GB2278549A

GB2278549A - Baby or infant pacifier

Info

Publication number: GB2278549A
Application number: GB9410565A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Herbert Pick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-06-04
Filing date: 1994-05-26
Publication date: 1994-12-07
Anticipated expiration: 2014-05-26
Also published as: ITMI941126A1; FR2705887A1; DE4318693A1; FR2705887B1; DE4318693B4; IT1269874B; GB9410565D0; GB2278549B; ITMI941126A0; AT34U1

Description

2278549 1

PACIFIER Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a pacifier composed of a pacifier shield and a nipple fixed thereto. Pacifiers of this type are generally known. Backqround of the Invention It is known from numerous scientific studies that whereas sucking is a basic need of babies and infants, thumb sucking and sucking on pacifiers cause defective development of the jaw. Studies have shown that sucking habits and the related functions induced thereby are responsible above all for the formation of an enlarged front tooth stage, open bite and lateral cross bite. In addition, unfavorable effects on tongue function and respiration have been described.

Although sucking on a pacifier is a lesser evil than thumb sucking, a study carried out in collaboration with the Dental Division of the Frankfurt/Main Municipal Board of Health has nevertheless revealed that even the "medically recommended" tranquilizing nipple favors the development of lateral cross bite to a non-negligible extent. This increased development of lateral cross bite during sucking can be explained as follows.

In the first place, commercially available pacifiers exert a pressure on the roof of the palate, without having any contact with the lateral palatine wall or the teeth. As a result they further the development of a high, narrow palate. Pacifiers prevent a correct tongue position at the roof of the palate, particularly during the act of swallowing. However, it is precisely this 2 is pressure of the tongue during the act of swallowing (about 2,000 times a day with a pressure of approximately 3 to 4 kg) that, under normal conditions, brings about the breadthwise development of the upper jaw.

From the medical or dental points of view, one-sided or bilateral cross bite has the following serious consequences: Asymmetrical growth of the lower jaw (subsequent facial asymmetry) due to the generally coexisting compulsive lateral bite (compulsive behavior); unphysiological load on the teeth, which promotes the development of periodontosis; and temporomandibular complaints at a later age.

For psychological reasons, the lateral cross bite is generally not treatable or correctable in infancy. During adolescence this correction requires an expensive orthodontic treatment that is stressful for both child and parents.

Hence the task of the invention is to provide a pacifier of the type mentioned in the introduction, which, on the one hand, satisfies the sucking need of the baby or infant, and on the other hand prevents the development of jaw anomalies caused by sucking on pacifiers.

Summarv of the Invention This task is solved by a pacifier of the type mentioned in the introduction, wherein the nipple has a central elastic supporting member and elastic wings arranged on both sides of the supporting member, said wings being designed so as to lie laterally against the upper jaw or on teeth already present thereat.

C:\WP51\KOR\109\APPLN.9 3 Brief DescriDtiOn of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a view of the pacifier from its lower side; Fig. 3 is a view of the top side of the pacifier according to Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a view of a second embodiment of the invention, partly in cross section, viewed from the back. Detailed Disclosure

The result aimed at by the invention is substantially achieved by the fact that, because of the shape of the pacifier with lateral wings arranged on a central member, the pressure induced by the tongue is directed not, as in the case of conventional pacifiers, towards the roof of the palate but towards the lateral palatine wall, the upper jaw, or the teeth of the upper jaw. If the pacifier is of the proper shape, the roof of the palate can remain entirely unstressed, so that the development of defective positions of the type mentioned in the introduction and resulting from the use of pacifiers will be prevented.

In a further development of the invention it is stipulated that the supporting member and the lateral wings have a hollow structure and that the cavities be connected with one another by one-way valves or narrow passages. In this way the pressure exerted by the child's tongue on the supporting member can be used to inflate the lateral wings, in order to transmit the pressure exerted by them uniformly and effectively to C:\WP51\KOR\109\APPLN.9 4 palatine wall or upper jaw. At the same time this also facilitates adaptation to the individual shape of the jaw.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention the cavities of the pacifier are filled with a material which sets at body temperature or wherein the cavities can be filled from the outside, e.g. by means of a disposable syringe, so that during use of the pacifier said pacifier can permanently be adapted to the individual shape of the jaw by the pressure exerted by the tongue.

The structure of the pacifier provided by the invention also makes it impossible to use said pacifier from the wrong side, as is the case in prior-art pacifiers.

