veneer plate is made of the proper shape to cover the mouth of the cavity. Fig. 3 shows an unshaped plate adapted to cover the cavity 2 shown in Fig.

2. This veneer plate 3 is applied to the mouth of the cavity 2 before the latter is filled and is then burnished or worked over to cause it to conform exactly to the shape of the tooth and to the shape of the mouth of the cavity. Before shapingthe veneer plate 3 to the cavity 2 I prefer tov cut the tooth at the mouth of the cavity so asto provide the bevel portion 10, and in fitting the mouth of the cavity slightly so that the edgesof the plate are bent upwardly as shown at 11, and overliethe bevel P flEiOn 10 as clearly seen in Fig. e. This bevel perv veneer plate to the mouth of the cavity the plate-is preferably worked down into the other appropriate way.

While this reinforcing may be done in vari ous ways, I prefer to accomplish it by removing the shaped veneer plate from the tooth and then applying to the exterior surface .5 thereof a layer 6 of solder or other similar metal which is harder and less ductile than the gold leaf of which the veener plate is made. This layer 6 of solder or other reinforcing material may be applied to the exterior surface 5 of the veneer plate by means of a blow-pipe or in any In carrying out this operation it is extremely important that none of the solder should be allowed to run over on the under side of the veneer plate which is accurately shaped to the tooth, and it is also important that the shape of the fitted plate should not be changed at all during the application of the reinforcing layer. In shaping the veneer plate to the bevel .surface 10 of the tooth, said veneer plate will preferably be given such a shape that when the reinforced layer 6 is applied the exterior surface of the reinforcing layer 6 vwill be situated properly when the veneer plate is applied to the tooth to furnish a grinding surface that cooperates with the opposed tooth. The upturned edges 11 of the veneer plate are of some assistance in applying the reinforcing layer, because they furnish a sort of gage to determine the proper thickness for this reinforcing layer. After the shaped veneer plate is thus relnforced it is comparatively stilf and is provlded with a hard exterior surface which is well adapted to resist the wear to which the grinding surface of teeth is subjected.

After having prepared the veneer plate, as above described, the cavity 2 is filled with any suitable cementitious material 7 which will set or harden in a short time, and the shaped Veneer plate 3 is then applied to the mouthof the cavity while the cementitious material is soft. In thus applying the veneer plate the anchoring projections 4 are forced into the comparatively soft cement and the shaped veneer plate accurately fits the tooth and entirely covers the cement. When the. cement has become hard the veneer plate is firmly anchored in place. Because of the fact that this veneer plate is reinforced, as above described, it has sulficlent stifiness and strength so that the edges thereofwill not curl away from the tooth j and expose the cement filling at any point.

Furthermore the exterior surface of the plate, which is subjected to all the wear, is the surface on which the reinforcement is applied,,and as the reinforcing material is hard, a filling made in accordance with my invention will wear indefinitely.

A filling embodying 'my invention has better wearing qualities than a solid gold filling, it is much cheaper to make, and is better for the tooth.

fitted plate is not changed, but the plate is stifiened and strengthened at the points where the Wear occurs. 7

In applying my reinforcing material the exterior surface of the veneer plate is built up to the proper point to make a properly positioned grinding surface for the tooth. f

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is r j 1. The method of filling teeth which consists in providing a veneer plate of thin ductile material of a shape to cover the mouth of the cavity to be filled and having anchoring projections extending from the inner face thereof, shaping said plate accurately to the mouth of the cavity, upturning the edge of said plate whereby a dish shaped plate is provided, filling said dish portion with a reinforcing coating of comparatively hard metal which forms the exterior face of the completed plate, filling the cavity with cementitious filling material and then applying the reinforced veneer plate to the mouth of the filled cavity.

2. The steps in the process of filling teeth which consists in providing a bevel surface on the tooth at the mouth of the cavity, fitting a veneer plate of thin ductile material to the mouth of the cavity with the edge of the plate upturned and overlying the beveled surface, applying to the exterior or wear surface of the shaped veneer plate a reinforcing layer of material harder than that of the plate thereby to stifi'en the latter, filling the cavity with a soft cementitious material and then applying the reinforced plate to the mouthof the filled cavity, said reinforcing layer presenting a hard grinding' surface to the filling.

3. The process of filling the tooth which consists of cutting the tooth at the mouth of the cavity to provide a beveled surface, pro-- viding the veneer plate of thin ductile metal having anchoring projections extending from one side thereof, fitting the edge of said metal plate to the beveled surface at the mouth of the cavity and forcing the main body of said plate slightly below the position to be occupied by the exterior or grinding surface of the filling, applying to the exterior or wear surface of the shaped veneer plate a layer of comparatively hard In testimony whereof, I have signed my material to stifi'en the latter and to bulld up name to this specification in the presence of the exterior surface thereof to the proper two subscribing Witnesses.

point, filling the cavity With cementitious GEORGES A. BROUILLET. 5 filling material and then applying the rein- Witnesses:

forced veneer plate to the mouth of the filled LOUIS C. SMITH,

cavity. ANNA E. LONG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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