WO2008147286A1

WO2008147286A1 - Dental splint

Info

Publication number: WO2008147286A1
Application number: PCT/SE2008/000361
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stefan Eriksson
Original assignee: Stefan Eriksson
Priority date: 2007-05-30
Filing date: 2008-05-28
Publication date: 2008-12-04
Also published as: SE0701300L; SE531180C2

Abstract

A splint for a maxilla, consists of a body generally U-shaped in a planar view, which comprises two elongate parallel and mutually spaced-apart branch parts (2) and a web (3) connecting the branch parts. Each branch part (2) has a L-shaped cross-section profile and extends along at least a part of an adjacent row of back teeth, the cross-section profile comprising a first profile branch (22), which is formed and placed to lie parallel to the outside of the row of back teeth, and between the row of back teeth and the cheek, and a second profile branch (23) in all essentials perpendicular thereto, which from the first branch part extends substantially perpendicularly to the same over and along the chewing surfaces of the back teeth of the maxilla.

Description

Dental splint

The invention relates to a dental splint of the kind that is defined in the preamble of the appended independent claim.

Splints serve to limit tooth damage and teeth grinding, when a patient, usually during sleep, by force bites maxilla and mandible together against each other and occasionally also displaces the jaws in a plane where the teeth of the maxilla and of the mandible meet. Therefore, a splint is formed and arranged to be carried on the maxilla or mandible of the user, the splint having bite plates, which separate the teeth of the maxilla and of the mandible, to prevent a direct contact between them. A splint should be perceived as comfortable by the user, and can naturally not limit the possibilities of the user to good sleep and good respiration, and furthermore, a splint should not have such shape that it tends to retain food particles in contact with teeth surfaces .

Gumshields, which often are used by athletics to protect the dental archs from mechanical damage, usually comprise a generally U-shaped body having a longitudinal groove, which receives the dental arch of at least one jaw and which often has two opposite grooves, for a dental arch each. Such gum- shields have the grooves formed by cast of the dental archs, so that the gumshield is clamped by press fit against at least one dental arch.

US 3,924,638 reveals a splint, which is intended to be worn on the maxilla and which comprises a cup-shaped body, which cov^¬ ers and is adjacent to the palate roof and the inside of the dental arch of the maxilla, the cup-shaped body having a bor^¬ der portion, which generally extends in the dividing plane between the rows of teeth of the maxilla and of the mandible. Also for such a maxilla splint, a plurality of drawbacks occur and furthermore the known splint has a drawback in the form of the palate part thereof covering and touching the palate roof. Furthermore, it is unclear how the known splint can stay in place in the maxilla during use.

Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a splint by means of which one or more of the drawbacks mentioned are entirely or partly obviated.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a splint for the maxilla, which splint does not cover the outside of the front teeth, at least in the lower free edge parts thereof, but still affords a good retention of the splint, at the same time as the web part of the splint can be in the form of a thin band of small thickness.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a splint for the maxilla, which minimizes the risk of food particles and impurities being retained by the splint in contact with the teeth of the maxilla.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a splint for the maxilla, which minimizes the saliva production, but still steady is retained at the maxilla.

The objects are attained entirely or partly by the invention.

The invention is defined in the appended independent claim 1.

Embodiments of the invention are defined in the appended dependent claims. A presently preferred embodiment of the invention will in the following be accounted for in more detail in connection with the following description, in the form of a non-limiting example, reference being made to the appended drawing.

Figure 1 schematically shows a planar view over a splint.

Figure 2 shows a section taken along line II-II in figure 1.

Figure 3 schematically shows a section through the splint such as applied in the maxilla of the user.

Figure 4 illustrates a view taken along line IV-IV in figure

1.

The splint according to the invention comprises a body 1, sub^¬ stantially U-shaped in planar view, comprising two generally parallel elongate branch parts 2 arranged at a distance from each other, and a web 3 connecting the branch parts. Each branch part 2 has a L-shaped cross-section profile comprising a first profile branch 22, which is intended to lie on the outside of the back teeth of the maxilla, and a second profile part 23, which is perpendicular thereto and lies parallel to and underneath the chewing surfaces on the back teeth on this side of the maxilla. The width of the profile part is such that it does not have any real projection on the inside of the rows of the back teeth; in this way the risk is minimized of the tongue of the user aiming to displace the branch part in question from the correct position thereof. The web 3 is band- shaped and has the width dimension thereof in all essentials orientated parallel to the width dimension of the first branch profile parts 22. The web 3 is intended to with the wide side thereof abut against the outside of the front dental arch in the area between the upper limitation of the front teeth and the gums. The width of the web 3 is preferably at least 1,25 times the thickness thereof. Since the surface that is tensioned by the outer surface of the front teeth usually forms an acute angle with a plane contacting the free ends of the teeth of the maxilla, the band- shaped web should have a corresponding inclination to planely abut against the plane for the outside of the front dental arch. From figure 1, it can be understood that the second profile branches 23, which form bite plates separating the rows of back teeth of the maxilla and of the mandible, have the front and rear free corner areas thereof rounded, to minimize the interference with the tongue. By the fact that the first branch part 22 of the L-shaped cross-section profile is situated between the row of back teeth in question and the inside of the adjacent cheek, the branch part 2 will be held in place therebetween. The web 3 has a relatively small flexural rigidity in respect of displacement of the branch parts 2 toward and away from each other, but has a somewhat greater stiffness in respect of a bending corresponding to mutual displacement of the parts 2 in the width direction for the profile branches 22, i.e., in general a parallel displacement of the profile parts 23.

