JP6741925B2 - Mouthpiece manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the technical field of a mouthpiece manufacturing method for manufacturing a mouthpiece for sports, for example.

Athletes often wear sports mouthpieces (in other words, mouthguards) to prevent injuries and/or improve performance. When manufacturing a mouthpiece for sports, the user's dental mold is collected in order to manufacture a mouthpiece that appropriately matches the dentition of the user (for example, an athlete) who uses the mouthpiece. Is common. When the tooth model is collected, the tray on which the impression material is placed is inserted into the mouth of the user, and the user chews the impression material. As a result, the tooth mold is transferred to the impression material.

By the way, when the user bites the impression material, it is adjacent to a part of the inner side surface of the tooth (that is, the palate side surface of the upper tooth or the lingual side surface of the lower tooth) and is not filled with the impression material (that is, Unintended voids) may be formed. Such a void leads to deterioration in accuracy of the tooth model to be sampled. If the accuracy of the tooth model to be sampled deteriorates, the user may feel uncomfortable with the mouthpiece or the like manufactured from the tooth model.

The deterioration of the accuracy of the tooth model and the discomfort that the user feels are particularly remarkable when a void is formed near the root of the inner side surface of the tooth (that is, near the boundary between the tooth and the gum). Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a tray for preventing the formation of such voids. Specifically, Patent Document 1 discloses a tray provided with a wall member that is disposed so as to face the inner side surface of a tooth and that has a surface that projects toward the boundary between the tooth and the gingiva. Have been described. When the user bites the impression material placed on such a tray, the wall member guides the impression material to the boundary between the tooth and the gum, and as a result, the vicinity of the root of the inner side surface of the tooth (that is, A void is prevented from being formed near the boundary between the tooth and the gum.

JP, 2001-178745, A

In general, the dentition form (that is, the size of the oral cavity, the arrangement of the teeth, and the like) is different for each user. On the other hand, in the tray described in Patent Document 1, since the wall member is physically formed on the surface of the tray, the shape and the like of the wall member cannot be adjusted for each user. Therefore, when the shape of the wall member does not match the dentition form of the user, even if the tray described in Patent Document 1 is used, an impression material is formed at the boundary between the tooth and the gum by the wall member. A technical problem arises in that it may not be guided. Therefore, there is a technical problem that the formation of voids in the vicinity of the root of the inner side surface of the tooth (that is, in the vicinity of the boundary between the tooth and the gum) is not always prevented.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention prevents the formation of voids near the root of the inner side surface of the tooth (that is, near the boundary between the tooth and the gingiva) regardless of the difference in the dentition form for each user. An object is to provide a mouthpiece manufacturing method capable of manufacturing a piece.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The mouthpiece manufacturing method of the present invention is distributed in an arc shape along the first surface that can face the palate or tongue of the user and the outer edge of the first surface, and can face the occlusal surface of the user's dentition. Using a tray having a bottom portion including a second surface and a wall portion that is distributed in an arc shape along the outer edge of the second surface and that can face the labial side surface of the dentition. In the mouthpiece manufacturing method for manufacturing the mouthpiece, the first step of arranging a first material on the first surface, and the tray on which the first material is arranged are inserted into the oral cavity of the user, A second step of pressing the first material against the palate or tongue by letting the user bite the tray to make the first material a wall material that can face the palate-side surface or the lingual-side surface of the dentition; A third step of arranging a second material on the second surface, and the tray in which the second material is arranged is inserted into the oral cavity of the user, and the second material is chewed by the user to perform the second step. A fourth step of applying pressure from the dentition to the second material surrounded by the surface, the wall portion and the wall material to form a female mold of the dentition on the second material.

According to the mouthpiece manufacturing method of the present invention, the second material is guided to the boundary between the tooth and the gingiva by the first material that has become the wall material. In particular, since the shape of the first material used as the wall material can be easily changed for each user, the vicinity of the root of the inner side surface of the tooth (that is, tooth It is possible to manufacture a mouthpiece for sports while preventing the formation of voids near the boundary between the gingiva and the gingiva).

In another aspect of the mouthpiece manufacturing method of the present invention, in the first step, an amount of the first material according to the dentition form of the user is arranged on the first surface.

