Oral Appliance As Swallow Training Auxiliary Device With Open Occlusal Surface Of Teeth And Production Method Thereof

Abstract

An oral appliance as swallow training auxiliary device with open occlusal surface includes an open fixing frame and a palate pad. The open fixing frame is first made from cast by elastic material, or other elastic material done by 3D printed technology, and the palate pad uses an unsetting soft material to make a palate pad. After placement of the open fixing frame with the palate pad template on the upper dental arch of a patient, the patient does swallowing and uses tongue to press up on and cause the palate pad template to mold the shape of the palate pad to match tongue elevation position during swallowing and palate side in the oral cavity of the patient.

Claims

1. An oral appliance as swallow training auxiliary device with open occlusal surface, comprising: an open fixing frame, an arch form teeth brace, the brace having an outer edge and an inner edge mutually connected, wherein an open space is defined between the outer edge and the inner edge enables exposing occlusal surface of upper dental arch; and a palate pad, corresponding in shape to a palate side and tongue elevation during swallowing in an oral cavity, the palate pad being fixed to the inner edge.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the outer edge includes an outer edge binding surface corresponding to an arranged configuration of an external surface of the teeth of upper dental arch, and the inner edge includes an inner edge binding surface corresponding to an arranged configuration of an inner surface of the teeth of upper dental arch.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the open fixing frame is made from elastic material, such as thin thermoplastic resin plate.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the palate pad is made from soft material, such as denture soft liner.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary binding structure is disposed on the inner edge, and the palate pad is fixed to the inner edge by means of the auxiliary binding structure.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the auxiliary binding structure is provided with several through holes.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the palate pad includes a baseplate and colloid layers respectively coated on two opposite surfaces of the baseplate.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the open fixing frame and the baseplate are made from elastic material, such as thin thermoplastic resin plate, and the colloid layers are made from soft material, such as denture soft liner.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the open fixing frame is configured to be only mounted on the teeth of upper dental arch.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the open fixing frame is configured to be mounted on gum nearby the upper dental arch as well as the teeth of upper dental arch.

11. A production method for an oral appliance as swallow training auxiliary device with open occlusal surface, comprising the following steps: Producing an open fixing frame according to an arranged configuration of an upper dental arch, wherein open fixing frame includes an outer edge and an inner edge mutually connected, with an open space being formed therebetween that enables exposing an occlusal surface of the upper dental arch, and producing a palate pad to match on the inner edge palate side and tongue elevation position during swallowing in an oral cavity.

12. The production method according to claim 11, wherein the open fixing frame is produced according to the arranged configuration of the upper dental arch and a shape of gum around upper dental arch.

13. The production method according to claim 11, wherein the open fixing frame is produced by applying elastic material, such as thin thermoplastic resin plate on a dental mold with upper dental arch so as to be shaped according thereto.

14. The production method according to claim 11, wherein the open fixing frame is produced by firstly obtaining 3D digital data of the upper dental arch and gum, then depicting and printing out the open fixing frame with a 3D printing technology.

15. The production method according to claim 11, wherein an unsetting soft material, such as denture soft liner is used to produce palate pad that is connected to the inner edge; after wearing the open fixing frame with the palate pad template, a patient do swallow and uses his tongue to push up on and cause the palate pad template to be shaped and then form the palate pad according to the palate side and tongue elevation during swallowing in the oral cavity, after which the palate pad is setting.

16. The production method according to claim 15, wherein the palate pad template is produced by first forming a baseplate on the inner edge of the open fixing frame, and then the two opposite surfaces of the baseplate are coated with the unsetting soft material, such as denture soft liner.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional external view of a training auxiliary device of the present invention not yet being placed inside the oral cavity for shaping, wherein a baseplate for a palate pad template is not yet coated with a colloid layer.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional external view of a training auxiliary device of the present invention ready to be placed inside the oral cavity for shaping, wherein the baseplate of the palate pad template is already coated with a colloid layer.

