DEVICES FOR TREATING TRISMUS AND METHODS OF USE

Abstract

A device and method treating Trismus in a patient. The device is configured to be located completely within the mouth of the patient and includes a pair of teeth-receiving plates and at least one adjustable biasing assembly. The adjustable biasing assembly pivotably interconnects the teeth-receiving plates and is adjustable to establish a desired spacing between anterior portions of the teeth-receiving plates, and also provides a force to the teeth-receiving plates tending to bias the anterior portions of those plates to the desired spacing.

Claims

1. A device for treating Trismus in a patient, said device being configured to be located completely within the mouth of the patient without any portion extending out of the mouth of the patient, said device comprising: a pair of teeth-receiving plates, each of said teeth-receiving plates including an anterior portion and a posterior portion, with one of said plates being disposed over the other of said plates to establish a space between said anterior portions of said plates; and at least one adjustable biasing assembly comprising at least one adjustable biasing assembly interconnecting said teeth-receiving plates between said anterior portion and said posterior portion and being configured for pivotably connecting said pair of teeth-receiving plates to each other to establish a desired spacing between said anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates and for providing a bias force to said teeth-receiving plates, said at least one adjustable biasing assembly being adjustable to adjust said desired spacing.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said adjustable biasing assembly comprises: a hinge interconnecting said teeth-receiving plates between said anterior portion and said posterior portion of said teeth-receiving plates; a spring coupled between said teeth-receiving plates adjacent said hinge and configured to either naturally expand or naturally contract, whereupon a bias force is applied by said spring to said teeth-receiving plates; and an adjustment mechanism coupled to said spring and configured to adjust the amount that said spring expands to a desired expanded state or contracts to a desired contracted state, in either case establishing said desired spacing.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said device is configured so that said teeth-receiving plates can be pivoted together at said hinge to a closed position, whereupon said anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates are closely adjacent to each other to enable said device to be readily inserted into the mouth of the patient, whereupon the bias provided by said spring in said desired expanded state or said desired contracted state causes said teeth-receiving plates to naturally pivot apart from each other to a desired open position wherein said anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates are at said desired space from each other.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein each of said teeth-receiving plates includes a pair of sides and wherein said device comprises two adjustable biasing assemblies, one of said adjustable biasing assemblies located adjacent one of said pair of sides and the other of said adjustable biasing assemblies located adjacent the other of said pair of sides.

5. The device of claim 2 wherein said adjustment mechanism includes a rotatable component, said rotatable component being configured to be rotated by a tool to adjust the amount that said spring expands to a desired expanded state or contracts to a desired contracted state.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein each of said teeth-receiving plates is molded of a strong material to distribute said bias force thereacross.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein said hinge comprises a flexible strip formed of a strong biocompatible material.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said biocompatible material comprises stainless steel or titanium.

9. The device of claim 2, wherein said adjustable biasing assembly additionally comprises a body encapsulating said hinge, said spring and said adjustment mechanism.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said body comprises a resilient material.

11. A method for treating Trismus in a patient, said method comprising: providing a device being configured to be located completely within the mouth of the patient without any portion extending out of the mouth of the patient, said device comprising a pair of teeth-receiving plates pivotably connected to each other and an adjustable biasing assembly providing a bias force to said teeth-receiving plates and for establishing a desired spacing between anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates; operating said adjustable biasing assembly to establish a first desired spacing between said anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates; pivoting said teeth-receiving plates with respect to each other to bring said anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates closely adjacent to each other; and inserting said device completely within the mouth of the patient wherein upper teeth of the patient are located within portions of one of said pair of teeth-receiving plate and lower teeth of the patient are located within portions of the other of said pair of teeth-receiving plates, whereupon the bias provided by said spring in said desired expanded state or said desired contracted state causes said teeth-receiving plates to naturally pivot apart from each other to a desired open position wherein said anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates are at said first desired spacing from each other.