According to this aspect, it becomes easy to match the shape and the like of the first material that has become the wall material with the dentition form of the user.

In another aspect of the mouthpiece manufacturing method of the present invention, the first step is performed in an amount such that a gap is secured between the first material that becomes the wall material by the second step and the inner side surface. The first material is disposed on the first surface.

According to this aspect, it becomes easy to match the shape and the like of the first material that has become the wall material with the dentition form of the user.

In another aspect of the mouthpiece manufacturing method of the present invention, the method further comprises a fifth step of manufacturing the mouthpiece using the second material on which the female mold of the dentition is formed.

According to this aspect, the sports mouthpiece can be appropriately manufactured.

1A is a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the tray, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the structure of the tray. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the mouthpiece manufacturing method. FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing the tray at the time when one step of the mouthpiece manufacturing method is performed, respectively. 4(a) and 4(b) are respectively a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing the tray at the time when one step of the mouthpiece manufacturing method is performed. FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing the tray at the time when one step of the mouthpiece manufacturing method is performed, respectively. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the tray at the time when one step of the mouthpiece manufacturing method is performed.

An embodiment of the mouthpiece manufacturing method will be described below. The mouthpiece manufacturing method of the present embodiment is a manufacturing method for manufacturing a sports mouthpiece. Mouthpieces for sports are used to reduce or prevent injuries of users during sports (for example, injuries of teeth, injuries of mucous membranes such as the tongue, fractures of the jaw, concussion, etc.) and/or improvement of performance. A mouthpiece that can be worn by the user (in other words, a mouthguard). For this reason, the mouthpiece manufacturing method of the present embodiment is not a manufacturing method for manufacturing a mouthpiece intended for treating a disease, and is naturally not a method for treating a human.

(1) Structure of Tray 1 Used in Mouthpiece Manufacturing Method First, with reference to FIGS. 1(a) to 1(b), a tray used in the mouthpiece manufacturing method of the present embodiment (tooth-shape collecting tray) The structure of 1 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the tray 1 includes a handle member 2 and a tray member 3. The lower part of FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II′ of the tray 1 shown in the upper part of FIG.

The handle member 2 is a member that the user holds to hold the tray 1. The end of the handle member 2 is connected to the end of the tray member 3 (in particular, the outer surface of the wall member 32 described later).

The tray member 3 is a member on which putty for collecting a user's tooth pattern (specifically, an upper tooth model) is placed. The tray member 3 is a member that can be bitten by the user while being inserted into the oral cavity of the user. The tray 1 shown in FIG. 1A is inserted into the oral cavity of the user from the lower portion of the tray 1. Since the tray member 3 is bitten by the user, a part of the outer edge of the tray member 3 has an arcuate shape according to the user's dentition.

The tray member 3 includes a bottom member 31 and a wall member 32. A part of the outer edge of the bottom member 31 has an arcuate shape according to the user's dentition. The surface (the surface on the +Z side) of the bottom member 31 can face the user's palate and the user's upper teeth (in particular, the occlusal surface of the upper teeth). The back surface (the surface on the −Z side) of the bottom surface member 31 can face the tongue of the user and the lower teeth of the user (particularly, the occlusal surface of the lower teeth). The surface of the bottom member 31 includes a first surface 311 and a second surface 312. The first surface 311 is a surface that can face the palate. The second surface 312 is a surface that is arcuately distributed along the outer edge of the first surface 311 and that can face the upper teeth (in particular, the occlusal surface of the upper teeth). The first surface 311 is a surface that is raised when viewed from the second surface 312, but may be a surface that is not raised when viewed from the second surface 312. The wall members 32 are distributed in an arc shape along the outer edge of the bottom member 31 (in particular, the outer edge of the second surface 312), and from the surface of the bottom member 31 toward the direction in which the upper teeth are located (+Z side). It is a member that stands up. The inner side surface of the wall member 32 can face the palate side surface of the dentition (that is, the palate side surface of the upper teeth). The wall member 32 is a member that can be inserted between the dentition and the lips.

(2) Flow of mouthpiece manufacturing method Next, the flow of the mouthpiece manufacturing method of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6.

