JP4986699B2 - Mouthpiece - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mouthpiece that improves obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, snoring, etc., and is effective in reducing stress, preventing stiff shoulders, improving bruxism, and improving insomnia.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and snoring are caused by the lower jaw falling and the tongue base closing or narrowing the airway during sleep.
Conventionally, dental appliances or various mouthpieces called sleep sprints have been proposed as a method for improving this kind of symptom.
However, the sleep splint requires tooth shape removal by a specialist or the like and production by an engineer, etc., and requires many procedures and work, and is expensive.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-73473 discloses a mouthpiece composed of two pieces of an upper jaw piece and a lower jaw piece, and the upper jaw piece and the lower jaw piece are respectively horseshoe-shaped for covering along the occlusal surface of the dentition. It is necessary to remove the tooth profile.
Furthermore, a one-piece type mouthpiece that takes a tooth shape by biting has also been proposed.
However, in the one-piece type mouthpieces proposed so far, only the lower jaw is fixed so as not to move in order to match the occlusal surface to the tooth shape.
In this, the mandible could not be moved during sleep, and it was painful.

JP 2004-73473 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a mouthpiece that has a simple structure, has a high effect of improving sleep apnea syndrome, snoring, and the like, and has superior maxillary and mandibular motility when mounted in the oral cavity.

The mouthpiece for improving apnea syndrome or snoring according to the present invention is a connection in which the left and right biting parts are connected to the left and right biting parts to be bitten between the back teeth of the maxillary dentition and the mandibular dentition. It consists of a part, along with the biting portion to have a resilient, tubular, cylindrical shape having a notched part, beaded, or is any one of a semicircular cross section, and maxillary molars impingement surface of the biting portion At least one of the lower jaw rear teeth contact surface has a convex shape, a hanging portion located on the side of the back teeth from the biting portion is formed, and the connecting portion is bellows-shaped or slide-type To do.

  Here, the biting portion refers to a portion that is pinched so as to bite between the maxillary dentition and the mandibular dentition when mounted in the oral cavity.

By making the contact surface with the teeth convex, the convex part of the mouthpiece biting part is located in the recess of the tooth along the dentition, not only preventing the mouthpiece from coming off the dentition, but also the lower jaw Alternatively, since the upper jaw moves so as to slide right and left on the convex surface of the mouthpiece, the degree of freedom of the lower jaw is high during sleep and there is little pain to the patient.
As a shape in which the convex portion is formed on the contact surface of the teeth, a cylindrical tube, a diamond-shaped cross section, or an elastic material having an elliptical cross section may be used.
The effects of the present invention can be obtained if the convex portions formed on the contact surface of the teeth are formed on at least one of the upper and lower dentitions.
Therefore, the lower part of the mouthpiece may be provided with a hanging part located on the side of the back tooth so that it can be easily attached to the lower dentition.
In addition, as long as the biting portion has elasticity, the material is not limited as long as the material can be put into the mouth regardless of whether the cross section is hollow or solid in cross section.

The present invention is composed of a connecting portion which connects the biting portion of the left and right biting portions of the left and right biting between the rear occlusion with the maxillary dentition and a lower jaw dentition, with the biting portion to have a resiliency, Tube shape, cylindrical shape having a cut portion, bead shape, or a semicircular cross section, at least one of the upper jaw contact surface and the lower jaw contact surface of the biting portion has a convex shape, A drooping portion located on the side of the back tooth from the biting portion is formed, the biting portion has a biting upper portion for biting the upper back tooth, and a biting lower portion for biting the lower back tooth, The biting upper part and the biting lower part may be elastically connected to the connecting part so as to be movable relative to each other .

  The biting upper part and the biting lower part are elastically connected to the connecting part so that they can move relative to each other. For example, the biting upper part and the biting lower part are connected to the connecting part by elastic arms, respectively, or both ends of the connecting part For example, a structure may be considered in which the upper part is connected to the upper connection base and the lower part is connected to the lower connection base.

The present invention, however the lower biting the upper biting having thermosetting rubber portion, thermoset rubber portion which plastically deforms to conform to the posterior teeth to form a tooth contact surface by biting of posterior teeth cured body temperature It may be.