[0030] FIG. 3 is an external view showing a patient's upper dental arch fitted with the training auxiliary device of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of FIG. 3.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a schematic view depicting fitting the present invention, whereby a patient does swallow and uses tongue to press up on the palate pad template, causing the palate pad template to be molded and shaped according to the contour of the tongue elevation during swallowing and palate in the oral cavity.

[0033] FIG. 6 is another schematic view depicting fitting the present invention, whereby a patient do swallow and uses their tongue to press up on the palate pad template, causing the palate pad template to be molded and shaped according to the contour of the tongue elevation during swallowing and palate in the oral cavity.

[0034] FIG. 7 is an external view of the training auxiliary device of the present invention fitted on the patient's upper dental arch and palate with the shaped palate pad.

[0035] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an auxiliary binding structure formed on an inner edge of an open fixing frame of the training auxiliary device of the present invention that firmly connects and fixes the palate pad.

[0036] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of another form of the training auxiliary device of the present invention, showing the open fixing frame only covering the teeth of upper dental arch and not covering the gum.

[0037] FIG. 10 is a schematic view of one of the forms of a oral appliance as auxiliary device of the prior art,

[0038] FIG. 11 is a rear side view of FIG. 10, showing a palate pad with a palatal augmentation thickness of H.

[0039] FIG. 12 is a schematic view of another form of a oral appliance as auxiliary device of the prior art.

[0040] FIG. 13 is a rear side view of FIG. 12, showing a palate pad with a thickness of H for palatal augmentation form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] Based on the above-described technological characteristics of the present invention, the main effects of an oral appliance as swallow training auxiliary device with open occlusal surface and production method thereof are clearly presented in the following embodiments.

[0042] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, which show an embodiment of a training auxiliary device of the present invention, wherein an open fixing frame (1) is produced according to the arranged configuration of an upper dental arch (10) and the shape of a gum (20) around the upper dental arch (10) in a patient's oral cavity. Accordingly, the open fixing frame (1) assumes an teeth arch form brace, which includes a mutually connected outer edge (11) and an inner edge (12), and an open space (13) that is formed between the outer edge (11) and the inner edge (12). Elastic material, such as thin thermoplastic resin plate, is used to shape and produce the open fixing frame (1) on the upper dental arch (10) and the gum (20), according to a dental stone mold, or 3D digital data of the dental arch (10) and the gum (20) is first obtained and then a 3D shape of the open fixing frame (1) is depicted to produce the open fixing frame (1), using thin thermoplastic resin plate by thermal formed or by the 3D printing technology. Accordingly, an outer edge binding surface (111) of the outer edge (11) corresponds to the arranged configuration of the external surface of the teeth of upper dental arch (10) and the shape of the external surface of the gum (20), and an inner edge binding surface (121) of the inner edge (12) corresponds to the arranged configuration of the inner surface of the teeth of upper dental arch (10) and the shape of the inner surface of the gum (20).

[0043] Then, an unsetting soft material, such as denture soft liner, is used to make an palatal augmentation palate pad, which is connected to the inner edge (12), wherein the palate pad template (2) is produced by first forming a baseplate (21) on the inner edge (12) of the open fixing frame (1). The material used for both the baseplate (21) and the open fixing frame (1) is elastic material, such as thin thermoplastic resin plate, and the two opposite surfaces of the baseplate (21) are respectively coated with a colloid layer (22), which is an unsetting soft material, such as denture soft liner.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, when in use, the open fixing frame (1) is worn on the upper dental arch (10) in the patient's oral cavity, wherein the outer edge binding surface (111) of the outer edge (11) is tightly embrace to the external surfaces of the upper dental arch (10) and the gum (20), and the inner edge binding surface (121) of the inner edge (12) is tightly embrace to the inner lingual surfaces of teeth (10) and the gum (20). Accordingly, the open fixing frame (1) is firmly mounted onto the upper dental arch (10), which minimizes to and fro movement of the training auxiliary device when the patient do swallow training. Moreover, the open space (13) enables exposing an occlusal surface (30) of the to teeth of upper dental arch (10). Furthermore, the open fixing frame (1) is made from elastic material, such as thin thermoplastic resin plate, and the colloid layers (22) for the palate pad template (2) are made by soft material, such as denture soft liner, thus, the entire device is relatively soft and elastic, providing better comfort when in use and can realize is appropriate deformation to well match the insertion and set stable in the patient's oral cavity, even in the case patient without properly straight path of insertion for the prior art device.