First, the putty (for example, a material for molding, for example, an impression material) 41 is placed on the first surface 311 of the tray 1 (step S11 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3A and FIG. 3( FIG. 3B) corresponding to the III-III′ sectional view of a). In step S11, the putty 41 is not placed on the second surface 312. However, the putty 41 may be arranged on at least a part of the second surface 312 (for example, near the boundary between the first surface 311 and the second surface 312).

As will be described later in detail, the putty 41 will function as a wall member for the putty 42 placed on the tray 1 in a later step after being bitten and deformed by the user. Therefore, it is preferable that the putty 41 has a hardness that allows it to function as a wall while being deformable by being bitten by the user. As such putty 41, a putty containing silicon as a main component is preferably used. The putty containing silicon as the main component has the advantage that it can be deformed by being bitten by the user and has the hardness that it can function as a wall. It also has the advantage that there is little possibility of accidental ingestion. However, as the putty 41, a putty containing other material (for example, alginate) as a main component may be used.

After that, the tray 1 having the putty 41 arranged on the first surface 311 is inserted into the oral cavity of the user. After that, the user bites the tray 1 (step S12 in FIG. 2). Here, since the first surface 311 faces the palate, the user bites the tray 1 so that the putty 41 is pressed against the tray 1 by the palate. In consideration of the fact that the putty 41 is pressed against the tray 1 by the palate in step S12, the amount of the putty 41 placed on the tray 1 is set to an amount such that the putty 41 can be pressed by the palate in step S11. It is preferably arranged on one surface 311. As a result, the putty 41 is crushed toward the tray 1 by the palate, as shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B corresponding to the IV-IV′ cross-sectional view of FIG. 4A. For this reason, the height of the mass of the putty 41 is lowered, and the putty 41 is pushed out toward the palate side surface 51a of the upper tooth 51 of the user. As a result, the shape of the putty 41 substantially changes to a shape corresponding to the palate of the user (in other words, a shape corresponding to the dentition form).

In step S12, it is preferable to secure a space between the putty 41 and the palate-side side surface 51a, into which the putty 42 can flow in a subsequent process. Therefore, in step S11 described above, even if the putty 41 is pressed against the tray 1 by the palate in step S12, a space can be secured between the putty 41 and the palate side surface 51a. A quantity of putty 41 is preferably arranged on the first surface 311. However, as a result of the putty 41 being pressed against the tray 1 by the palate in step S12, a space into which the putty 42 can flow in a subsequent process may not be ensured between the putty 41 and the palate side surface 51a. That is, as a result of the putty 41 being pressed against the tray 1 by the palate in step S12, the putty 41 may adhere to at least a part of the palate side surface 51a. In this case, before the putty 42 is placed on the tray 1 in the subsequent process, a part of the putty 41 may be removed so as to secure a space into which the putty 42 can flow in in the subsequent process. ..

Then, the tray 1 is taken out from the user's oral cavity (step S13 in FIG. 2). After that, the putty 42 (for example, a material for molding, for example, an impression material) is arranged on the second surface 312 of the tray 1 (step S14 in FIG. 2 and FIGS. b)). In step S14, the putty 42 is arranged so as to cover at least a part of the putty 41 (specifically, the outer edge of the putty 41), but the putty 42 may be arranged so as not to cover the putty 41. In addition, in step S14, the putty 42 is arranged so as to cover at least a part of the wall member 32 (specifically, the inner surface of the wall member 32), but the putty 42 is arranged so as not to cover the wall member 32. It may be arranged.

The putty 42 is bitten by the user as described in detail later, and as a result, the tooth pattern of the upper teeth 51 is transferred to the putty 42. In order for the tooth pattern of the upper teeth 51 to be accurately transferred to the putty 42, even when the user bites the putty 42, the upper teeth 51 penetrate the putty 42 and the tray 1 (particularly, the second surface). It is preferable not to hit 312). Therefore, it is preferable that the putty 42 be deformable by being bitten by the user, while having a hardness such that the upper teeth 51 do not penetrate into the tray 1. As such a putty 42, a putty containing silicon as a main component is preferably used. However, as the putty 42, a putty containing other material (for example, alginate) as a main component may be used. The material of the putty 42 may be the same as that of the putty 41, or may be a different material.

