Dental Apparatus For Restricting Tongue Movement During Examinations And Procedures

Abstract

An apparatus for restricting tongue movement during a dental procedure comprises a base for positioning the apparatus behind a lower set of teeth on a lower jaw within an oral cavity, a first wing for restricting movement of a tongue positioned vertically, and a second vertically positioned wing that also restricts movement of the tongue in coordination with the first wing. The herein disclosed dental apparatus is intended to be used during dental examinations or dental procedures when it is advantageous for the dental professional to restrict movement of the patient's tongue so that the tongue does not interfere with the procedure. In a preferred embodiment, at least the base of the dental apparatus is formed of a material that is able to absorb saliva and thus provide an additional moisture-wicking advantage to keep a portion of the oral cavity drier and relatively free of saliva, blood, or water. In a preferred embodiment, all components of the herein disclosed dental apparatus are formed of disposable materials.

Claims

1. An apparatus for restricting tongue movement during a dental procedure, comprising: a base formed of flexible material capable of bending to form a U-shape for positioning the apparatus behind a lower set of teeth on a lower jaw within an oral cavity, wherein the base is cylindrical in shape; a first wing for restricting movement of a tongue and formed of a wing flexible material, wherein the first wing is positioned in a vertical orientation to partially provide a barrier in coordination with a second wing between the lower set of teeth and the tongue and wherein a lower edge of the first wing is anchored to the base to secure the vertical orientation; and the second wing restricting movement of the tongue and formed of the wing flexible material, wherein the second wing is positioned in a vertical orientation to partially provide the barrier in coordination with the first wing between the lower set of teeth and the tongue and wherein a lower edge of the second wing is anchored to the base to secure the vertical orientation.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the first wing and the second wing overlap along a portion of the base so that the second wing is also anchored to the first wing.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the flexible material is fibrous for absorbing saliva.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein the flexible material is cotton rolled to form the cylindrical shape.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the flexible material is a disposable medical grade material.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the flexible material is a non-woven pressed material.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the base includes a rigid internal structure for providing structural support.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the rigid internal structure is formed of aluminum.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is formed entirely of disposable materials.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the base tapers at one or more ends.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the wing flexible material is a disposable medical grade material.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the first wing is taller in proximity to one or more molars of the lower set of teeth and shorter in proximity to one or more incisors of the lower set of teeth.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the second wing is taller in proximity to the one or more molars of the lower set of teeth and shorter in proximity to the one or more incisors of the lower set of teeth.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the second wing is taller in proximity to one or more molars of the lower set of teeth and shorter in proximity to one or more incisors of the lower set of teeth.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the first wing and the second wing have a rounded shape to avoid irritating the oral cavity.

16. An apparatus for restricting tongue movement during a dental procedure, comprising: a base formed of a flexible material capable of bending to form a U-shape for positioning the apparatus behind a lower set of teeth on a lower jaw within an oral cavity, wherein the base is cylindrical in shape; a first wing for restricting movement of a tongue and formed of a wing flexible material, wherein the first wing has a first side and a second side and is positioned in a vertical orientation; and a second wing restricting movement of the tongue and formed of the wing flexible material, wherein the second wing has a first side and a second side and is positioned in a vertical orientation; wherein the first side of the first wing is anchored to the base; wherein the first side of the second wing is anchored to the base and to the first wing; and wherein the second side of the first wing is anchored to the first side of the second wing so that the first wing and the second wing partially overlap.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein the apparatus is formed entirely of disposable materials.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein the first wing is taller in proximity to one or more molars of the lower set of teeth and shorter in proximity to one or more incisors of the lower set of teeth.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the second wing is taller in proximity to the one or more molars of the lower set of teeth and shorter in proximity to the one or more incisors of the lower set of teeth.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the second wing is taller in proximity to one or more molars of the lower set of teeth and shorter in proximity to one or more incisors of the lower set of teeth.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric view of the herein disclosed dental apparatus for restricting tongue movement during examination and procedures, wherein the dental apparatus is positioned for use on a lower jaw behind a set of lower teeth, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates a top-down view of the herein disclosed dental apparatus for restricting tongue movement during examination and procedures, wherein the dental apparatus is positioned for use on a lower jaw behind a set of lower teeth, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and alternative embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention is an apparatus for restricting tongue movement during a dental procedure and comprises base 110 for positioning the apparatus behind lower set of teeth 1 on a lower jaw within an oral cavity, first wing 120 for restricting movement of a tongue positioned vertically, and second vertically positioned wing 130 that also restricts movement of the tongue in coordination with first wing 120.

[0015] Throughout this specification, the herein disclosed dental apparatus will mostly be described as being formed of disposable materials and therefore the dental apparatus is, in most embodiments, fully disposable through a dental or medical office's standard waste disposal procedures. But the dental apparatus described herein can alternatively be formed of alternative materials that may not be fully disposable. For example, the dental apparatus may be formed of non-porous material that does not absorb patient fluids and therefore may be re-used for that patient or subsequent patients. This alternative non-disposable embodiment is intended to be included in this specification as a non-preferred embodiment of the present invention. As described herein, certain embodiments of the dental apparatus may include a rigid structure positioned within the base to provide increased structural support. The rigid structure can be formed of aluminum, which is considered a disposable material in the medical and/or dental fields.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, dental apparatus 101 for restricting tongue movement during dental procedures is positioned within lower set of teeth 1 within a lower jaw. The entirety of FIG. 1 represents a portion of a patient's oral cavity. Lower set of teeth 1 may be in any type of patient's mouth, including a non-human patient such as an animal.