[0045] Referring to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the patient do swallow and uses their tongue (50) to press up on and cause the palate pad template (2) to yield to the pressing up pressure of the tongue elevation during swallowing (50) to shape a palate pad (2A), after which the patient waits for the soft material on palate pad (2A) to shape and set. Here, by way of example, the palate side of the oral cavity is an upper palate (40), and specifies the hard palate portion of the upper palate, the customized palate pad (2A) can be adapted to match the palate side shape inside the oral cavity and tongue elevation position during swallowing of different patients, thus enabling the training auxiliary device of the present embodiment to be firmly positioned within the patient's oral cavity and providing better comfort when in use.

[0046] By shortening the distance between the tongue (50) and the upper palate (40) of the patient, when the patient prepares to swallow and presses their tongue up on the palate pad (2A), it can be determined that the maximum tongue pressure of the patient has been restored to approximately 20 kPa to 30 kPa using a tongue pressure measure device, is thus enabling the patient to do swallow training if the safety to swallowing is ensured. Moreover, when the open fixing frame (1) is mounted on the upper dental arch (10), the occlusal surface (30) of the teeth of upper dental arch (10) is exposed through the open space (13), hence, the patient can still directly use the occlusal surface (30) of the teeth of upper dental arch (10) to produce occlusal action whether speaking or chewing food that is equivalent to the occlusal habit of the average person, enhance the coordination of muscle action during chewing and swallowing, increases the patient's willingness to use the training auxiliary device of the present embodiment and improves the degree of comfort when in use. Furthermore, the open fixing frame (1) embraces and is thereby fixed on the upper dental arch(10) with good fixing effectiveness, thus eliminating the need to produce additional fixing members, as well as resolving the problem of additional fixing members hindering occlusal action.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 8, in order to enable the colloid layers (22) to firmly bind to the inner edge (12) of the open fixing frame (1) without easily coming loose, an auxiliary binding structure is disposed on the inner edge (12), wherein the auxiliary binding structure of the present embodiment is a spaced arrangement of a plurality of through holes (14) is in the inner edge (12). The colloid layers (22) are embedded in the above-described through holes (14) during the process of forming thereof, which firmly bonds the colloid layers (22) to the inner edge (12) after forming the palate pad (2A), and enables extending the serviceable life of the palate pad (2A).

[0048] Referring to FIG. 3, the above-described open fixing frame (1) includes portions corresponding to the upper dental arch (10) and the gum (20). Thereby, if the teeth of upper dental arch are inadequately healthy and not firm enough, the open fixing frame (1) can embrace and thereby fixed on the gum(20) for more retention force, as well as the teeth of upper dental arch(10). However, referring to FIG. 9, if the teeth of upper dental arch(10) of the patient are adequately healthy and firm enough, the open fixing frame (1) can also be worn to just embrace the teeth of upper dental arch(10), whereby the outer edge (11) and the inner edge (12) of the open fixing frame (1) only correspond to the to arranged configuration of the teeth of upper dental arch(10) and is only mounted on the teeth of upper dental arch (10), exposing the occlusal surface (30) thereof. Accordingly, the sensation of having a foreign body on the gum (20), as shown in FIG. 3, is reduced and degree of comfort using the open fixing frame (1) is improved.

[0049] In summary, the above description of the embodiments provides a clear understanding of the operational procedure and the effectiveness achieved by the present invention. However, it is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.