In the present invention, the upper biting portion and the lower biting portion may be connected to the connecting portion by retrofitting.

  To connect the upper biting portion and the lower biting portion to the connecting portion by retrofitting means that the upper biting portion and the lower biting portion are connected to the connecting portion by connecting means such as fitting means that can be attached later.

In the present invention, the connecting portion is divided in the middle, a long hole is provided in one divided end portion, a locking means is provided in the other divided end portion, and the locking means is long through the long hole. The split ends may be connected to each other so as to be adjustable within the hole range .

In the present invention, longitudinally facing core receiving recesses are provided on the opposing surfaces of the upper biting portion and the lower biting portion, and between the core receiving recesses, the core receiving recesses are located in both core receiving recesses. The core portion in the direction along the core receiving concave portion is arranged, and the core portion has a lateral shift width related to the edges of the both core receiving concave portions when the biting upper portion and the biting lower portion are shifted laterally. You may make it regulate .

  In the mouthpiece according to the present invention, the back contact surface of the maxillary dentition and the maxillary dentition has a convex shape while being a one-piece type in which the left and right biting portions are connected by the connecting portion. Since this convex part enters the cavity of the back teeth, the mouthpiece is prevented from coming off the dentition, and the degree of freedom of the jaw is high, so that the lower jaw does not move to the patient and the mouthpiece is bitten. By biting the part, it prevents the tongue base from blocking or narrowing the airway, improving the effects of apnea syndrome, snoring, etc., relieving stress such as irritation, shoulder stiffness, bruxism, and reducing jaw pain when tightening It also helps to improve temporomandibular joint pain.

  When the cut-in portion has a tube shape, a columnar shape having a cut-in portion, a bead shape, or a semicircular cross-section, the back-tooth contact surface has a convex shape, the biting portion can be effectively applied to the back-tooth recess.

  Moreover, it becomes easy to attach a mouthpiece to a back tooth by forming the drooping part located in the side part of a back tooth from a biting part.

  Further, if the connecting portion is accordion-shaped or slidable and the left and right biting portions are connected, the mouthpiece can be easily attached to the back teeth.

  The biting portion has a biting upper portion for biting the maxillary dentition and a biting lower portion for biting the lower jaw dentition, and each of them is elastically connected to the connecting portion to hold the upper dentition. And the lower biting part holding the lower jaw dentition can be moved separately to increase the degree of freedom of the jaw.

If the biting part has a thermosetting rubber part that is plastically deformed by biting at the back teeth and cured by body temperature, it will hit the back teeth with a simple procedure and work without performing tooth profile removal by a specialist as in the past. By forming a surface, the biting portion can be prevented from coming off the dentition.
The biting part having the thermosetting rubber part is a thermosetting rubber part that is bitten in a state of being removed from the connecting part and cured in a shape that matches the dentition and is attached to the connecting part later. In the biting operation of the biting portion for curing the bite, it is possible to reduce the burden of biting by reducing the portion included in the oral cavity.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a mouthpiece 10 according to the present invention.
The mouthpiece 10 is a one-piece type including left and right biting portions 11a and 11b and a connecting portion 12 connecting the left and right biting portions 11a and 11b.
The biting portions 11a and 11b are attached to the oral cavity so as to be bitten by the back teeth occlusal surfaces of the upper jaw row 1 and the lower jaw row 2.
FIG. 4 shows a state where the mouthpiece biting portion 11a is bitten with teeth.
The example shown in FIG. 4 shows a case where the biting portion 11a has a cross-sectional tube shape.
The biting portion need not be limited to a tube shape, and is elastic in the vertical direction, and has a convex portion 13a on the upper surface of the upper portion of the biting portion 11a, or a convex portion on the lower surface of the lower teeth. If 14a is formed, it does not need to be limited to the cylindrical shape having the hollow portion 15, and may be a rod shape without the hollow portion, and the cross-sectional shape may be a rhombus, an ellipse or the like.
For example, FIG. 6 shows an example of a diamond cross section.
The shape examples of the mouthpiece biting portion shown in these figures are examples of shapes that allow the left and right movements of the convex portion and the back teeth that fit in the back tooth recesses.
In terms of material, a soft resin or rubber-based resin that is hygienic and highly elastic when mounted in the oral cavity is preferable.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the tooth contact surface has a convex shape, the convex part fits into the recess of the back tooth, and the back and top of the back tooth slightly moves left and right as shown in FIGS. Not only does it prevent the mouthpiece from coming out of the dentition even if it is displaced, but the lower jaw is not fixed because the teeth can be moved to the left and right to some extent, so the pain when wearing the mouthpiece is eased.
As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the front teeth of the upper jaw usually protrude slightly ahead of the front teeth of the lower jaw, and in this case, the indentation of the teeth is slightly shifted left and right as shown in FIG. 2 (b). Yes.
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the lower jaw comes out slightly by biting the biting portion of the mouthpiece.
This suppresses lowering of the lower jaw and prevents the tongue base from narrowing or closing the airway.
In addition, apnea is suppressed, snoring is improved, and stress is alleviated.
The mouthpiece according to the present invention secures the airway by the biting action, the upper jaw and the lower jaw are not fixed by the mouthpiece, and the natural jaw movement at the time of sleep is enabled. Unnecessary pain and stress caused by wearing a mouthpiece can be eliminated.
Therefore, the size of the biting portion in the cross-sectional direction is preferably 10 mm × 10 mm or less, which fits into the recess of the back teeth and does not need to be bitten strongly.