After that, the tray 1 having the putty 42 arranged on the second surface 312 is inserted into the oral cavity of the user. After that, the user bites the tray 1 (step S15 in FIG. 2). Here, since the second surface 312 faces the upper teeth 51, the upper teeth 51 are buried in the putty 42 when the user bites the tray 1, as shown in FIG. 6. As the upper teeth 51 are buried in the putty 42, the putty 42 is pushed around the upper teeth 51. The putty 42 extruded toward the labial side is filled between the labial side surface 51 b of the upper tooth 51 and the wall member 32. On the other hand, the putty 42 pushed toward the palate side is filled between the palate side surface 51 a of the upper tooth 51 and the putty 41.

Here, the putty 41 is a wall member that substantially prevents the putty 42 from being pushed out toward the palate side with respect to the putty 41 (in other words, pushes out or guides the putty 42 toward the palate side surface 51a). Function. Therefore, the putty 42 pushed out toward the palate side surface 51a by the putty 41 functioning as a wall member is guided toward the root of the palate side surface 51a (that is, the boundary 51c between the tooth 51 and the gum). It Therefore, by the putty 41 functioning as a wall member for the putty 42, a space where the putty 42 is not filled is formed near the base of the palate side surface 51a of the upper tooth 51 (that is, near the boundary 51c between the upper tooth 51 and the gum). It is prevented from being formed.

In particular, the shape and the like of the putty 41 can be easily changed for each user. In particular, it can be said that the shape of the putty 41 is substantially changed to the shape corresponding to the palate of the user by the user biting the tray 1 (that is, pressing the palate against the putty 41) in step S12. In other words, if the user bites the tray 1 when the palate size is relatively large (therefore, the oral cavity size is relatively large, and the teeth 51 are also distributed in a relatively large arcuate distribution manner), The putty 41 that functions as a relatively wide wall member is formed on the tray 1 in accordance with the upper teeth 51 that are distributed in a substantially arcuate distribution manner. Conversely, if the palate size is relatively small (and therefore the oral cavity size is relatively small and the teeth 51 are also distributed in a relatively small arcuate distribution manner), when the user bites the tray 1, The putty 41 that functions as a relatively small and widened wall member is formed on the tray 1 in accordance with the upper teeth 51 distributed in a relatively small arcuate distribution manner. Therefore, in the putty 41, the base of the palate side surface 51a (that is, the boundary 51c between the upper tooth 51 and the gingiva) does not depend on the difference in the size of the oral cavity (arrangement mode of the upper teeth 51, etc.) for each user. It can function as a wall member that can guide the putty 42 toward. As a result, a space where the putty 42 is not filled is formed near the base of the palate side surface 51a (that is, near the boundary 51c between the upper tooth 51 and the gingiva) regardless of the difference in the dentition form for each user. Can be appropriately prevented. Therefore, it is possible to properly collect the tooth pattern near the base of the palate side surface 51a, which is important for manufacturing the mouthpiece (in particular, the tooth pattern near the root of the palate side surface 51a of the molar).

For reference, in the tray described in Patent Document 1 described above, since the wall member integrated with the tray is formed in advance, the shape and the like of the wall member cannot be changed for each user. For this reason, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of trays in which wall members having different sizes are formed in advance according to the tooth row form. However, in the present embodiment, the cost merit of the tray 1 is large in that the same tray 1 can be used by many users having different dentition configurations.

In addition, as described above, the putty 42 to which the tooth pattern of the upper teeth 51 is transferred is hard enough to prevent the upper teeth 51 from penetrating. For this reason, the fluidity of the putty 42 becomes relatively low, and the tooth pattern of the upper teeth 51 may not be transferred to the putty 42 with high accuracy simply by the user biting the putty 42. However, in the present embodiment, since the putty 41 that functions as a wall member for the putty 42 exists, even the putty 42 having low fluidity is appropriately guided by the putty 41 to the vicinity of the base of the palate side surface 51a. It Therefore, even when the putty 42 having low fluidity is used, the tooth pattern of the upper teeth 51 is transferred to the putty 42 with high accuracy.

