Inventors:
Thomas C. Mannino - Farmington Hills MI, US
International Classification:
A61C 3/00
Abstract:
An intra-oral lighting device for illuminating a tooth located in the mouth of a patient, the device including a source of light, and a probe through which light from the source of light is transmitted, the probe including a tip from which light received from the source of light by the probe is emitted, the tip being insertable by a user into an aperture bored into the enamel of the patient's tooth whereby the tooth is illuminated from within by light emitted from the tip. Also, a method of illuminating a tooth disposed in the mouth of a patient, including the steps of drilling into the tooth a hole that extends into the tooth enamel, inserting into the drilled hole the tip of a light-transmitting probe connected to a source of light, and emitting light from the probe tip disposed in the drilled hole, whereby the tooth is illuminated from within by light transmitted into and through the tooth enamel from the probe tip.