Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F5/00—Orthopaedic methods or devices for non-surgical treatment of bones or joints; Nursing devices ; Anti-rape devices
  • A61F5/56—Devices for preventing snoring
  • A61F5/566—Intra-oral devices
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B71/00—Games or sports accessories not covered in groups A63B1/00 - A63B69/00
  • A63B71/08—Body-protectors for players or sportsmen, i.e. body-protecting accessories affording protection of body parts against blows or collisions
  • A63B71/085—Mouth or teeth protectors
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
  • A61C7/00—Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by correcting malocclusions
  • A61C7/08—Mouthpiece-type retainers or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F5/00—Orthopaedic methods or devices for non-surgical treatment of bones or joints; Nursing devices ; Anti-rape devices
  • A61F5/56—Devices for preventing snoring
  • A61F2005/563—Anti-bruxisme

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to mouth guards. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mouth guard for reducing tooth damage during sleep.
• a mandibular arch i.e., the arch of teeth along the mandible (commonly referred to as the lower jaw) or lower arch
• a maxillary arch i.e., the arch of teeth along the maxilla (commonly referred to as the upper jaw) or upper arch
• Teeth along the mandibular or lower arch are commonly referred to as 'the lower teeth/ and teeth along the maxillary arch or upper arch are commonly referred to as 'the upper teeth.
• Bruxism is excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching.
• one or more lower teeth come into contact with one or more upper teeth as food is masticated (i.e., chewed).
• food is disposed between only a few of the lower and upper teeth.
• Bruxism is excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching, and it can occur during sleep.
• Bruxism during sleep is referred to as nocturnal bruxism. While the cause of nocturnal bruxism is not completely understood, it is likely due to various factors including, but not limited to, personality, stress, and emotion. The majority of people with nocturnal bruxism do not make noises while grinding or clenching their teeth during sleep. However, there are a number of people who do create noises (e.g., screeching noises) from grinding or clenching their teeth during sleep.
• noises e.g., screeching noises
• Tooth wear caused by bruxism affects the occlusal surfaces (i.e., the biting surfaces) of the teeth.
• the exact location and pattern of tooth wear depends on how the bruxism occurs (e.g., when the canines and incisors of the opposing mandibular and maxillary arches are moved against each other laterally, this can lead to the wearing down of the incisal edges of the teeth.
• People with bruxism may grind their anterior teeth (i.e., front teeth) and may also grind their posterior teeth (i.e., back teeth).
• Adult anterior teeth include the central and lateral incisors and the canine teeth, and make up the six upper and six lower front teeth.
• Adult posterior teeth include three molars and two premolars (or bicuspids) and make up the ten upper and ten lower back teeth.
• This grinding and clenching of teeth can apply large amounts of force on those teeth being clenched or ground together.
• the force of this grinding and clenching of teeth can wear away the enamel layer of one or more teeth, and expose the dentin layer of these teeth to the grinding and clenching.
• the dentin layer is softer and more vulnerable to wear and tooth decay than the enamel layer. If enough of the tooth is worn away or decayed, the tooth will effectively be weakened, and may fracture under the increased forces that occur in bruxism.
• This grinding and clenching can subsequently cause various oral health issues including, but not limited to, toothaches, cavities, periodontitis, and tooth loss.
• a mouth guard includes a tray configured to encompass at least anterior teeth of a maxillary arch.
• the tray includes a pair of protrusions extending away from the tray, each protrusion configured to generally overlie a portion of at least one anterior tooth of the maxillary arch.
• the protrusions are configured to engage at least one tooth of a mandibular arch, whereby damage to the at least anterior teeth of the maxillary arch is reduced or prevented.
• the tray is configured to further
• each protrusion is sloped on at least a palate side of the maxillary arch. [0012] In an additional illustrative embodiment, each protrusion is sloped on at least a labial side of the maxillary arch.
• a mouth guard in another illustrative embodiment, includes a tray configured to encompass at least anterior teeth of a mandibular arch.
• the tray includes a pair of protrusions extending away from the tray, each protrusion configured to generally overlie a portion of at least one anterior tooth of the mandibular arch.
• the protrusions are configured to engage at least one tooth of a maxillary arch, whereby damage to the at least anterior teeth of the mandibular arch is reduced or prevented.
• the tray is configured to further
• each protrusion is sloped on at least a palate side of the mandibular arch. [0016] In an additional illustrative embodiment, each protrusion is sloped on at least a labial side of the mandibular arch.