12. The method of claim 11, additionally comprising: removing said device from the mouth of the patient; operating said adjustable biasing assembly to establish a second desired spacing between said anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates, said second desired spacing being greater than said first desired spacing; pivoting said teeth-receiving plates with respect to each other to bring said anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates closely adjacent to each other; and inserting said device completely within the mouth of the patient wherein upper teeth of the patient are located within portions of one of said pair of teeth-receiving plate and lower teeth of the patient are located within portions of the other of said pair of teeth-receiving plates, whereupon the bias provided by said spring in said desired expanded state or said desired contracted state causes said teeth-receiving plates to naturally pivot apart from each other to a desired open position wherein said anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates are at said second desired spacing from each other.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said method is repeated as necessary, each time operating said adjustable assembly to establish a desired spacing that is greater than the prior desired spacing until the desired spacing is a maximum for the patient.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said operating said adjustable biasing assembly to establish a first desired spacing between said anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates is accomplished outside of the mouth of said patient.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said operating said adjustable biasing assembly to establish a first desired spacing between said anterior portions of said teeth-receiving plates is accomplished outside of the mouth of said patient.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0029] FIG. 1 is a side elevation illustration, not to scale, of one exemplary embodiment of a device for treating Trismus in a person;

[0030] FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation view of one portion, i.e., an adjustable biasing assembly in the form of a hinge, a compression spring, a spring adjusting mechanism, and an encapsulating body, of the device for treating Trismus shown in FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 through the encapsulating body of FIG. 2;

[0032] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 through the encapsulating body of FIG. 2;

[0033] FIG. 5 is an enlarged isometric view of the compression spring and the spring adjusting mechanism of FIGS. 1-4, shown without the encapsulation of the encapsulation body; and

[0034] FIG. 6 is an illustration, similar to FIG. 1, but showing an alternative exemplary embodiment of a device for treating Trismus constructed in accordance with this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0035] Referring now to the various figures of the drawing wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, there is shown at 20 in FIG. 1 one exemplary embodiment of a device for treating Trismus in a patient. The device basically comprises a pair of teeth-receiving plates 22 and 24 that are pivotably connected to each other by at least one adjustable biasing assembly 26. The device is designed so that it can be completely disposed within the mouth of a person having Trismus, without any portion of the device 20 sticking out of the person's mouth, so that the teeth-receiving plate 22 receives the upper teeth and contiguous gum structure of the patient and the teeth-receiving plate 24 receives the lower teeth and contiguous gum structure of the patient. Preferably, each teeth-receiving plate is constructed similarly to a conventional mouth guard, e.g., a plate which is molded of a strong biocompatible material, e.g., silicone, plastic, or other dental quality material, and is contoured or molded so that it can closely and comfortably accommodate the teeth and contiguous gums of the patient.

[0036] The at least one adjustable biasing assembly 26 is constructed and configured to act as a hinge to enable the two teeth-receiving plates to be pivoted with respect to each other so that the anterior portions 22A and 24A of the teeth-receiving plates 22 and 24, respectively, are a desired spacing or distance D from each other. Moreover, the adjustable biasing assembly includes means, e.g., a spring 28 or some other biasing means, which biases the anterior portions 22A and 22B apart to hold those anterior portions at the desired distance D, notwithstanding the tendency of the muscles at the jaw of the patient to attempt to close the patient's mouth when the device is in place in the patient's mouth. Further still, the adjustable biasing assembly also includes means, e.g., an adjustment mechanism 30, to enable the spacing or distance D to be adjusted as desired.

[0037] In the exemplary embodiment shown there are two identical adjustable biasing assemblies 26. One of the biasing assemblies is located between the anterior portion 22A of the upper teeth receiving plate 22 and the posterior portion 22B of that teeth-receiving plate and preferably adjacent the molars on one side of the patient's mouth. The other of the biasing assemblies is located between the anterior portion 22A of the upper teeth receiving plate 22 and the posterior portion 22B of that teeth-receiving plate and preferably adjacent the molars on other side of the patient's mouth.