From figure 2, it can be understood that the rear free corner area of the branch part 22 is rounded, to minimize the emergence of irritation of the adjacent parts of the inside of the cheek. The branches 22 have a width (height) , which preferably is at most equal to a normal height of the back teeth.

From figure 2, which is a section through the symmetry plane of the splint, it can be understood that the distance in the plane for the upper surface 23A of the branches/of the bite plates 23, up to a line impinging on the lower edge of the inside of the web 3 and is perpendicular to the surface 23A, amounts to x length units, while the height from the plane 23A up to the lower edge of the inside of the web 3 amounts to y length units. In the view according to figure 2, in that connection, the angle α between the surface 23A and a line which starts from the front end of the branches 23 up to the lower edge of the inside of the web band 3 is in the area of 5-60 degrees, preferably approximately 38 degrees. The length of each branch 23 is about a quarter of the length of the splint, in the depiction plane of figure 1.

As is seen from figure 4, the web part 3 has, in the upper edge thereof at the length middle thereof, a recess 32 that can receive a string, which people often has in central position between upper lip and the gums in the symmetry of the man. From figure 3 it can be understood that the web 3 extends from the upper portion of the front end of the profile branch 22 and obliquely upward to the symmetry plane of the splint where the recess 32 in the upper edge of the band-shaped web 3 is present. From figure 3, it can be understood that the intermediate part of the web band 3 normally bridges over the horizontal borderline between the front teeth and gums of the user.

The branches 23 of the splint have advantageously a thickness that increases from the rear ends of the branches toward the front ends thereof, so that the splints form wedge-shaped cushions the top and bottom surfaces of which converge rearward toward the pivot joint centre of the mandible. By the fact that the branches 23 have increasing thickness toward the web part 3, the advantage is attained that the branch parts 23 co-operating with the back teeth afford contact with the back teeth along a relatively long distance at the same time as the front teeth can be separated so that contact damage between them as far as possible is avoided. The splint according to the example is suitably formed of an elastomer of thermoplastic type, which can be heated in a warm medium such as hot water to a plastic state, and then be inserted into the mouth of the user, the web part 3 in the centre area thereof being placed at the borderline between the front teeth and the gums of the maxilla, at the same time as the branch part 3 follows the outside of the dental arch as well as also the branch part 22. By retaining the plasticized heated splint in correct deformation state while the material thereof cools down to a non-plastic state, a good fit for the splint is produced in a simple manner. Since the material of the splint is of elastomer type, it is naturally also simple to by means of a pair of scissors or the like correct the shape of the splint, if desired.

By the fact that the branch parts 2 do not have any branch perpendicular to the bite branch 23 right opposite the branch 22 on the inside of the upper row of back teeth, the risk is minimized of food particles and the like remain on the splint in contact with the back teeth, and the interference with the tongue is also minimized so that the saliva production is minimized. Furthermore, the splint will have a minimal interference with the mouth of the user, in respect of speech, in particular by the fact that the front teeth in all essentials are left free and since the web part 3 is in the form of a thin band of small thickness and relatively small height. From figure 4, it can be seen that the branch parts 22 are kept in place between the cheek 40 and the outside of the adjacent row of back teeth. In figure 3, it can be seen that the branch part 23 only extends along the back teeth of the maxilla, or along a part of the length of the row of back teeth, while the branch parts 23 do not extend along front teeth or canine teeth, and further the part 3 only extends along the upper part of the front teeth.

Claims

1. A dental splint for a maxilla, consisting of a body generally U-shaped in a planar view, which comprises two elongate parallel and mutually spaced-apart branch parts (2) and a web (3) connecting the branch parts, each branch part (2) having a L-shaped cross-section profile and extending along at least a part of an adjacent row of back teeth, the cross-section profile comprising a first profile branch (22), which is formed and placed to lie parallel to the outside of the row of back teeth, and between the row of back teeth and the cheek, and a second profile branch (23) in all essentials perpendicular thereto, which from the first branch part extends substantially perpendicularly to the same over and along the chewing surfaces of the back teeth of the maxilla, characterized in that the second branch part (23) has a width such that it has no projection on the inside of the rows of the back teeth, that the web (3) at least in the centre area thereof extends in the transition area between the front teeth and the adjacent row of gums thereof and that the second profile branch (23) has a thickness that is decreasing toward the free end of the branch (2) in question.

2. Splint according to claim 1, characterized in that the first profile branch (22) has a rounded corner at the free end part of the branch.

3. Splint according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that the second profile branch (23) has a rounded free corner at the front and/or rear end of the branch part.

4. Splint according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that each branch has a length in all essentials amounting to a quarter of the length of the U-shaped body (1) .

5. Splint according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in a symmetry plane to the splint and starting from a plane that is tensioned by the upper surface 23A of the second branches 23, starting from a line connecting the front ends of the second branches 23 with each other, the lower edge of the inside of the web 3 is situated in a direction in the area of 5-60 degrees over this plane, preferably about 38 degrees.

6. Splint according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the upper border of the web (3) has in the longitudinally central area of the web a recess (32) for a string that connects the upper lip of the user to the gums.

7. Splint according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the splint consists of an elastomer material, which is thermoplastic after heating to a temperature that enables a human being to insert the splint in plastic state into the mouth for plastic deformation, the material tempera^¬ ture enabling for a human being to retain the splint in the mouth during cooling to a non-plastic elastomer state.

8. Splint according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the web (3) is in the form of a band, the width direction of which in all essentials is parallel to the out^¬ side of the dental arch of the maxilla and in use extends sub^¬ stantially in contact with the outside of the dental arch.