The connecting portion 12 of the mouthpiece 10 is intended to connect the left and right biting portions 11a and 11b, and there is no need to limit the structure. For example, a bellows-like shape 12a as shown in FIG. 5 is also shown in FIG. Such a sliding type 12b may be used.
5 and 6, (a) is a plan view and (b) is a front view.
Moreover, the mouthpiece according to the present invention does not require a specialist to take a tooth shape and is inexpensive.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which drooping portions 16a and 16b located on the side portions of the back teeth are provided below the mouthpiece.
The mouthpiece can be easily attached to the back teeth by forming the hanging portions 16a and 16b located on the side portions of the back teeth from the mouthpiece biting portions 11a and 11b.
The hanging part may be on the outside or inside of the back tooth, and may be a rising part facing the upper dentition instead of the hanging part.

8 to 10 show modified examples of the biting portion.
In FIG. 8A, the upper surface of the biting portion 17 has a convex shape, and FIG. 8B shows the shape of the back surface.
The convex portion is formed in a semicircular shape, and a reinforcing rib 17a is formed on the back surface.
FIG. 9 shows an example in which the biting portions 18 and 19 are formed in a columnar shape, and cut portions 18a, 18b, and 19a are formed in order to increase elasticity.
In addition, as shown in FIG.9 (b), when cut in the horizontal direction, the cut point is rounded inward so as not to pinch the cheek when biting.
FIG. 10 shows an example in which the biting portion is made into a bead shape. As shown in FIG. 10A, the elastic ball 20 may be connected by a shaft 21 to provide a bending space 21a. As described above, the ball 22 may be directly connected to provide a bending space 22a.