[0017] Dental apparatus 101 includes base 110 that is capable of bending to form a U-shape as seen in FIG. 1 and is more apparent in the top-down view in FIG. 2. In a preferred embodiment, base 110 is cylindrical; for example, the base may be a rolled cotton and/or a non-woven material that may be formed substantially as a cylinder and bent into a U-shape either at the manufacturing stage or during use. Base 110 may, in certain embodiments, taper at one or both ends so that base 110 has a larger diameter in proximity to one or more incisor teeth of lower set of teeth 1 and smaller diameter in proximity to one or more molar teeth of lower set of teeth 1. The base may be formed of a flexible and disposable medical grade material. For example, the base may be formed of cellulose, cotton, and/or medical grade foam. In certain embodiments, base 110 may include an internal rigid structure that provides increased structural support for the U-shape of base 110. For example, an aluminum member may be positioned within base 110 and span substantially from one end of base 110 to another end of base 110. The aluminum member may assist the dental apparatus to maintain the desired U-shape necessary to conform to the patient's oral cavity.

[0018] Base 110 may be formed of any material that is pliable enough to form a U-shape as necessary to be positioned behind lower set of teeth 1, as seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. For example, base 110 may be formed of a disposable medical grade material such as cellulose, cotton, and/or medical grade foam. Base 110 may be formed of a fibrous material that is advantageous for absorbing saliva, blood, and/or water so as to provide a drier and/or clearer operating field.

[0019] First wing 120 is positioned in a vertical orientation and is anchored to base 110 at a lower edge of first wing 120. First wing 120 spans from a position in proximity to the one or more molars of lower set of teeth 1 to a position in proximity to the one or more incisors of lower set of teeth 1, and preferably spans past a midpoint of base 110. In a preferred embodiment, first wing 120 is taller (or has a greater height) in proximity to the one or more molars of lower set of teeth 1, and is shorter (or has a lesser height) in proximity to the one or more incisors of lower set of teeth 1.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 2, first wing 120 includes a first side 121 and a second side 122. First side 121 is anchored to base 110.

[0021] Second wing 130 is also positioned in a vertical orientation and is also anchored to base 110 at a lower edge of second wing 130. Second wing 130 spans from a position in proximity to one or more molars of lower set of teeth 1 to a position in proximity to one or more incisors of lower set of teeth 1, and preferably spans past a midpoint of base 110. In a preferred embodiment, second wing 130 is taller (or has a greater height) in proximity to the one or more molars of lower set of teeth 1, and is shorter (or has a lesser height) in proximity to the one or more incisors of lower set of teeth 1.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 2, an embodiment of the dental apparatus is shown wherein second wing 130 includes a first side 131 and a second side 132. First side 131 is anchored to base 110 and to the second side 122 of first wing 120 so that a portion of second wing 130 overlaps with a portion of first wing 120 to form a continuous barrier to restrict movement of a patient's tongue. In other words, first wing 120 and second wing 130 work in coordination to provide a barrier to restrict movement of the patent's tongue. The arrangement depicted in FIG. 2 may alternatively or additionally be described as second side 122 of first wing 120 being anchored to first side 131 of second wing 130 so that first wing 120 and second wing 130 partially overlap.

[0023] Both first wing 120 and second wing 130 may be formed of a wing material that may be any material is flexible enough to conform to a tight bend created by the U-shaped lower set of teeth 1. The wing material may be disposable. For example, the wing material may be fibrous material or may be a non-woven pressed material.

[0024] As seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, both first wing 120 and second wing 130 may be substantially rounded in shape and formed without any points or 90-degree angles so as to provide comfort to a patient. In a preferred embodiment, second wing 130 is a mirror image copy of first wing 120 arranged as described herein to provide a coordinated barrier to restrict movement of the patient's tongue.

[0025] In alternative embodiments of the dental apparatus, first wing 120 and second wing 130 may attach (or be simultaneously formed) to form a contiguous barrier. In other words, certain embodiments of the present invention may utilize an arrangement wherein first wing 120 and second wing 130 are formed together so that they essentially form a continuous (or contiguous) vertically oriented structure that forms a barrier to restrict movement of the patient's tongue. In such an embodiment, the continuous structure formed of first wing 120 and second wing 130 may be said to span from a position in proximity to one or more molars of lower set of teeth 1 to a position in proximity to the other molars of lower set of teeth 1. With this arrangement, the continuous structure may have a greater height in proximity to one or more molars of lower set of teeth 1 and a lesser or lower height in proximity to one or more incisors of lower set of teeth 1.

[0026] While the present invention has been illustrated and described herein in terms of a preferred embodiment and several alternatives, it is to be understood that the devices and methods described herein can have a multitude of additional uses and applications. Accordingly, the invention should not be limited to just the particular description and various drawing figures contained in this specification that merely illustrate a preferred embodiment and application of the principles of the invention.