Dentistry – Method or material for testing – treating – restoring – or...
Patent
1992-03-06
1993-11-09
Wilson, John J.
Dentistry
Method or material for testing, treating, restoring, or...
433 6, A61C 500
Patent
active
052597628
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an oral appliance and in particular to an orthopedic repositioning appliance.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Headache and jaw problems are often associated with incorrect harmony of the muscles and nerves of the jaw, skull and neck mechanism, an area called the Cranio-Mandibular System. A part of this system is the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) which comprises the joint which connects the lower jaw or mandible to the skull with temporal muscles in the region of the joint suspending the mandible from the skull. These muscles are used inter alia for speaking, swallowing eating and breathing and permit the mandible to be open and closed and moved forwardly and to the rear.
In a perfect bite with correct dental occlusion, the teeth of the upper and lower jaws come together. Misalignment of the upper and lower jaws however is a common occurrence caused by lack of development of the lower jaw resulting in a deep bite curve between the teeth of the upper and lower jaws. Misalignment of the joint caused by structural imbalances or other reasons can also cause a number of problems including headache, neck tension, curvature of the spine, muscular weakness and poor coordination. Furthermore, it has been found that a person loses strength when the joint is out of alignment. When the joint is under stress due to imbalance, the body uses up muscular strength causing fatigue and pain. In the case of athletes, misalignment of the joint results in decreased performance.
It has been found that by aligning the TMJ, dramatic improvements in athletic capabilities occur, in particular strength. Custom fitted plastic bite plates known as mandibular orthopedic repositioning appliances (MORA) have been proposed to relax the temporal muscles so as to permit the muscles to rest from their constant strain and thus relieve headaches and neck tension and in the case of athletes, to improve athletic performances. Such appliances however are required to be custom fitted to the user by taking impressions from the jaw and subsequently moulding the bite place. Such appliances have proved to be relatively expensive and of limited applicability.
Other oral devices are also used for a number of other purposes. For example, mouthguards are commonly used in sporting applications to protect the teeth of a user against damage. Such mouthguards range from inexpensive (and relatively inefficient) devices which the user shapes his- or herself to the form of the jaws or teeth to the more expensive devices fitted by dentists or orthodontists. In each case, the known mouthguards are intended only for protection purposes and have, and are intended to have, no other function.
There is also known in the art an oral appliance which is used primarily for teeth cleaning purposes. Such an appliance is in the general form of a mouthguard but is formed of relatively flexible material and is provided with a plurality of projections which serve when the appliance is worn to remove food particles from between the teeth. Such an appliance is only used on a short term basis for cleaning and again has no other purpose.
Another form of mouth appliance which is well known is the dummy which may be of many different forms and which is primarily used to pacify babies and young children. Generally however dummies can have a detrimental affect on teeth formation and positioning.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to provide an oral appliance which has the effect of repositioning the TMJ joint and which may be simply and easily used by a user. The present invention aims to provide an oral appliance which is relatively inexpensive. The present invention may be embodied in a number of difference appliances and in one preferred aspect in an appliance which is suitable for the prevention of orthodontic problems in growing children and for assisting in the correction of development anomalies.
The present invention in a further aspect is embodied in an oral appliance which may be used for the relief of the sym
REFERENCES:
patent: 4568280 (1986-02-01), Ahlin
patent: 4810192 (1989-03-01), Williams
patent: 4920984 (1990-05-01), Furumichi et al.
patent: 4986751 (1991-01-01), Bergersen
patent: 5163840 (1992-11-01), Bourke
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