US2770881A

US2770881A - Prosthetic denture stabilizer means

Info

Publication number: US2770881A
Application number: US471044A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lodi Emilio
Original assignee: PAUL GIACOBBE
Current assignee: PAUL GIACOBBE
Priority date: 1954-11-24
Filing date: 1954-11-24
Publication date: 1956-11-20
Anticipated expiration: 1973-11-20

Description

Nov. 20, 1956 E. LODl PROSTHETIC DENTURE STABILIZER MEANS Filed Nov. 24, 1954 FIGZ FIG, 4

FIG3

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United I States Patent Ofi Fice r 2,770,881 PROSTHETIC DENTURE STABTLIZER MEANS Emilio Lodi, Bologna, Italy, assignor of one-half to Paul Giacobbe, Medford, Mass.

Application November 24, 1954, Serial No. 471,044 Claims (11. 32-4 This invention relates to improved prosthetic dentures and, more particularly, to a prosthetic denture pair which may be held in the mouth as a hinged denture unit to providefor desirable denture seatingand stabilization.

As is well known to those skilled in the art of making upper and lower dentures, much more difliculty is experienced in providing for satisfactory seating of a lower denture as compared with an upper denture. In all such denture pairs, it is the usual practice to form, insert and use the two elements of the denture pair as separate members. Because of the independence of such dentures, the relatively stronger seating and sealing efiect which is obtainablefrom an upper denture is of little help in holding the lower denture in place. As a result, seating and stabilization of the lower denture must be obtained entirely from the fitting and surface area contact of the lower denture with the corresponding mouth surfaces.

It is an object of the present invention to improve prosthetic dentures and to devise a prosthetic denture pair, the two component parts of which are permanently hinged to'one another so that the upper denture, when in a properly seated position, cooperates with the lower denture to aid in holding the lower denture in better seated relationship in the mouth. It is a further and related object of the invention to devise, in an integrated hinged denture pair of the type noted, means for enabling the upper denture to resiliently urge the lower denture into a slightly spaced-apart position to the end that a positive denture seating force is lightly exerted and better adherence of the lower denture against a supporting mouth surface may be realized. Still anotherobject-of the. invention is to provide a self-stabilizing denture pair in which mechanical stabilizing effects are developed to such a degree that portions of respective inner denture surfaces occurring adjacent the gum areas of the mouth may be: materially reduced in size.

These. and other objects will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following description ofa preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration" and shown in the 'a ccoinp'any ir'ig drawings, inwhich 1 F ig. l is a fragmentary side elevationalviewillustrating the denture pair 'of the invention "seated against 'gum surfaces and particularly indicating the denture hinging mechanism of the invention in the position which this mechanism assumes when respective upper and lower dentures of the pair are in a closed position;

Fig. 2 is another elevational view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the upper and lower dentures in an open position;

Fig. 3 is a plan view taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is another plan view taken approximately on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the denture hinging mechanism of the invention somewhat enlarged and indicating in the dotted lines an alternate position of adjustment of one of the denture seating arms; and

Fig. 6 is a detailed plan view of the denture hinging mechanism showing positions of adjustment into which the constituent parts of the mechanism may be moved.

In accordance with the invention, I have discovered that a prosthetic denture pair having upper and lower dentures may be operatively connected together in a manner'so chosen that the seating of one denture acts to stabilize the seating of the other denture and, in particular, the relatively tighter seating and stabilization which may be realized with an upper denture may be made use of to aid appreciably in holding the lower denture more firmly in place in the mouth.

In this connection, I have devised a denture pair having a special denture hinging mechanism which is'characterized especially by pairs of denture seating arms which resiliently oppose one another to the end that both upper and lower dentures of the pair are more effectively seated and held in a properly stabilized position at all times when the dentures are being used.

I have further found that, by reason of the better seating thus accomplished, I may desirably decrease the actual denture area in contact with the mouth and, in particular, at the palate region.

The structure shown in the accompanying drawings is intended to be illustrative of one preferred embodiment of the invention and, as noted therein, includes a prosthetic denture pair consisting of an upper denture 2 and a lower denture 4. The dentures are best shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and have been illustrated therein as being supported against upper and lower gums 6 and 8, indicated fragmentarily, and it will be understood that each denture of the pair will be individually fitted to gum contour as is customarily the practice with conventional separated dentures.

With my denture pair, I combine two denture hinging mechanisms which are adapted to be mounted at two opposite sides of the dentures, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Numerals

10 and 12 refer to pivot frame pieces which are mounted on two opposite sides of the denture 4 and which consist of flat, elongated body portions. At the ends of each frame piece are provided vertical bearings 14 and 16 which preferably are formed as integral parts of the frame pieces and in these vertical bearings are pivotally received lower denture seating arms as 18. These seating arms, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are preferably embedded in the rear body portion of the denture 4 and they extend downwardly and then forwardly to provide a positive leverage which is projected along the adjacent gum areas.