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of a mouthpiece in which a thermosetting rubber portion 30 is provided in the biting portion 23.
The thermosetting rubber portion 30 is formed of a silicone rubber material that is cured by heating, is soft so as to be plastically deformable in an initial state, and has a certain degree of elasticity when heated to around 36 to 37 ° C., which is about body temperature. To harden.
The thermosetting rubber portion 30 is formed by plastically deforming a tooth-contact surface that matches the back teeth by biting.
The biting part 23 is provided with a biting upper part 25 and a biting lower part 26 separately in the vertical direction.
The upper biting portion 25 is bitten by the upper jaw dentition, and the biting lower portion 26 is bitten by the lower jaw dentition.
The biting upper part 25 and the biting lower part 26 are respectively connected to connecting bases 36a provided at both ends of the connecting part 36 by connecting arms 36b.
FIG. 12 shows an explanatory diagram of a state in which the thermosetting rubber portion 30 is plastically deformed into a shape matching the back teeth.
The biting upper portion 25 and the biting lower portion 26 are provided with a pair of base frames 23a made of metal or the like.
Each base frame 23a is provided on both side surface portions of the thermosetting rubber portion 30 opposite to the tooth contact surface 30a.
The thermosetting rubber portion 30 is formed in a direction along the dentition having a convex cross section in a direction toward each dentition from between the base frames 23a.
The biting upper part 25 and the biting lower part 26 respectively connect the base frame 23a on the connecting part base 36a side to the connecting part base 36a by an elastic arm 36b.
The biting upper part 25 and the biting lower part 26 are configured to be able to perform relative movement in the lateral direction and vertical movement in such a manner as to shift the boundary surface 30b by bending the elastic arm 36b.
Thus, the upper jaw and the lower jaw can be moved separately to some extent when the mouthpiece is mounted.
Core receiving recesses 33 are provided on the boundary surfaces 30b of the biting upper portion 25 and the biting lower portion 26 so as to face each other in the longitudinal direction.
Between the core receiving recesses 33, a tube-shaped core portion 35 is disposed in a direction along the core receiving recesses 33 in relation to the both core receiving recesses 33.
The core portion 35 is elastic and prevents the mouthpiece from coming off from the back teeth while allowing the biting upper portion 25 and the biting lower portion 26 to move in the vertical and horizontal directions within a predetermined range.
The core portion 35 may be connected to either the biting upper portion 25 or the biting lower portion 26.
When the mouthpiece is used for the first time, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), the biting portion 23 is inserted in the oral cavity and sandwiched between the back occlusions of the maxillary dentition 1 and the mandibular dentition 2, Engage as shown in FIG.
The thermosetting rubber portion 30 is soft before thermosetting, and a biting convex portion 31 is formed in accordance with upper and lower back teeth by plastic deformation due to biting, and is cured at body temperature.
The protruding portion 31a in which the thermosetting rubber portion 30 protrudes from between the base frame 23a and the tooth contact surface 30a is cut off.
The biting convex portion 31 is formed so as to fit into the recesses of the upper and lower back teeth.
As a result, the biting upper portion 25 and the biting lower portion 26 are prevented from being displaced laterally with respect to the back teeth.
FIG. 13A shows another mouthpiece embodiment, and FIG. 13B shows a longitudinal sectional view of the biting portion 23 portion.
A base frame 23b is provided in each of the biting upper portion 25a and the biting lower portion 26a, and has a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens to the dentition side.
The thermosetting rubber part 30 is provided in the recess 23c of the base frame 23b.
The base frames 23b are connected to the connection base 36a by elastic arms 36b.

The mouthpiece shown in FIG. 14A shows an embodiment in which the biting upper portion 27 and the biting lower portion 28 are connected to the connecting portion 37 by retrofitting.
FIG. 14B shows a state in which the biting portion 24 is removed from the connecting portion 37.
Both end portions of the connecting portion 37 are vertically branched by a notch portion 37c to provide a connecting upper base 37a and a connecting lower base 37b.
The connection upper base 37a and the connection lower base 37b can be bent separately.
The biting upper part 27 is connected to the connection upper base 37a, and the biting lower part 28 is connected to the connection lower base 37b.
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the biting portion 24.
FIG. 15 (a) shows a plan view of the lower biting portion 28, FIG. 15 (b) shows an explanatory diagram of a state in which the thermosetting rubber portion 30 of the lower biting portion 28 is cured into a shape matching the lower tooth row, FIG. 15C shows a longitudinal sectional view of the biting portion 24.
The thermosetting rubber portion 30 has a convex shape in the direction of the dentition that is larger than the width of the back teeth, and is formed in a direction along the dentition.
As shown in FIG. 15 (b), the thermosetting rubber part 30 is pressed so as to cover the tooth row 2 to form a biting recess 32 in a shape that holds the back teeth from both the inside and outside, and is cured at body temperature. .
A core receiving concave portion 33 is formed in advance on a boundary surface 30b between the biting lower portion 28 and the biting upper portion, and a tube-shaped core portion 35 is disposed in the core receiving concave portion 33.
The operation of the core portion 35 is the same as that of the core portion 35 shown in FIG.
And between the boundary surface 30b and the biting recessed part 32, the pin 34 hole penetrated in the direction which crosses a dentition is provided.
The pin hole 34 may be provided after the thermosetting rubber portion 30 is cured.
Moreover, as shown in FIG.15 (c), it is good to provide the pin hole which a connection pin penetrates in a core part.
The biting upper portion 27 is formed by the same procedure as the biting lower portion 28 by curing the thermosetting rubber portion 30 in accordance with the upper dentition.
The connection upper base 37a and the connection lower base 37b are provided with connection pins 38 to be fitted into the pin holes 34.
The connection upper base 37a and the connection lower base 37b are connected to each other between the upper engagement portion 27 and the lower engagement portion 28 by fitting the pin holes 34 to the connection pins 38, respectively.
Since the connection upper base 37a and the connection lower base 37b can be bent separately, the biting upper part 27 and the biting lower part 28 can move relative to each other vertically and horizontally.
The connecting portion 37 is divided in the middle to provide a long hole 41 in one divided end portion 39 and a bolt 42 in the other divided end portion 40.
And the bolt 42 is fastened with the nut 43 through the long hole 41, and both the split ends are connected to each other.
The connecting portion 37 is configured such that the position and angle of the divided end portions can be adjusted by changing the position and angle of the embedded bolt 42 with respect to the long hole 41.