• FIGURE 1 illustrates a front view of a user's open mouth, with an upper mouth guard tray covering a least a portion of the user's upper teeth and a lower mouth guard tray covering at least a portion of the user's lower teeth, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention
• FIGURE 2 illustrates the upper and lower mouth guard trays of FIGURE 1, with the user's lower jaw moved laterally to the user's right as the user grinds their teeth
• FIGURE 3 illustrates the upper and lower mouth guard trays of FIGURE 1, with the user's lower jaw moved laterally to the user's left as the user grinds their teeth;
• FIGURE 4 illustrates the user wearing only the lower mouth guard tray of FIGURE 1, with the user's lower jaw moved laterally to the user's right;
• FIGURE 5 illustrates the user wearing only the upper mouth guard tray of
• FIGU RE with the user's lower jaw moved laterally to the user's left;
• FIGURE 6 illustrates a front, upper view of a top side of the upper mouth guard tray of FIGURE 1;
• FIGURE 7 illustrates a rear, upper view of a bottom side of the upper mouth guard tray of FIGURE 1;
• FIGURE 8 illustrates a front, upper view of a top side of the lower mouth guard tray of FIGURE 1;
• FIGURE 9 illustrates a rear, upper view of a bottom side of the lower mouth guard tray of FIGURE 1;
• FIGURE 10 illustrates a section view illustrating contact between the
• FIGURE 11 illustrates a section view illustrating contact between the
• FIGURE 12 illustrates a section view illustrating contact between the
• an embodiment of the present invention resides in a mouth guard assembly 20 including a mouth guard tray 30 for teeth of a user's upper dental arch (i.e., an upper guard tray 30), and a mouth guard tray 40 for teeth of a user's lower dental arch (i.e., a lower guard tray 40).
• Each guard tray 30, 40 is fabricated using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material.
• TPU thermoplastic polyurethane
• An example of TPU material used to form the guard trays 30, 40 is CLEARSPLINT from Astron Dental (https://www.astrondental.com/).
• the TPU material may be optically clear (i.e., generally transparent), translucent, or opaque.
• the TPU material may be colored or uncolored.
• Both mouth guard trays 30, 40 can be worn at the same time. Alternatively, just one of the mouth guard trays 30, 40 can be worn.
• the upper guard tray 30 can be worn on the upper arch with no mouth guard tray on the lower arch (or the lower guard tray 40 can be worn on the lower arch with no mouth guard tray on the upper arch). If worn on both dental arches or just one of the dental arches, the result will be that the teeth on both arches will be protected. If a mouth guard tray is worn on just one arch, the mouth guard tray will be designed to cover all existing teeth on that arch. The number of teeth covered will depend on the unique dentition of each individual patient.
• the mouth guards 30, 40 extend from incisors at a front of the mouth back towards, and generally covering, at least one of the premolars on each side of the patient's mouth. It is preferable that all teeth be covered by the mouth guards 30, 40 in order to distribute the grinding force. Coverage of the molars, for example, can reduce the possibility of supra- eruption of one or more of a patient's molars, especially if a patient is missing a molar on one of their dental arches that would normally oppose a molar on the other dental arch. How far back the mouth guard tray 30, 40 extends can vary from patient-to-patient, as each individual patient's dentition is unique.
• Each of the mouth guards 30, 40 is designed to include a pair of protrusions 32, 42 that will generally cover an area over the user's canine teeth, but can also generally cover a lateral area extending between the user's lateral incisor, canine, and first premolar teeth. Due to the uniqueness of each individual, the protrusions 32, 42, may generally cover an area over portions of the user's lateral incisor and canine teeth, an area generally over the user's canine teeth, and an area generally over the user's canine and first premolar teeth.
• Placement of the protrusions 32, 42, over just the anterior teeth should be avoided as anterior teeth like the incisors have shorter roots and less periodontal ligament which makes them not as strong as the canine teeth and more vulnerable to the grinding forces. If the protrusions 32, 42 are placed over just anterior teeth such as the central incisors or lateral incisors, the force from grinding could cause these particular anterior teeth to shift outward and be more protrusive. Once the central incisors or lateral incisors are protrusive, gaps can form between the lateral incisors and the canines, and this can result in the incisors being more at risk of periodontal disease.
• the protrusions 32 are configured to engage the canine or first premolar teeth of the mandibular arch; and the protrusions 32 grind against the mandibular canine or premolar tooth during a lateral excursion which is the motion when the mandible or lower jaw moves generally laterally (i.e., generally left and right) during grinding movement.
• the maxillary canines (or upper canines) are preferable over the other teeth is because the canines have the longest roots and can withstand the force of grinding.
• the canine teeth are located the most distal from the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) as compared to the molars or premolars.
• the protrusions 32, 42 have a generally fang-like appearance.
• the protrusions 32, 42 can be shaped as desired to accommodate a particular user's unique dentition.
• the lower portion of the protrusions 32 can have a flat-shaped bottom portion rather than a sharp fang-like bottom portion.
• the upper portion of the protrusions 42 can have a flat-shaped top portion rather than a 'sharp' fang-like top portion.
