Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SURGICAL PACK RETENTION DEVICE
.
After a dentist has performed a variety of types
of surgery in the mouth of a patient, it is necessary to
protect the surgical site. For that purpose r it is common
practice to use a so-called "pack" in the form of an
elastomer plastic. Unfortunately, for one reason or another,
it is difficult to maintain the pack in place and they
become loosened, lost prematurely, and sometimes even
swallowed. If this occurs, the surgerized tissue is not
protected and trauma to it may cause pain, hemmorhage, or
susceptibility to infection. A particularly important use for
the pack is in the case of the free gingival graft where it is
difficult to retain the pack on the donor site and the palate.
It is particularly important to protect the site from which the
tissue surface has been remo~ed. Prior to this invention the only
method of pack retention with any efficiency at all was the
"surgical stent" which is a custom made appliance. These are
very time consuming and expensive and are less comforta~le to
the patient and for these reasons not usually constructed unless
very extensive donGr sites require dressing ~surgical pack3~
The stent can easily be too lose or too tight, resulting in the
loss of the stent and pack. The s-tent also often allows liquids
to seep to the raw tissue causing sever pain. Attempts have
been made in the past to provide a means of holding the pack in
place, but they have been less than successful, particularly
when the wound was located in the palate. These and o~her
difficulties e~perienced with the prior art devices have been
been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention~
1.19~
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the
invention to provide a surgical pack retention device -t~ maintain
a surgical pack securely in place.
Another object of this invention is the provision of
an appliance for periodontal surgical use, where the wound is
located on the palate.
A further object of the present invention is the
provision of a surgical pack retention device that is adaptable
-to all positions in the mouth irrespective of the shape, nature,
or location of the tooth~
It is another object of the instant invention to
provide a periodontal appliance which is simple and rugged in
construction, which can be easily manufactured from easily
obtainable materials, and which is capable of being sterilized
either by autoclave or high dry heat.
It is another object of the instant invention to
provide a periodontal appliance which is inexpensi~e to manu-
facture and which can be easily applied to either large or small
surgical sites.
~0 With these and other objects in view, as will be
apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in
the combination of parts set foxth in the specification and
covered by the claims appended hereto.
In general, the invention consists of a surgical pack
retention device for use in maintaining a surgical pack in place
and having a retention fixture adapted to be located adjacent a
too-th. A flexible wire is provided to extend tightly around the
tooth and to be fastened to the fixture.
Specif.ically, -the fixture has an extruded shape and
bo-th the fixture and -the wire are formed of s-tainless steel.
The character of the invention, however, may be best
understood by reference to one of its structural forms, as
illustrated by the accompanyinS drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical pack
retention device incorporating the principles of the present
invention,
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the device
taken on the line II-II of FIG. 1, and
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device as viewed on
-the line ~ III of FIG. 2.
Referring first to FIG. 1, wherein are best shown
the general features of the invention, the surgical pack
retention device indicated.generally by the reference numeral 10,
is shown in use in a patient's mouth, having a palatal tissue
surface 11 and a tooth 12. The device is shown in use in
holding a surgical pack 13 over a surgical donor site 14 on
the palate 11.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show the details of the surgical pack
retention device 10 which has a retention device 15 located
adjacent the tooth 12. The device is provided with a wire 16
which extends tightly around the tooth and is fastened to
the fixture 15. As is evident in FIG. 2, the fix*ure 15
has an extr~ded shape, that is to say, it has a constan-t
cross-s.ection. The wire 16 and the fixture 15 are formed of
a non-corrosive material such as stainless steel. The
fixture 15 has a flat central portion 17 which lies against
the tcoth and which is fastened to the wire 16 by welding or
the like. The fixture 15 is also provided with arms 18 and 19
2~g
which extend laterally away from the central portion 17 at the
top and bottom, respectively. These arms e~tend at an obtuse
angle to the central portion. The outer end of the upper arm
18 is provided with a downwardly extending flange 21, while a
similar flange 22 extends upwardly from the outer end of the
lower arm 19. The flanyes, therefore, extend toward one another
to the extent that they each occupy approximately one-third
of the space between the ends of the arms.
The method of operation and the advantages of the
present invention will now be readily understood in view of
the above description. When the surgery (especially a free
gingival graft) has been completed, the result is a raw
connective tissue area without the normal epithelial covering
at the site 14. When the surgery has been completed, it is
necessary to apply the pack 14 to protect it and assist in
healing. For that purpose, the fixture 15 with the wire 16
attached, is plac d against the inner surface of the tooth i2
at a location which is close to where the tooth emerges from
the gingiva 11. The ends of the wire 16 are carried around
to t.he outer side of the tooth where they are twisted together
to form the portion 23. The portion 23 is then bent back
toward the tooth to lie flat against it, so that it does not
irritate the portion of the cheek which lies opposlte it and
would otherwise contact it. The pack 13 is then molded around
and within the fi~ture 15, so that it extends over the site 14~
The apparatu~ holds the pack securely in this way and it is not
easily dislodged. This particular manner of holding the
surgical pack 13 is particularly adaptable ln the case of the
free gingival graft, wherein the site 14 is a "donor" site.
3~,~
The invention, thereEore, serves -the purpose of retaining
a periodon-tal or surgical pack or dressing in the oral cavity
subsequent to various types of surgery, especially periodontal
surgery. The fixture is anchored firmly to the tooth. The
surgical pack material is molded around and within the fix-ture
and against the surface of the tooth to which it is anchored
and against adjacent teeth. The pack covers the surgical site
and is ~hen allowed to set. This is especially useful at
the donor site of a gingival graft which would be on -the
10 palate where it is extremely difficult to maintain a pack.
The well-retained pack gives post-operative comfort to the
patient, protects the tissue from trauma and irritation, and
prevents hemmorhage during early healing.
It is obvious that minor changes may be made in
the form and construction of the invention without departing
from the material spirit thereof. It is not, however, desired
to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and
described, but it is desired to include all such as properly
come within the scope claimed~
The invention having been thus described, what is
claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is.