[0038] Each adjustable biasing assembly 26 is made up of a hinge 32, the heretofore mentioned spring 28, the heretofore mentioned adjustment mechanism 30 and an encapsulating body 34. The encapsulating body is a body formed of any biocompatible flexible or resilient material, e.g., silicone or a plastic, and includes a top face 34A, a bottom face 34B, a front end face 34C and a rear end face 34D. The top face 34A of one of the encapsulating bodies 34 is fixedly secured to an interior portion of the upper teeth-receiving plate 22 on one side of thereof, with the bottom face 34B of that encapsulating body fixedly secured to an interior portion of the lower teeth-receiving plate 24 on that one side. In a similar manner, the top face 34A of the other of the encapsulating bodies 34 is fixedly secured to an interior portion of the upper teeth-receiving plate 22 on the opposite side, with the bottom face 34B of that other encapsulating body fixedly secured to an interior portion of the lower teeth-receiving plate 24 on that opposite side.

[0039] The hinge 32 can take any form, in the exemplary embodiment shown it is in the form of a generally U or V-shaped integral member formed of a strong resilient, biocompatible material, e.g., titanium, stainless steel, carbon fiber, etc. and having a pair of leg sections 32A and 32B which are interconnected at an apex 32C. The leg sections are arranged to be moved with respect to each other, either closer to or further away from each other by the flexing of the hinge at its apex. The movement of the leg sections 32A and 32B apart from each other is accomplished by a bias force applied thereto by the compression spring 28. In particular, as best seen in FIG. 5, the spring 28 is a helical compression spring whose upper end is fixedly secured to a body 30A of the adjustment mechanism 30. The lower end of the spring 28 is fixedly secured to a body 30B of the adjustment mechanism. Thus, the natural bias provided by the compression spring will tend to separate the bodies 30A and 30B from each other.

[0040] The adjustment mechanism 30 also includes a threaded shaft 30C interconnecting the bodies 30A and 30B. The threaded shaft 30, when rotated in one rotational direction about its central longitudinal axis X brings the bodies 30A and 30B towards each other against the natural bias provided by the compression spring 28, and when rotated in the opposite rotational direction about axis X enables the spring to bring the bodies 30A and 30B away from each other. The amount that the spring is compressed is a function of the spacing of the bodies 30A and 30B, and the spacing of those bodies is a function of the amount and direction that the shaft is rotated about the axis X. Rotation of the threaded shaft about the axis X in either rotational direction is achieved by means of a rotatable motion translation mechanism (not shown) which is coupled to a threaded Allen head screw 30D disposed within a threaded bore hole in the body 30B. The Allen head screw 30D is configured to be rotated about a transverse axis Y, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X, by use of a conventional Allen wrench tool 36. The rotatable motion translation mechanism is located within the interior of the body 30B and serves to convert the rotation of the Allen screw about the axis Y into corresponding rotation of the threaded rod 30C about the axis X, thereby either moving the bodies 30A and 30B closer together or further apart. Thus, the rotation of the Allen screw establishes the desired spacing D between the anterior portions 22A and 24A of the teeth-receiving plates.

[0041] Use of the device 20 by a patient with Trismus is as follows. The device should be adjusted to establish the initial spacing of the anterior portions of the teeth-receiving plates for the particular patient. To that end, with the device located outside of the patient's mouth, an end of the Allen wrench tool 36 is inserted through an aperture in the encapsulating body 34 of the adjustable biasing assembly 26. In particular, while not shown in FIG. 2, the encapsulating body 34 of the device 20 of FIG. 1, includes an aperture in its end face 34C which is aligned with the Allen screw 30D so that an end portion of the Allen wrench tool 36 can be passed through the aperture in the body 34 to engage the head of the Allen screw 30D. The tool 36 is then rotated about its axis to rotate the Allen screw 30D in the desired rotational direction about the axis Y, until the anterior portions of the teeth-receiving plates are at the desired initial spacing or distance D. The anterior portions of the teeth-receiving plates can then be pivoted together against the bias provided by the spring to cause the device 20 to be in a compact state ready for introduction into the mouth of the patient. That action is accomplished by the patient opening his/her mouth so that the posterior end of the device 20 can be inserted into his/her mouth, so that the patient's upper teeth and contiguous gums are located within the upper teeth-receiving plate 22 and the patient's lower teeth and contiguous gums are located within the lower teeth-receiving plate. The bias provided by the spring 28, will then cause the anterior portions of the upper and lower teeth-receiving plates to move apart until they are at the preselected distance or spacing D.