The example of the mouthpiece which concerns on this invention is shown. Fig. 4 shows the meshing of teeth without wearing a mouthpiece. Fig. 2 shows the meshing of teeth with a mouthpiece attached. The state of the biting part is shown. The other Example of a mouthpiece is shown. The other Example of a mouthpiece is shown. The Example which formed the drooping part under the mouthpiece is shown. The example which made the biting part the semicircle shape is shown. The biting part is shown as a cylindrical shape with a cut. The example which made the biting part beaded is shown. The other Example of a mouthpiece is shown. Explanatory drawing of the state which hardens a thermosetting rubber part is shown. The other Example of a mouthpiece is shown. The other Example of a mouthpiece is shown. Explanatory drawing of a biting part is shown.

Explanation of symbols

10 Mouthpieces 11a, 11b Biting portions 12, 12a, 12b Connecting portion 13a Upper surface side convex portion 14a Lower surface side convex portion 15 Hollow portion

Claims (5)

It consists of a connecting portion where the biting portion of the lateral biting between the back bite was ligated biting portions of the left and right maxillary dentition and a lower jaw dentition, with the biting portion to have a resilient, tubular, cut It is either a cylindrical shape having a part, a bead shape, or a semicircular cross section,
At least one of the upper jaw teeth contact surface and the lower jaw teeth contact surface of the biting portion has a convex shape,
A hanging part located on the side of the back tooth from the biting part is formed,
A mouthpiece for improving apnea syndrome or snoring, characterized in that the connecting portion is bellows-like or slide-type. It consists of a connecting portion where the biting portion of the lateral biting between the back bite was ligated biting portions of the left and right maxillary dentition and a lower jaw dentition, with the biting portion to have a resilient, tubular, cut It is either a cylindrical shape having a part, a bead shape, or a semicircular cross section,
At least one of the upper jaw teeth contact surface and the lower jaw teeth contact surface of the biting portion has a convex shape,
A hanging part located on the side of the back tooth from the biting part is formed,
The biting portion has a biting upper portion for biting the upper back teeth and a biting lower portion for biting the lower back teeth, and the biting upper portion and the biting lower portion are elastically connected to the connecting portion so as to be movable relative to each other. mouthpiece for improving apnea syndrome or snoring diseases like, characterized in that you have. The upper biting portion and the lower biting portion have a thermosetting rubber portion, and the thermosetting rubber portion is plastically deformed in accordance with the back teeth by the biting of the back teeth to form a tooth contact surface and is cured by body temperature. A mouthpiece for improving apnea syndrome or snoring according to claim 2 . 4. The mouthpiece for improving apnea syndrome or snoring according to claim 2 , wherein the biting upper part and the biting lower part can be connected to the connecting part by retrofitting. On the opposing surfaces of the upper biting portion and the lower biting portion, there are provided longitudinal core receiving recesses facing each other,
Between the core receiving recesses, a core portion in a direction along the core receiving recess is disposed,
Core portion, of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that to regulate the lateral displacement width Kakari' the edges of both the core receiving recess when the lower portions biting an upper bite has lateral displacement according to any one A mouthpiece for improving apnea syndrome or snoring.

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