• the flat-shaped bottom portion of the protrusions of the upper tray 30 can still function as the grinding contact point against the mandibular canines and be just as effective as the 'sharp' fang-like bottom portion of the protrusions 32.
• the angle of the slope of the protrusions 32, 42 also varies from zero (0) degrees of a flat top to as much as seventy-five (75) degrees that mimics the anatomy of a canine. This angle is determined by the lateral movement of the jaw and hence the mandibular anterior teeth and posterior teeth do not come into contact with the maxillary mouth guard 30 during the grinding movement.
• protrusions 32, 42 may vary from person-to-person from five millimeters to twenty millimeters (5 mm to 20 mm) but the most optimal length is generally ten millimeters (10 mm).
• the lower posterior teeth such as the mandibular second premolars and the molars
• the protrusion 32 may fracture during grinding.
• the other areas of the mouth guard 30 have to be thin to avoid contact with the mandibular teeth to prevent damage to the anterior teeth and the posterior teeth.
• the protrusions 32, 42 are generally ten millimeters (10 mm) thick along a longitudinal length from a coronal portion of the dentition to a coronal portion of the protrusion 32, 42.
• the protrusion 32 can be generally ten millimeters (10 mm) long from the tip of one of the user's teeth (e.g., canine tooth) 36 on the maxillary arch
• the protrusion 42 can be generally ten millimeters (10 mm) long from the tip of one of the user's teeth (e.g., lateral incisor) 46 on the mandibular arch, with sloped portions of the protrusions 32, 42 deflecting each other.
• the protrusions 32, 42 of the mouth guards 30, 40 can be seen contacting each other along their respective ten millimeter (10 mm) lengths. Flowever, the protrusions 32, 42 may contact each other or other portions of their opposing mouth guards at any number of places.
• an example shows the patient wearing only a lower mouth guard tray 40, with the protrusion 42 being generally ten millimeters (10 mm) long from the tip of one of the user's teeth (e.g., lateral incisor) 46 on the mandibular arch, and the protrusion 42 contacting one of the user's teeth (e.g., canine tooth) 36 on the maxillary arch.
• an example shows the patient wearing only an upper mouth guard tray 30, with the protrusion 32 being generally ten millimeters (10 mm) long from the tip of one of the user's teeth (e.g., canine) 36 on the maxillary arch, and the protrusion 32 contacting one of the user's teeth (e.g., lateral incisor) 46 on the mandibular arch.
• Ten millimeters (10 mm) is about the minimum distance necessary between the maxillary and mandibular dentitions.
• Two millimeters (2 mm) is about the minimum thickness T1 of the material of the upper mouth guard tray 30 between the central incisor and a bottom side of the upper mouth guard tray 30 that contacts the lower mouth guard tray 40.
• the thickness T1 of the upper mouth guard tray 30 between the central incisor and the bottom side of the upper mouth guard tray 30 can vary from individual-to-individual.
• two millimeters (2 mm) is about the minimum thickness T2 of the material of the lower mouth guard tray 40 between the central incisor and a top side of the lower mouth guard tray 40 that contacts the upper mouth guard tray 30.
• the thickness T2 of the lower mouth guard tray 40 between the central incisor and the top side of the lower mouth guard tray 40 can vary from individual-to-individual.
• the anterior and posterior dentition area on the mouth guard trays 30, 40 will be minimal where opposing dentition will not come into contact with these two areas.
• Each protrusion 32, 42 includes a curved slope on a palate side of the protrusion 32, 42 that creates a gap between the upper and lower dentition when the user is grinding generally laterally (i.e., sideways).
• Each protrusion 32, 42 includes a curved slope on a labial side of the protrusion 32, 42. In the alternative, the slopes on the palate and labial sides of the protrusions 32, 42 may angular, or a combination of angular and curved.
• the shape of the protrusions 32, 42 generally mimic the anatomy of a canine tooth, but the slopes on the palate and labial sides of the protrusions 32, 42 may be shaped as needed in order to accommodate the unique dentition of a particular user.
• the protrusions 32, 42 prevent the anterior teeth and molars from coming into contact during lateral excursions caused by grinding by guiding the guard trays 30, 40 away from each other and cushioning contact between the guard trays 30, 40. Wherever the guard trays 30, 40 come into contact, the TPU material provides cushioning and dissipation of the grinding force.
• the protrusions 32, 42 will cause the distance between the anterior and posterior maxillary and mandibular teeth to increase. Because of this increase, the anterior and posterior teeth will not be in direct contact and, hence, the force exerted on these teeth will be diminished; prolonging the life of these teeth. As for the canines and premolars covered by the protrusions 32, 42s, the ten millimeter (10 mm) thickness will also lessen the force applied directly to these teeth. As the distance between both arches increases, the effect of the force exerted by muscles in the user's head, neck, and shoulder will be diminished.
