EP1941934A1 - Cheek protector - Google Patents
Cheek protector Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1941934A1 EP1941934A1 EP07397002A EP07397002A EP1941934A1 EP 1941934 A1 EP1941934 A1 EP 1941934A1 EP 07397002 A EP07397002 A EP 07397002A EP 07397002 A EP07397002 A EP 07397002A EP 1941934 A1 EP1941934 A1 EP 1941934A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- cheek
- protector
- plate
- connecting part
- shaped portion
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B71/00—Games or sports accessories not covered in groups A63B1/00 - A63B69/00
- A63B71/08—Body-protectors for players or sportsmen, i.e. body-protecting accessories affording protection of body parts against blows or collisions
- A63B71/085—Mouth or teeth protectors
Abstract
The invention relates to a cheek protector (1) to be placed inside the mouth to prevent the wearer from biting his own cheek especially while eating or speaking. The cheek protector comprises at least on one cheek side a plate-shaped portion (2) preventing the cheek region located at the site of the plate from coming into contact with the teeth. The cheek protector further comprises two connecting parts (4,5) extending parallel to and at a distance from each other and being connected to the plate-shaped portion or plate-shaped portions. The protector maybe substantially planar and bendable into the operating position or it may be brought into an arcuate shape already in the manufacturing stage. Preferably the protector is made of a physiologically inert polymer.
Description
- The present invention relates to a cheek protector to be placed inside the mouth to prevent the wearer from biting his own cheek, particularly during eating and speaking.
- It is known that persons, for instance patients with facial paresis, having insensibility of the cheeks or decreased controllability of the muscles in the face region, may suffer from accidentally biting the cheeks inside the mouth while opening the mouth, e.g. during speaking or eating. For instance, old people in poor health or bed patients may suffer from accidentally biting their cheeks when opening and closing the mouth e.g. while eating and chewing food. Accidental biting may cause blisters and inflammations or bulges inside the cheeks, which in turn will result in even more easily biting the cheek. Hence, there is a need to find a solution to prevent the above-described biting of the cheeks or reduce the above-mentioned lesions or to protect an already injured cheek and thus promote healing.
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US patent 3,307,539 discloses a cheek and tooth protector to prevent wear of the teeth and rubbing of the cheeks caused by unconsciously grinding the teeth during sleeping hours. Said protector comprises a plate to be inserted between the teeth (tooth protecting portion) attached substantially perpendicularly to a rectangular, arcuate plate (cheek protecting portion) inserted between the tooth and cheek so that the concave part will face the wearer' s cheek. The protector is made of resilient material. The protector is held in position by the pressure of the cheeks against the elongated, horizontal margins of the concave side of the plate. There is also an embodiment of the protector for cheek protection only, whereby no portion to be inserted between the teeth is provided. However, the protector of said type cannot be used for instance during eating or while opening and closing the mouth for other reasons, for instance while speaking, because it is held in position by the pressure of the concave side of the plate against the teeth and it is not designed to stay in place when the mouth is opened. - The present invention solves the above problem by providing a cheek protector comprising at least on one cheek side a plate-shaped portion preventing the cheek region located at the site of the plate from coming into contact with the teeth. The cheek protector is characterized in that it comprises at least one plate-
shaped portion 2, and a first 4 and a second 5 elongated connecting part, said connectingparts 4, 5 extending parallel with and at a distance from each other. At leastfirst ends 8, 9 of the first connectingpart 4 and the second connecting part 5 are connected to said plate-shaped portion 2. Preferably theother ends 10 and 11 of the connecting parts are connected to another plate-shaped portion 3; in a further embodiment, theother ends 10 and 11 are connected to each other without a plate-shaped portion in between. - The invention is described in more detail with reference to the accompanied drawings, wherein
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Fig. 1 is a planar view of an embodiment of a cheek protector according to the invention, -
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the cheek protector according to the invention bent into its operating position, and -
Fig. 3 shows a view of a further preferable embodiment of the cheek protector according to the invention. -
Fig. 1 shows a view of a preferable embodiment of acheek protector 1 according to the invention. Thecheek protector 1 comprises two plate-shaped portions shaped portions part 4 and a second connecting part 5. Said connectingparts 4, 5 have theirlongitudinal margins first end 8, 9 and asecond end 10, 11. The first ends are substantially side by side, and correspondingly, the other ends are substantially side by side at a distance from each other. Thefirst ends 8, 9 of the connecting parts are connected to the plate-shaped portion 2; preferably theother ends 10, 11 of the connecting parts are connected to the plate-shaped portion 3. The cheek protector can also be described as a bendable planar frame, the opposite ends of which comprising protectingplates parts 4, 5 are arcuate outwardly from the centre of the frame. Preferably at least onenotched recess outer margins -
Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a cheek protector according to the invention bent into its operating position. When placing the cheek protector inside the mouth, the first connectingpart 24 will be positioned along the upper jaw and the second connectingpart 25 will be positioned along the lower jaw at least partially or completely over the gums. The plate-shaped portions 22 and 23 of the protector will be positioned in the rear part of the mouth between the teeth, preferably the molars, and the cheek. Therecesses shaped portions 22, 23 prevent at least the cheek region located at the site of the plate from coming into contact with the teeth. Hence, it is possible to prevent the cheek region from coming between the teeth or in contact with the teeth when the lower jaw and the upper jaw, and thus the teeth, move vertically and/or sidewise. The connectingparts shaped portions 22, 23 in place. Because the cheek protector is kept in position by means of the connecting parts placed over the gums and being adapted to follow the shape of the jaw (the upper or lower jaw) at the location of the connecting part, the use of the cheek protector is possible also while opening the mouth, for instance during eating or speaking. -
