Phoenix Lazerus, the makers of Save-A-Tooth, has been granted a U.S. patent for an enhanced method of saving and storing knocked-out teeth.
The new patent design permits the transportation of up to eight teeth, each with its own compartment, the company said in a press release. The new design has two interlocking components that form egglike compartments; these compartments restrain each individual knocked-out tooth, so the delicate root cells cannot be damaged during transportation to a hospital.
The structure of the compartments includes meshlike holes that permit Hank's Balanced Salt Solution -- part of the Save-A-Tooth system -- to wash off any debris that might have been attached to the tooth and let it float to the bottom of the container.
Research has shown that when Save-A-Tooth is used by schools, athletic trainers, dentists, families with children, and ambulances, the Save-A-Tooth system can save up to 91% of knocked-out teeth, the company said.
