JP2008067732A - Oral muscle training implement - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To train three muscle groups consisting of the orbicularis oris muscle group, mastication muscle group and tongue muscle group simultaneously by one implement. <P>SOLUTION: The oral muscle training implement is molded from an elastic resin, and includes a U-shaped occlusion part substantially formed along the human dentition, a tongue support part extending from the center to the rear of the occlusion part, a stick-like projection part extending from the center to the front of the occlusion part, and a crossbar part orthogonally crossing the projection part and extending on approximately the same plane as the occlusion part. The occlusion part is formed with such length as to extend to approximately a half of the left or right first molar of a target user, and is formed in such a shape that both ends are wide and oval. The tongue support part is composed of a slender support rod extending from the occlusion part and a spherical or bale-shaped tongue support body disposed at the end of the support rod. The tongue support part extends downward at about 20 degrees from the extension surface of the occlusion part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an oral muscle training device, and more particularly to an oral muscle training device that can efficiently obtain a synergistic effect by simultaneously training a muzzle muscle, a masticatory muscle group, and a tongue muscle group.

  Conventionally, there are instruments that train the muscles of the face and chin by putting power in the mouth. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a training tool that trains the mouth and neck muscles under the neck by shaking a mouthpiece with a weight suspended and shaking it up and down.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a health appliance for tightening an elastic resin in the form of an arch along a dental arch. This instrument is used so that the biting part is inserted between the upper and lower dentitions, set at a position where the heel contacts the outer surface of the dentition, and bites the biting part. This improves blood circulation in the periodontal ligament and prevents and treats periodontal diseases.
Utility Model Registration No. 3097484 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-153111

  The muscles of the oral cavity, which are organs that eat, speak, and breathe, can be broadly divided into the muzzle muscles, which are the muscles that close the mouth, the masticatory muscles that are used mainly to bite things, and the tongue muscles that are used to speak and swallow It is divided into three. For example, the device disclosed in Patent Document 2 trains the masticatory muscle group.

  However, eating, talking, and breathing are general exercises of these three muscle groups, and there is a problem that even if only one of the muscles is trained, it is difficult to directly improve the overall oral function. Therefore, if the muscle group consisting of the muzzle muscle, the masticatory muscle group, and the tongue muscle group can be trained simultaneously, it is considered that the function of the oral organ can be improved by the synergistic effect of each element.

  The object of the present invention is to train a muscle group consisting of the muzzle muscle, the masticatory muscle group, and the tongue muscle group with one instrument at the same time, in a form close to the original movement, and these synergistic effects. This is to improve the overall function of the oral organ.

  An oral muscle training device according to the present invention is formed by molding an elastic resin, and extends backward from a central portion of the occlusal portion, which is formed in a U shape substantially along a human dentition. The main feature is that it includes a tongue support portion and a rod-like protrusion portion extending forward from the central portion of the occlusal portion.

  In this oral muscle training device, it is desirable that the occlusal portion is formed to have a length that extends to about half of the left and right first molars of the target user layer.

  The tongue support portion includes an elongated support rod extending from the occlusal portion and a generally spherical or substantially bowl-shaped tongue support body provided at the tip of the support rod, and these are the occlusal portion. It is desirable to extend downward about 15-25 degrees, preferably about 20 degrees from the extending surface.

  The oral muscle training device according to the present invention trains a masticatory muscle group by biting a U-shaped occlusal portion between upper and lower dentitions, and narrows the mouth around the protruding portion while closing the occlusal portion, thereby closing the mouth ring. The muscles are trained, the tongue position is corrected by positioning the tongue on the tongue support, and the tongue muscle group is trained by pushing the tongue support with the tongue. Three muscle groups that play a major role in eating, speaking, and breathing can be trained at the same time in a form that is close to the original movement, and these synergistic effects help correct tooth alignment, jaw development, posture correction and exercise. Improve performance, promote nasal breathing, and achieve a well-balanced face and neck. In addition, since the protrusion extends outside the mouth, the orientation of the training device can be confirmed directly or with a mirror to check the orientation of the training device in the mouth, and check and correct the meshing distortion and balance. be able to.