Fig. 3 shows a view of a further preferable embodiment of a cheek protector according to the invention. In this embodiment the connecting parts, i.e. a first connectingpart 34 and a second connectingpart 35 connecting the plate-shaped portions fig. 3 , thecheek protector 31 is symmetrical relative to the vertical direction. In other words, the left side and the right side of the cheek protector are mirror image-wise identical in relation to the vertical direction of the operating position. The second connectingpart 35 to be positioned along the lower jaw is shorter than the first connectingpart 34 to be positioned along the upper jaw, whereby the anatomic design of thecheek protector 31 is particularly advantageous. It is possible to improve the fit of the cheek protector also by means of other designs of the lower connectingpart 35 and upper connectingpart 34. The lower connectingpart 35 may be straighter than the upper connectingpart 34 to improve the fit. The connecting parts may also be of unequal width. In thecheek protector 31 offig. 3 , only the first connectingpart 34 is provided with a notch-shaped recess 36. By means of shapes made in the connecting part or connecting parts, such asrecess 36, it is possible to improve the fit of the cheek protector and/or indicate in which position the cheek protector is to be placed in the mouth. - The cheek protector according to the invention is substantially planar (
Fig. 1 ) and bendable into the operating position (Fig. 2 ), or it may be brought into an arcuate shape already in the manufacturing stage. In one embodiment, only one end of each connecting part is connected to a plate-shaped portion, while the other ends are connected directly to each other without any plate-shaped portion, whereby the connecting part may form a continuous U-shaped or claw-shaped connecting part. At least the connectingparts 4, 5, preferably also the plate-shaped portions
Claims (7)
- A cheek protector (1) to be placed inside of the mouth, comprising a plate-shaped portion to prevent the teeth and the cheek from coming into contact with each other, characterized in that the cheek protector comprises at least one plate-shaped portion (2), and a first (4) and a second (5) elongated connecting part extending side by side at a distance from each other, and that at least the first ends (8 and 9) of the first connecting part (4) and the second connecting part (5) are connected to the plate-shaped portion.
- A cheek protector according to claim 1, characterized in that the protector comprises two plate-shaped portions (2, 3) connected to each other by means of connecting parts (4, 5).
- A cheek protector according to claim 1, characterized in that the protector comprises one plate-shaped portion (2), to which the first ends (8, 9) of the connecting parts (3, 4) are connected, the other ends (10, 11) of the connecting parts being connected to each other.
- A cheek protector according to any of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cheek protector is made of a bendable and/or flexible material.
- A cheek protector according to any of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that an outer longitudinal side (12, 13) of at least one connecting part is provided with a notch-shaped recess (14, 15).
- A cheek protector according to any of the claims 1, 2, 4 or 5, characterized in that it is symmetrical relative to the vertical direction of the cheek protector.
- A cheek protector according to any of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first connecting part (34) and the second connecting part (35) are of unequal length.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP07397002A EP1941934A1 (en) | 2007-01-05 | 2007-01-05 | Cheek protector |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP07397002A EP1941934A1 (en) | 2007-01-05 | 2007-01-05 | Cheek protector |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1941934A1 true EP1941934A1 (en) | 2008-07-09 |
Family
ID=38008280
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP07397002A Withdrawn EP1941934A1 (en) | 2007-01-05 | 2007-01-05 | Cheek protector |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1941934A1 (en) |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2590118A (en) * | 1949-10-01 | 1952-03-25 | Jr Vincent J Oddo | Mouthpiece |
US2857909A (en) * | 1955-11-14 | 1958-10-28 | Carroll W Johnson | Tooth protector |
EP0337201A1 (en) * | 1988-04-11 | 1989-10-18 | Earl O. Dr. Bergersen | Self-opening preformed activator and positioner |
WO2004054484A2 (en) * | 2002-12-15 | 2004-07-01 | Episafe Medical Devices Ltd. | Device for separating between the upper and lower jaws and method of using the same |
-
2007
- 2007-01-05 EP EP07397002A patent/EP1941934A1/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2590118A (en) * | 1949-10-01 | 1952-03-25 | Jr Vincent J Oddo | Mouthpiece |
US2857909A (en) * | 1955-11-14 | 1958-10-28 | Carroll W Johnson | Tooth protector |
EP0337201A1 (en) * | 1988-04-11 | 1989-10-18 | Earl O. Dr. Bergersen | Self-opening preformed activator and positioner |
WO2004054484A2 (en) * | 2002-12-15 | 2004-07-01 | Episafe Medical Devices Ltd. | Device for separating between the upper and lower jaws and method of using the same |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
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AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR |
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AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Extension state: AL BA HR MK RS |
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AKX | Designation fees paid | ||
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: 8566 |
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STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
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18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 20090110 |