Hand held device for reducing the discomfort associated with the adjusting of orthodontic appliances

• US 5,967,784 A
• Filed: 01/13/1998
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael J. Powers
• Original Assignee: Michael J. Powers
• Inventors: Powers, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Ralph A.
• Application Number:
  US09/114,697
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 433/2, 433/5, 433/6, 433/229, 601/38, 601/67, 601/70, 601/72, 601/139, 601/142
• US Class Current: 433/229
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 2204/002 using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/00 Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by correcting malocclusions
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/008 using vibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2205/026 Mandible
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/0263 using rotating unbalanced masses

Abstract

A dental patient hand held vibrating device having a interdental mouthpiece portion for insertion into the mouth for gripping between the teeth of the dental patient encountering discomfort resulting from the adjustment of their orthodontic appliances. The hand held device comprises a housing containing a battery and a switch for selectively operating a motor with an off center weight attached to the motor rotating shaft for creating a high frequency vibration that vibrates the entire device. The vibration is transferred from the body of the device to the interdental mouthpiece held between the teeth of the patient. The vibrating interdental mouthpiece reestablishes an adequate blood supply to the teeth and surrounding periodontal structures so as to substantially eliminate the discomfort encountered by a patient that has had their orthodontic appliance adjusted.

Claims

1. A device for reducing the discomfort in the mouth of a human patient, said discomfort being created by the adjustment of an orthodontic appliance fitted to the patient'"'"'s teeth comprising:

a housing, said housing containing a motor driven vibrating unit and a self contained power supply for operating said motor;

activating means for interconnecting said motor driven vibrating unit to said self contained power supply for operation thereof; and

an elongated solid flat resilient interdental mouthpiece positioned on a plane parallel with said housing when connected thereto having substantially the shape of a dental arch and a thickness in the range of two to five millimeters removably connected to said housing, the distal end of said interdental mouthpiece designed for practical insertion into the mouth for gripping between the patient'"'"'s teeth, when said vibrating unit is activated by said activating means said interdental mouthpiece vibrates said patent'"'"'s teeth increasing blood flow and eliminating the ischemia response thereby reducing said discomfort.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said interdental mouthpiece is removably received within a slot in said housing.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 additionally comprising a lock means for removably attaching said interdental mouthpiece to said housing within said slot in said housing.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said interdental mouthpiece has a width in the range of 10 to 15 millimeters at is longest dimension.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said interdental mouthpiece is constructed from a soft plastic material flexible enough to adapt to the teeth of the patient and transfer sufficient vibrations from the motor driven vibrating unit to the teeth of that patient.

6. A device for reducing the discomfort in the mouth of a human patient, said discomfort being created by the adjustment of an orthodontic appliance fitted to the patient'"'"'s teeth comprising:

a housing, said housing containing a motor driven vibrating unit and a self contained power supply for operating said motor;

activating means for interconnecting said motor driven vibrating unit to said self contained power supply for operation thereof; and

an elongated solid flat resilient interdental mouthpiece that is removably attached to said housing on the external surface thereof adjacent to said motor driven vibrating unit by an aperture therethrough for receiving a distal end of said housing and fictionally maintaining the attachment of said interdental mouthpiece to said housing, said housing having substantially the shape of a dental arch and a thickness in the range of two to five millimeters removably connected to said housing, the distal end of said interdental mouthpiece designed for practical insertion into the mouth for gripping between the patient'"'"'s teeth, when said vibrating unit is activated by said activating means said interdental mouthpiece vibrates said patent'"'"'s teeth increasing blood flow and eliminating the ischemia response thereby reducing said discomfort.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said interdental mouthpiece has a width in the range of 10 to 15 millimeters at is longest dimension.

8. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said interdental mouthpiece is constructed from a soft plastic material flexible enough to adapt to the teeth of the patient and transfer sufficient vibrations from the motor driven vibrating unit to the teeth of that patient.

9. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said interdental mouthpiece is positioned on the outer surface of said housing normal to the longest dimension of said housing.