  If the occlusal portion is about half of the first molar, there is almost no difference in effect from that of the entire back teeth, and a sufficient effect can be obtained. According to the present invention, the occlusal portion is connected to the left and right first molars. By setting the size to about half, the occlusal portion can be made as small as possible while securing the effect of chewing, and the user can feel a sense of discomfort when entering the oral cavity.

  Further, by extending the tongue support portion obliquely downward at an angle of about 20 degrees, training for guiding the tongue to a natural position can be performed. That is, when a human chews, swallows, talks, breaths, etc., the tongue is usually close to or in contact with the upper jaw. Conversely, if the tongue is on the lower jaw side, it is said to be the lower tongue, helpless tongue, the number of chewing times is reduced, swallowing immediately without chewing, poor digestion, conversation becomes unsmooth, pronunciation becomes unclear, and breathing is shallow It becomes breathing and thinking is also reduced. For this reason, it is conventionally recommended that the tongue and consciousness be consciously brought to the upper jaw side. In the present invention, by extending the tongue support portion downward, the tongue can be naturally closer to the upper jaw, and health can be promoted. In addition, the tongue support part has a substantially spherical or substantially bowl-shaped main body part and a support rod, which are molded of elastic resin, so that the main body part is pushed up, down, left and right using the tongue in the oral cavity. You can train the tongue muscle group by flipping.

  BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The best mode for carrying out an oral muscle training apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an embodiment of an oral muscle training device 1 according to the present invention, in which FIG. 2 (a) is a plan view and FIG. 2 (b) is a side view. As shown in these drawings, the oral muscle training device 1 of the present embodiment includes an occlusal portion 11 formed substantially in a U shape along a human dentition, and extends backward from the center of the occlusal portion 11. A tongue-supporting portion 12, a rod-like protruding portion 13 extending forward from the center of the occlusal portion 11, and a horizontal bar portion 14 orthogonal to the protruding portion 13 and extending substantially on the same plane as the occlusal portion 11. It has. This oral muscle training device 1 is formed by integrally molding a thermoplastic elastomer that has moderate elasticity and does not affect the human body, and is used by a user to bite in the oral cavity in order to train the oral muscle function. Although this material is not particularly limited, for example, Kuraray Co., Ltd. Septon (registered trademark) can be suitably used. The size of this appliance is adapted to the size of the human dentition to be applied, and several types of sizes such as S (for children), M (for women), and L (for men) are provided in advance. May be.

  The occlusal part 11 is formed in a flat U-shape as shown in the figure, and its length is determined by the average left and right human dentition of the user layer to which the oral muscle training device 1 is applied. The length extends to about half of the first molar. This is because, for example, when the fitting part is extended to the innermost back tooth, it is excessive, it is difficult to include in the mouth, and the user feels a strong sense of discomfort and discomfort even when put in the mouth, The part that enters the mouth is made as small as possible to reduce the user's discomfort and burden. Conversely, in the length that does not reach the back teeth, the target masticatory muscle group training effect cannot be obtained, but if it extends to at least half of the left and right first molars, a sufficient effect can be obtained, Even if the length is longer than that, the effect is hardly changed.

  The occlusal portion 11 is formed with a thickness of about 5 mm and a width of about 1 cm so as to cope with a certain degree of mouth size variation. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), both end portions of the occlusal portion 11 are formed in a slightly circular shape with a diameter of about 1.5 cm, and are securely bitten by the first molar, so that the bite is responsive and used. A sense of stability is ensured.