It will be apparent that, since the arms 18 are necessarily fixed in the dentures and pivoted in the bearings 14 and 16, the frame pieces .10 and 12 may turn about a vertical axis and thus provide for a lateral adjustment. Arranged to cooperate with the laterally adjustable frame pieces and lower denture. seating arms 18 are upper

denture seating arms

20 and 22. Each of these arms is resiliently supported on a pin 24 carried in a pivoted yoke 26. In one convenient form, these arms may consist of a length of resilient wire having opposite ends thereof coiled around the pin 24, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and an intermediate portion doubled upon itself to form the curved arm part.

The yoke piece 26 is pivotally supported on a pivot element 28, the lower end 26a of which is threaded into the frame 10, as best shown in Fig. 5. By means of this arrangement, the two pairs of seating arms are pivoted about two spaced-apart vertical axes of turning and may, as a result of this, be swung into a Wide range of positions of adjustment, such as for example, the position shown in Fig. 6 and denoted by the broken line portions of circles noted therein.

It is intended that this double pivot action may provide for a lateral grinding of the upper denture upon the Patented Nov. 20, .1956.

lower denture so as to closely simulate the grinding action of natural dentures while, at the same time, permitting a freedom of movement for opening and closing the dentures in the usual manner in any desired position of ad justment.

The

upper seating arms

20 and 22 are, as noted above, designed with a curved shape suitable for protruding into the upper denture in the manner illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and, to facilitate the engagement of these seating arms with the denture, I have further provided openings as 30 in the dentures in which are fitted tubular sleeves 32, as is best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4.

It will be seen that the

arms

20 and 22 provide a leverage corresponding generally to that afforded by the arms 18, and the extremities of the

arms

20 and 22 project well beyond the extremities of the arms 13. It is pointed out that, by means of the two sets of arms, one of which sets is resiliently engaged with denture surfaces, there is normally exerted a light force tending to move apart the dentures into the position shown in Fig. 2. With the mouth closed, the dentures normally assume a position such as that shown in Fig. 1, and there will then be developed a positive pressure of light intensity which operates to provide for a positive seating of both dentures and especially the lower denture 4. It is found that the greater stability normally occurring with the upper denture can be utilized to materially benefit the stability of the lower denture, and this lower denture can be much more firmly located and held in place than would otherwise be the case. The arrangement of these cooperating seating arms upon a double pivot structure makes it possible to maintain a light force in any position of grinding in which the two dentures may be used.

An important feature which derives from this improved seating of the two dentures is the elimination of considerable portions of denture material to provide denture portions such as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. By removing a considerable part of the intermediate portion of a conventional denture, a more desirable structure is obtained and the objectionable features of holding prosthetic denture surfaces in contact with the palate area of the mouth is avoided.

From the description given above, it will be readily seen that I have provided an efiicient denture seating mechanism by means of which a denture pair may be held in hinged relationship such that it may be inserted in the mouth and used as a single integrated unit. The structure further affords a very high degree of stability and excellent seating by the pressure effects exerted and, in general, a more adaptable and satisfactory denture assembly is produced.

While I have prescribed and claimed preferred forms of the invention, it should be understood that I may desire to employ modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A prosthetic denture pair including an upper denture, a lower denture, stabilizer means for securing the upper and lower dentures in hinged relationship, said stabilizer means comprising pairs of opposed hinged spring elements embedded in the dentures and constructed and arranged to normally force the dentures apart from one another.

2. A prosthetic denture pair including an upper denture, a lower denture, stabilizer means for securing the upper and lower dentures in hinged relationship, said stabilizer means including pivot framepieces, pairs of spring elements pivotally attached to the pivot framepieces and operatively connected to the said dentures, and pairs of cooperating pivot elements constructed and arranged to provide two spaced-apart axes of pivoting for the said spring elements.

3. A prosthetic denture pair including an upper denture a lower denture, and stabilizer means for securing the upper and lower dentures in hinged relationship, said dentures being formed with recesses and the said stabilizer means including opposed hinged spring elements extending forwardly into said recesses to provide for improved denture seating.

4. A prosthetic denture pair including an upper denture, a lower denture, and stabilizer means for securing the upper and lower dentures in hinged relationship, said dentures being formed with recesses, the said means including pairs of opposed spring elements extending into said recesses and those recesses in one of the said dentures being provided with embedded sleeve elements in which the respective spring elements are slidably supported.

5. An improved prosthetic denture pair comprising an upper denture, a lower denture, means for connecting the upper and lower denture .in hinged relationship, said means including pivot frame pieces mounted on said lower denture at two opposite sides thereof, lower denture seating arms pivotally supported in said frame pieces and located internally of the lower denture in a forwardly extending position, upper denture seating arms pivotally secured to respective pivot frame pieces, said upper denture seating arms extending forwardly and internally of the upper denture.

6. A structure as defined in claim 5 in which the upper denture seating arms are. slidably received in the said upper denture.

7. A structure as defined in claim 6 in which the upper denture seating arms are of curved shape.

8. A structure as defined in claim 7 in which each of the curved denture seating arms are resiliently secured to their respective pivots.

9. A structure as defined in claim 5 in which the said upper denture includes. means for slidably receiving the respective denture seating arms.

10. A structure as defined in claim 5 in which the upper denture is constructed with curved tubular inserts embedded in the body of the said denture and constructed and arranged to. slidably receive the said upper denture supporting arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,161,141 Lewis Nov. 23, 1915