• the canine teeth are the longest teeth in both arches of dentitions and the canines also have more periodontal fibers which can tolerate more force than can be tolerated by the anterior incisors during grinding.
• the force on the molars from grinding is many times more than the force on the canines, premolars, and incisors, because the molars are closer to the temporomandibular (TMJ) joint.
• a first method for fabricating the upper and lower guards 30, 40 is for a dentist or other dental professional to take impressions of the patient's upper and lower arches of dentition, as well as a bite registration, and then send them to a dental laboratory.
• an impression can be taken of just one of the arches of dentition if it is determined that a mouth guard is required for only one of the arches of dentition.
• models of the patient's upper and lower arches of dentition are made from the impressions.
• a technician at the dental laboratory then heats up a sheet of TPU material with a heating machine to make a guard tray.
• This sheet of TPU material softens and can be formed around a selected one of the models of the patient's dentition (e.g., the upper arch of dentition). While the material is still soft, the technician cuts and shapes the material to forms the upper mouth guard tray 30 and protrusions 32. This process is repeated to create the lower mouth guard tray 40 and protrusions 42.
• the protrusions 32, 42 are shaped such that each protrusion 32, 42 is sloped on palate and labial sides of the maxillary and mandibular arches. As the dentition of each individual is unique, the protrusions 32, 42 are sloped to meet the unique needs of each individual. The technician would use the models of the patient's upper and lower arches of dentition to generally match the slope of the protrusions 32, 42 to the natural slope(s) of the patient's canines, incisors and/or bicuspids. Again, the unique nature of each individual's dentition is taken into account.
• An upper rim 34 of the upper mouth guard tray 30 should extend at least halfway up the coronal portion of the teeth but should not extend above the patient's gumline.
• a lower rim 44 of the lower mouth guard tray 40 should extend at least halfway down the coronal portion of the teeth but should not extend below the patient's gumline.
• An alternative method is for a pre-fabricated mouth guard made of TPU material that can be softened by boiling water and shaped around the upper and lower arches of dentition.
• guard trays 30, 40 can be created by a digital impression of a patient's dentition being taken, and then using the CAD/CAM machine to form the guard trays 30, 40.
• the TPU material of the mouth guard trays 30, 40 is hard enough to prevent contact between the upper and lower dentitions as the guards 30, 40 come into contact with each other when grinding starts. Sometimes an individual sleeps with their mouth open ; and their upper and lower dentition will come into contact when grinding starts. For example, once the mouth guard trays 30, 40 and dentitions come into contact, the hardness of the TPU material of the mouth guard trays 30, 40 prevents the opposing dentitions from coming into direct contact, and decreasing the effect of the grinding or clenching force from muscles in the patient's head, neck, and/or shoulders.
• a soft material i.e., a material softer than TPU
• the soft material is no more effective than a stick of well-chewed chewing gum at dissipating the force on one or more teeth from the contact of opposing dentition during grinding and clenching.
• a user places the mouth guard trays 30, 40 on the lower and upper arches of their mouth prior to going to sleep at night.
• the protrusions 32, 42 will also cause the anterior dentitions on both the upper and lower arches not to directly contact which would alleviate the forces caused by grinding or clenching.
• each mouth guard tray 30, 40 can be used at the same time. Alternatively, each mouth guard tray 30, 40, can be used without the other. In any event, the function of each mouth guard tray 30, 40 is unchanged if used alone or together (although the number of covered teeth may vary due to the unique nature of each individual's dentition).
• the term "opposing” refers to the opposing arch which is not covered by the mouth guard tray 30, 40.
• the term “opposing arch” refers to the mandibular arch when the upper guard tray 30 is placed over teeth of the maxillary arch.
• the term “opposing arch” refers to the maxillary arch when the lower guard tray 40 is placed over teeth of the mandibular arch.
• the claimed invention is not limited in size and may be
• the length and width of the mouth guard are not to be construed as drawn to scale, and that the lengths/widths of the mouth guard may be adjusted in conformance with the area available for its placement as the dimensions of a human mouth may vary from individual to individual.
• the figures (and various components shown therein) of the specification are not to be construed as drawn to scale.

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• 2019
  • 2019-02-15 US US16/277,663 patent/US11369510B2/en active Active
• 2020
  • 2020-02-13 WO PCT/US2020/018059 patent/WO2020168041A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2020-02-13 EP EP20756010.3A patent/EP3923876B1/en active Active
  • 2020-02-13 CN CN202080028732.5A patent/CN113692263B/zh active Active
  • 2020-02-13 JP JP2021547802A patent/JP7471664B2/ja active Active
• 2022
  • 2022-06-23 US US17/848,029 patent/US12083038B2/en active Active

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