  As shown in the drawing, the tongue support portion 12 is formed by an elongated support rod 12a protruding rearward from the center of the occlusal portion 11, and a generally bowl-shaped tongue support body 12b provided at the tip thereof. Since the entire oral muscle training device 1 is integrally formed of a thermoplastic elastomer, when a certain amount of force is applied to the tongue support body 12b, the portion of the support bar 12a is bent, and the tongue support body 12b can be moved up, down, left and right. it can. As will be described later, the tongue muscle body group can be trained by pushing the tongue support body 12b with the tongue.

  Further, the tongue support portion 12 extends downward by about 20 degrees from the extending surface of the occlusal portion 11, and is configured to be positioned below the tongue when the user puts it in the mouth. As described above, since it is preferable that the human tongue is closer to the upper jaw, the tongue support portion 12 normally enters the lower side of the tongue so that the tongue can be naturally closer to the upper jaw. By continuing the training including the oral muscle training device 1 of the present invention in the mouth, the tongue naturally comes close to the upper jaw, and can be led to an oral environment suitable for chewing, swallowing, conversation, breathing, and the like. In addition, as a training, the tongue muscle group is trained and the tongue close to the upper jaw can be naturally fixed by repeatedly carrying out a training in which the tongue is buried under the tongue support portion 12 and the tongue support portion 12 is pushed upward. it can.

  The protruding portion 13 extends about 3 cm forward from the center of the occlusal portion 11, and extends about 1 cm on both the left and right sides so that the horizontal bar portion 14 forms a cross at a location about 1 cm on the root side. ing. As will be described later, the protruding portion 13 and the horizontal bar portion 14 that form a cross shape are for checking the posture (orientation) of the oral muscle training device 1 when it is held in the mouth. It is useful for correcting the balance of the face and neck muscles by correcting the distortion of the teeth and dentition. The protruding portion 13 and the horizontal bar portion 14 may have any configuration as long as the protruding portion 13 and the horizontal bar portion 14 come out of the mouth when the oral muscle training device 1 is used and the posture of the oral muscle training device 1 is known. A hole through which the ring member 15 passes is provided at the tip of the projecting portion 13, and a string (not shown) is passed through the ring member 15 so as to be lowered from the neck.

  The oral muscle training device 1 configured in this manner includes the occlusal portion 11 (and the tongue support portion 12) in the oral cavity, and places the occlusal portion 11 between the upper and lower dentition so that the protruding portion 13 extends straight forward from the mouth. Use with pinch. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a training method using the oral muscle training device 1. As shown to Fig.3 (a), a masticatory muscle group can be trained by repeatedly biting the occlusal part 11 with upper and lower teeth repeatedly. Since the entire oral muscle training device 1 is formed of an elastic elastomer, even when chewed strongly, the force is not absorbed and the teeth are not adversely affected. Further, since the occlusal portion 11 has a width of about 1 cm and both ends are formed in a substantially circular shape, even if there are variations in the dentition, the occlusal portion 11 can be firmly bitten by the first molar, and a certain amount of teeth It is possible to deal with variations in columns.

  When the mouth muscle training device 1 is included in the mouth, it is necessary to check the direction of the cross-shaped protruding portion 13 and the horizontal bar portion 14 protruding out of the mouth with a mirror or the like to confirm their own engagement Accordingly, the orientation of the oral muscle training device 1 is corrected. That is, when the face is straightened, it can be seen that there is some distortion when the protruding portion 13 does not protrude straight forward or the horizontal bar portion 14 is not level with the ground, and the orientation of the oral muscle training device 1 is You can correct the distortion by training to be correct. Note that the protruding portion 13 and the horizontal bar portion 14 have a cross shape outside the mouth, and even when there is no mirror, the user can confirm the orientation to some extent if the user looks down.

  When the oral muscle training device 1 is used, the user holds the occlusal portion 11 between the upper and lower dentitions, and the protruding portion 13 protrudes from the inside of the oral cavity. It becomes the state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the muzzle muscles can be trained by repeating the movement of consciously closing the lips around the protrusion 13. Also during this movement, the occlusal portion 11 is firmly fixed between the upper and lower teeth.

