Custom-Formable Night Grinding Appliance and Method of Use

• US 20140338675A1
• Filed: 05/15/2013
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akervall Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akervall Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Akervall, Jan, Schwank, Johannes W., Akervall, Sassa
• Granted Patent: US 10,945,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/848
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2005/563 Anti-bruxisme
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/566 Intra-oral devices

Abstract

Disclosed is a dental appliance composed of a thermo-plastic polymer with low compressibility, high toughness, and high tensile strength, with a low softening point. The appliance has perforations that enable it to be easily custom-fitted by the user or a health professional. The appliance begins as a generally U-shaped, unformed dental tray that is significantly thinner than existing dental appliances. Once fitted, the dental appliance provides superior protection against damage to the enamel of the teeth and abrasion of the teeth due to bruxism or other mechanism leading to biomechanical wear of dental surfaces. The perforations facilitate the custom-fitting process by allowing the user to suck air through the perforations, thus applying a negative pressure between the material and the teeth while the material is still soft and pliable. This enables a user or health professional to within minutes create a final product that rivals the quality and fit of an appliance made by dental laboratories using dentist made impressions.

Claims

1. A method for dissipating shear forces in a mouth guard, comprising:

forming a mouth guard into a U-shaped cross-section formed by an inner upstanding wall with an inner surface and an outer surface and an outer upstanding wall with an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner upstanding wall and said outer upstanding walls being connected by a U-shaped occlusal line portion;

forming at least one cusp on an upper edge portion of said outer upstanding wall and forming at least one lobe on said upper edge portion of said outer upstanding wall;

forming a plurality of openings in said inner upstanding wall outer surface, said openings connecting with a plurality of perforations extending through to said inner upstanding wall to a plurality of exits in said inner upstanding wall inner surface;

forming a plurality of openings in said outer upstanding wall outer surface, said openings connecting with a plurality of perforations extending through said outer upstanding wall to a plurality of exits in said outer upstanding wall inner surface;

subjecting said occlusal line portion to shearing forces;

transferring said shearing forces from said occlusal line portion to said plurality of openings in said outer upstanding wall outer surface, said plurality of exits in said outer upstanding wall inner surface, said plurality of openings in said outer upstanding wall outer surface, and said plurality of exits in said outer upstanding wall inner surface to temporarily distort said plurality of openings and said plurality of exits in a lateral direction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said shearing forces are transferred upwardly from said occlusal line portion to said at least one cusp for dissipation therein.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said shearing force transfers upwardly by a deformation wave traveling through said outer upstanding wall and crests at the cusp where it is dissipated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said shearing forces are dissipated through said lateral distortion of said openings and exits.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said openings and exits are initially circular but distort to ovals when subjected to shearing forces.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said openings and exits are arranged in two parallel rows adjacent said upper edge portion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said laterally moving shearing force in said walls contacts a first opening or exit causing it to deform, said deformation causing an opening or exit to compress immediately adjacent said first opening or exit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the amount of compression of said adjacent opening or exit is proportional to the amount of the deformation of the first opening or exit.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said openings and exits in one portion of said mouth guard are insulated from shearing forces in a remote portion of said mouth guard by said openings and exits in between said one portion and said remote portion.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said occlusal line is substantially free of perforations.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said openings and corresponding exits and perforations have a teardrop shape, said teardrop shapes being located adjacent circular openings and corresponding exits and perforations, said teardrop shapes deforming more under shearing forces than said circular openings and exits.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said openings and corresponding exits and perforations have a half moon shape, said half moon shapes being located adjacent circular openings and corresponding exits and perforations, said half moon shapes deforming more under shearing forces than said circular openings and exits.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said shearing forces do not compress said walls.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said openings are spaced from one another by a distance of an opening diameter away from an adjacent opening.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein adjacent openings have different shapes.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said mouth guard is formed of a substantially incompressible, constant volume material.

17. A mouth guard, comprising:

an inner upstanding wall with an inner surface and an outer surface, an outer upstanding wall with an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner upstanding wall and said outer upstanding wall connected with a U-shaped occlusal line to form a U-shaped cross section;

at least one cusp on an upper edge portion of said outer upstanding wall and at least one lobe on an upper edge portion of said outer upstanding wall,

a plurality of openings in said inner upstanding wall outer surface, said openings no more than an opening diameter away from one another, wherein immediately adjacent openings have a different shape from one another, said openings connecting with a plurality of perforations extending through to said inner upstanding wall to a plurality of exits in said inner upstanding wall inner surface;

a plurality of openings in said outer upstanding wall outer surface, said openings no more than an opening diameter away from one another, wherein immediately adjacent openings have a different shape from one another, said openings connecting with a plurality of perforations extending through said outer upstanding wall to a plurality of exits in said outer upstanding wall inner surface.