[0042] The patient will then repeatedly compress his/her mouth causing the pterygoid muscles and ligaments to expand and contract being careful not to over-stretch which may cause pain/or discomfort. That repeated action at the initial distance or spacing D will gradually manipulate the pterygoid muscles and ligaments in the jaw to open with less stress on the teeth. Moreover, since the opening of the jaw is effected not from the front of the mouth, but from a point adjacent the molars (e.g., upper teeth #s 2, 3, 4 and 13, 14, 15, and lower teeth #s 18, 19, 20 and 29, 30, 31), the exercising of the opening of the patient's mouth should be easier and less painful for the patient. Once the patient can readily open his/her mouth to the initial position, the adjustable biasing assembly can be readjusted to increase the distance or spacing D, by use of the tool 36. In particular, with the device 20 outside of the patient's mouth, an end of the tool 36 can be inserted through the aperture in the encapsulating body 34 of the adjustable biasing assembly 26 to rotate the Allen screw 30D in the desired rotational direction about the axis Y, until the anterior portions of the teeth-receiving plates are at the new desired spacing or distance D, which is greater that the initial distance or spacing. The anterior portions of the teeth-receiving plates can then be pivoted together against the bias provided by the spring into the compact state so that the device 20 can be introduced into the patient's mouth as described above, whereupon the patient's upper teeth and contiguous gums are located within the upper teeth-receiving plate 22 and the patient's lower teeth and contiguous gums are located within the lower teeth-receiving plate. The bias provided by the spring 28, will then cause the anterior portions of the upper and lower teeth-receiving plates to pivot apart by the new (larger) preselected distance or spacing D.

[0043] The device 20 can be adjusted and used as much as necessary to properly stretch the pterygoid muscles and ligaments in the jaw, but not beyond an anatomically correct amount, e.g., approximately 40 to 60 mm.

[0044] In FIG. 6 there is shown an alternative embodiment of a device 20′ constructed in accordance with this invention. That device is identical in construction to device 20 except that the adjustable biasing assembly 26′ makes use of a tension spring 28′ instead of the compression spring 28. In the interest of brevity the components of the device 20′ which are common with the components of the device 20 will be given the same reference numbers and the details of their construction, arrangement and operation will not be reiterated.

[0045] Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 6 the adjustable biasing assembly 26′ is secured between the teeth receiving plates 22 and 24 at approximately the same location as the adjustable biasing assembly 26 of the device 20, but is oriented in the opposite direction, i.e., the apex 32C of the hinge is directed anteriorly, rather than posteriorly. Since the spring 28′ is a tension spring and since the hinge 32 is located in the opposite direction, the increasing of the spacing D between the anterior portions of the teeth-receiving plates 22 and 24 is achieved by rotating the Allen screw in the rotational direction about axis Y to bring the spring adjustment bodies 30A and 30B closer together rather than further apart. The hinge 32 includes a window or opening 32D adjacent but slightly below the apex 32C so that it is aligned with the Allen screw 30D to enable the end of the Allen wrench tool 36 to be inserted therethrough from an anterior direction like shown in FIG. 6 to establish the desired spacing D between the anterior portions of the teeth-receiving plates. To that end, the encapsulating body 34 includes another aperture (not shown) in the end face 34C which is adjacent the opening or window 32D in the hinge 32 through which the end portion of the Allen wrench tool can be inserted to adjust the Allen screw of the device 20′ of FIG. 6.

[0046] The use of the device 20′ is identical to the use of the device 20 so that it will not be reiterated.

[0047] As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the subject invention offers various advantages over the prior art devices, since it is simpler in construction, easier to use, doesn't require significant hand strength to establish the desired amount of force to the jaw, and applies the jaw opening force equally to all of the teeth and not merely to the front teeth. Thus, the use of the invention should make the jaw opening process and training easier and less painful for the patient.

[0048] It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments of the devices 20 and 20′ are but a few examples of various structures and configurations that can be made in accordance with this invention to carry out its ends. Moreover, the methods of use of those should not be deemed to constitute all of the ways that those devices can be used.

[0049] Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully illustrate our invention that others may, by applying current or future knowledge, adopt the same for use under various conditions of service.