According to another embodiment of the invention it is stipulated that the material of the wings, at least, be porous. Then, if the pacifier is filled with a caries-preventing substance, the latter can diffuse through the material of the pacifier directly at the most favorable site of action. other fillers may be substances that promote the flow of saliva or are flavoring agents, e.g. to adapt the child to the pacifier of the invention after previous use of a pacifier of the conventional type.

The fixing of the nipple to the pacifier shield can be devised in a conventional way, e.g. by means of a central pin or strap, as described in German Offenlegungsschrift No. 31 17 348 or German Patent No. 26 56 819, or by means of lateral bands, as described in C:XWP51\KOR\109\APPLN.9 C1 V German Offenlegungsschrift No. 26, 29 290, in order to keep the region of the incisor teeth free.

Suitable as material for the pacifier are all appropriate substances, especially silicone rubber and plastic materials. They should be elastic, on the one hand, but sufficiently rigid, on the other hand, so that the wings can exert the pressure expected of them on the palate wall or upper jaw.

The invention will now be explained in detail on the basis of the following two embodiments, reference being made to the drawings.

Fig. I shows a pacifier referred to in its entirety by the numeral 1, consisting of a pacifier shield 2 and a nipple 3 fixed thereto, which is fastened via a pin or strap 4 to the pacifier shield 2. A cap 5 fixed to the pacifier shield covers devices which secure the strap 4 to the pacifier shield 2, cf. for example German Patent No. 26 56 819.

Emergency breathing openings 6 are arranged in the pacifier shield 2.

As clearly shown in Fig. 2, the nipple 3 consists of a central supporting member 7 and wings 8 laterally attached thereto, which wings, as shown, may have a contour adapted to the position of the premolars. This central supporting member 7 is held by the pin 4.

As shown in Fig. I in particular, the nipple 3 has an upward curvature, in order to leave enough space for the child's tongue; however, it should be pointed out that the curvature is not so great that the nipple 3 rests on the roof of the palate; rather, the pressure C:\WP51\KOR\109\APPLN.9 6 exerted by the tongue on the supporting member 7 should be led off via the lateral wings 8 to the palate wall or upper jaw.

Fig. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view, seen from the back, of a second embodiment of a pacifier, in which the supporting member 7 has a spherical shape, in order to be more in conformity with the shape of the nipple in commercially available pacifiers. This pacifier is suitable particularly for use as a transitional device, when an infant is to be changed from a conventional pacifier to a pacifier according to the invention which is designed from the orthodontic point of view. This pacifier, too, has lateral wings 8 fastened to the supporting member 7, and it is clearly seen that the shape of the wings is such that the pressure exerted by the tongue on the supporting member 7 is led off laterally onto the palate wall or upper jaw. Also noted is the hollow structure of the supporting member 7 and of the wings 8, there being a narrow connection, containing a one-way valve 9, between the cavity 10 of the supporting member and the cavity 11 of the wing 8.. the direction of flow in said valve 9 being always from the supporting member 7 to the wing 8. It is guaranteed thereby that said wings are always properly pressed to the upper jaw or teeth already existing there.

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Claims

1. Pacifier consisting of a pacifier shield and a nipple fixed thereto, wherein the nipple has an elastic central supporting member as well as elastic wings attached to both sides of said supporting member for lateral positioning at the upper jaw or already existing teeth.

2. Pacifier according to claim 1, wherein the supporting member and the wings are hollow and the cavities of the supporting member and wings are connected with one another via one-way valves, the direction of flow of said valves always being from the supporting member to the wing.

3. Pacifier according to Claim 1, wherein the supporting member and the wings are hollow and the cavities of the supporting member and wings are connected with one another by a very narrow capillary.

4. Pacifier according to Claim 1, wherein the supporting member and thewings are hollow and their cavities are connected with one another, and the cavity of the supporting member is accessible through a channel penetrating through the pacifier shield for filling from the outside.

5. Pacifier according to any of Claims 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the cavities are filled with a material which sets or readily swells at room temperature.

6. Pacifier according to claim 5, wherein at least the material of which the wings are constituted is porous.

7. Pacifier according to any of Claim 1, 2, 3, or C:\WPSI\OR\109\AMN.9 8 4, wherein at least the material of which the wings are constituted is porous.

8. Pacifier substantially as described before and shown in the accompanying drawings.

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