Further, since the shape of the putty 41 is changed to the shape corresponding to the palate of the user, the amount of the putty 41 arranged on the first surface 311 in step S12 of FIG. , The size of the palate, the arrangement of the teeth 51, etc.) may be set. For example, for a user with a relatively large palate size, since the putty 41 that functions as a relatively wide wall member is formed on the tray 1, there is a relatively large number in step S12 of FIG. A quantity of putty 41 may be disposed on the first surface 311. For example, for a user whose palate size is relatively small, since the putty 41 that functions as a relatively small and widened wall member is formed on the tray 1, the putty 41 is relatively small in step S12 of FIG. A quantity of putty 41 may be disposed on the first surface 311.

Again in FIG. 2, the tray 1 is then taken out of the user's oral cavity (step S16 in FIG. 2). Then, the putties 41 and 42 are peeled off from the tray 1 (step S17 in FIG. 2). The female mold of the user's upper teeth 51 is transferred to the putty 42 that has been peeled off. Therefore, the model of the user's upper teeth 51 is manufactured using the putties 41 and 42 that have been peeled off. After that, a mouthpiece model is manufactured using the manufactured tooth model (further, a tooth model manufactured from a mold for biting the upper teeth 51 and the lower teeth, if necessary) (see FIG. 2). Step S18).

In the above-described mouthpiece manufacturing method, the mouthpiece is manufactured using the tooth model of the upper tooth 51. However, in the above-described manufacturing method of the mouthpiece, the mouthpiece may be manufactured using the tooth model of the lower tooth in addition to or instead of the tooth model of the upper tooth 51. In this case, the tooth pattern of the lower tooth may be sampled by the same method as the method of sampling the tooth pattern of the upper tooth 51. However, in this case, in the tray 1, the back surface (the surface on the −Z side) of the bottom member 31 faces the palate and the upper teeth 51 (particularly, the occlusal surface of the upper teeth 51), and the surface of the bottom member 31 (+Z side). Face) faces the tongue and lower teeth (particularly, the occlusal surface of the lower teeth), the first surface 311 faces the palate, and the second surface 312 faces the lower teeth (particularly, the occlusal surface of the lower teeth). The wall member 32 is inserted into the oral cavity of the user such that the inner surface of the wall member 32 faces the lingual side surface of the dentition (that is, the lingual side surface of the lower teeth). Furthermore, when the tray 1 having the putty 41 arranged on the first surface 311 is bitten by the user, the putty 41 is pressed against the tray 1 by the tongue and has a shape corresponding to the tooth row form (that is, a wall member for the putty 42). Becomes Furthermore, when the tray 1 having the putty 42 arranged on the second surface 312 is bitten by the user, the lower teeth are buried in the putty 42, and the female mold of the lower teeth is transferred to the putty 42. At this time, the putty 41 functions as a wall member that substantially prevents the putty 42 from being pushed toward the lingual side of the putty 41.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be appropriately modified within the scope of the gist or idea of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and the mouthpiece manufacturing with such modifications. The method is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 Tray 31 Bottom Member 311 First Surface 312 Second Surface 32 Wall Member 41, 42 Putty

Claims (4)

A bottom surface including a first surface facing the palate or tongue of the user and a second surface distributed in an arcuate shape along the outer edge of the first surface and facing the occlusal surface of the user's dentition; A mouthpiece manufacturing method for manufacturing a mouthpiece for sports using a tray having an arcuately distributed wall along the outer edge of the second surface and capable of facing the labial side surface of the dentition. Method,
A first step of disposing a first material for molding on the first surface;
The tray on which the first material is arranged is inserted into the oral cavity of the user, and the tray is bitten by the user to press the first material against the palate or tongue. A second step of forming a wall material that can be opposed to the palate side surface or the tongue side surface;
A third step of disposing a second material for patterning on the second surface,
The tray surrounded by the second material is inserted into the oral cavity of the user, and the second material is bitten by the user, whereby the second surface, the wall portion, and the wall member are surrounded by the second surface. A fourth step of applying pressure to the two materials from the dentition to form a female mold of the dentition on the second material. The mouthpiece manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein in the first step, an amount of the first material according to the dentition form of the user is arranged on the first surface. In the first step, the first material is provided in an amount such that a gap is secured between the first material that becomes the wall material in the second step and the palate side surface or the tongue side surface. It arrange|positions on 1 surface. The manufacturing method of the mouthpiece of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. The mouthpiece according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a fifth step of manufacturing the mouthpiece by using the second material in which the female mold of the dentition is formed. Production method.