  Further, since the tongue support portion 12 of the oral muscle training device 1 extends downward, when the oral muscle training device 1 is worn, the tongue support portion 12 naturally enters the lower side of the tongue, and the tongue naturally moves closer to the upper jaw. It becomes the position. By using this oral muscle training device 1 continuously, the tongue can be guided to the correct position and fixed. Further, as shown in FIG. 3C, the tongue support portion 12 is pushed up and down and left and right with the tongue, or the tongue is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise around the tongue support portion 12 to Can train. Even in this movement, the occlusal portion 11 needs to be firmly fixed between the upper and lower tooth rows, so that the masticatory muscle group is trained at the same time.

  The oral muscle training device 1 according to the present invention includes, for example, the practice of biting in FIG. 3A, the practice of closing the lip in FIG. 3B, and the practice of bringing the tongue in the upper jaw of FIG. Repeat 1 set every morning and 3 sets every night. As a result, the muzzle muscles, masticatory muscles, and tongue muscles are trained comprehensively at the same time, teeth alignment and jaw development, promotion of brain function, improvement of good posture and exercise ability, promotion of nasal breathing, balance You can get benefits such as a good face and neck.

  In particular, the actions of eating, speaking, and breathing are comprehensive movements in which the three muscle groups of the muzzle muscles, the masticatory muscles, and the tongue muscles work together. By correctly training the muscle groups simultaneously, the function and appearance of the oral organs can be improved in a balanced manner. That is, saliva is secreted in large quantities when training is performed, for example. Then, the muscle that closes the mouth is activated so that saliva does not spill from the mouth, and at the same time, the movement of muscles and tongue used for swallowing is also activated. Similarly, if you move the muscles that close your mouth, the muscles you chew are also triggered and work simultaneously. Actually, by simultaneously effectively training the three muscle groups that operate comprehensively at the same time, it is possible to obtain a synergistic and effective effect than training these muscle groups alone.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented as various other modifications. In particular, the size of each part of the instrument according to the present invention is not limited and can be various sizes depending on the user. Moreover, in another Example of this invention, it is good also as a structure which abbreviate | omits the horizontal bar part 14 from the oral muscle training apparatus 1 mentioned above, and only the protrusion part 13 goes out of a mouth. Furthermore, if the U-shape of the occlusal part matches the user's dentition, both ends of the occlusal part may not be circular. Moreover, the tongue support part 12 may extend at an angle other than 20 degrees as long as it is in the range of 15 to 25 degrees downward.

  The instrument according to the present invention is manufactured by molding a thermoplastic elastomer and can be used in the resin molding manufacturing industry. In addition, the device of the present invention is used to train oral muscles in the mouth and can be used in the dental hygiene and oral care industries.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the oral muscle training device of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a plan view of the oral muscle training device, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the oral muscle training device. It is a figure for demonstrating the usage method of an oral muscle training apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Oral muscle training instrument 11 Occlusion part 12 Tongue support part 12a Support bar 12b Tongue support main body 13 Protrusion part 14 Horizontal bar part 15 Ring member

Claims (3)

  An occlusal portion formed by molding an elastic resin and formed substantially in a U shape along a human dentition, a tongue support portion extending rearward from the central portion of the occlusal portion, and the center of the occlusal portion An oral muscle training device comprising: a rod-shaped protrusion extending forward from the portion.   The oral muscle training device according to claim 1, wherein the occlusal portion is formed to have a length extending to about half of the left and right first molars of a target user layer. Muscle training equipment.   3. The oral muscle training device according to claim 1, wherein the tongue support part is an elongated support bar extending from the occlusal part, and a substantially spherical or substantially bowl shape provided at a tip of the support bar. An oral muscle training device characterized in that it extends downward about 15-25 degrees, preferably about 20 degrees from the extending surface of the occlusal portion.

Images