Prosthesis As Well As Retrofit Kit For A Prosthesis

Abstract

The invention relates to a dental prosthesis comprising a prosthesis base and teeth which are attached in or to the prosthesis base (14), wherein the prosthesis base (14) comprises a ventilation element, in particular a ventilation valve (12).

Claims

1. A dental prosthesis comprising a prosthesis base, and teeth which are attached in or to the prosthesis base, wherein the prosthesis base comprises a ventilation element.

2. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ventilation element comprises a ventilation valve.

3. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an actuation element (38) for manual actuation of the ventilation element, and wherein the ventilation element extends between a tooth side and a side of the prosthesis base facing away from the teeth.

4. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 3, wherein pressure on the actuation element of the ventilation element configured as a ventilation valve opens the ventilation valve.

5. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ventilation valve is closed in an idle state under pretension and openable against the pretension.

6. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ventilation valve is configured centrally at an upper jaw prosthesis and extends between a palatal side and a tooth side of the prosthesis.

7. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ventilation valve extends between an alveolar ridge side of the prosthesis and a tooth side of the prosthesis, and wherein at least two ventilation valves are configured spaced apart from one another.

8. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ventilation valve is configured so as to be combined with a bleed valve which is configured as a check valve, via which an air cushion may be vented on a side of the prosthesis base facing away from the teeth.

9. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 2, wherein a valve body of the ventilation valve is mounted movably with respect to the prosthesis base and is part of both the ventilation valve and a bleed valve.

10. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ventilation valve is combined with a bleed valve and wherein both the ventilation valve and the bleed valve close automatically under pretension and only the ventilation valve may be opened by manual actuation.

11. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ventilation valve comprises a valve body which is held undetachably in a valve opening which is configured as a through-opening in the prosthesis base.

12. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 11, wherein the valve body of the ventilation valve extends beyond the valve opening in the prosthesis base both on a tooth side of the prosthesis base and on the side of the prosthesis base facing away from the teeth and bears against it in the idle state.

13. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 10, wherein a valve body of the ventilation valve and of the bleed valve ends in a valve body lip which extends on a tooth side of the prosthesis base and covers and closes the valve opening in the manner of a suction cup lip.

14. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 9, wherein the valve body deforms upon application of pressure to an actuation element of the valve body from a tooth side of the prosthesis base.

15. The dental prosthesis as claimed in 13, wherein the valve body lip is lifted from the prosthesis base upon application of pressure to an actuation element of the valve body from the tooth side of the prosthesis base and opens the valve.

16. The dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 10, wherein the combined ventilation and bleed valve abuts against the prosthesis base with a predefined pretension of the valve body and with a valve body lip which corresponds to a predefined opening pressure at which the valve is opened, said opening pressure amounting to between 50 mbar and 300 mbar.

17. A retrofit kit for a dental prosthesis comprising a prosthesis base having a valve body which may be inserted into a valve opening to be installed in the prosthesis base, or by a combination of a valve body with a valve seat which are prefabricated such that they match one another, wherein the valve seat may be installed in a bore to be installed in the prosthesis base and is attachable thereat by adhesive bonding or polymerization.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Further advantages, details and features may be taken from the following description of several exemplary embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the drawings.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a top view of an inventive dental prosthesis from the tooth side, in a first embodiment;

[0028] FIG. 2 shows a section through a ventilation valve in a further embodiment of the inventive prosthesis; and

[0029] FIG. 3 shows a top view of the ventilation valve according to FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] A dental prosthesis 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1, an upper jaw prosthesis in the exemplary case. The prosthesis base 14 comprises centrally a ventilation valve 12 as a ventilation element.

[0031] The ventilation valve 12 comprises a valve body 16 which is guided movably in or at a valve opening. In one position, the valve body abuts against the valve opening such that the valve 12 is closed. In the other position, there is a gap between the valve body 16 and the valve opening such that air may flow through the valve 12.

[0032] In a preferred configuration, the closed position is spring-loaded such that the valve 12 closes automatically and is opened when actuated by the patient.

[0033] Opening causes that air may stream from the interior of the mouth towards the top, that is to say towards the palate of the patient, and that the negative pressure present thereat is released.

[0034] A possible configuration of a ventilation valve 12 is illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a part of an inventive dental prosthesis 10 comprising the ventilation valve 12.

[0036] The ventilation valve 12 is installed in a prosthesis base 14. It comprises an elastic valve body 16 which covers a valve opening 18.

[0037] For this purpose, the valve body 16 comprises a circumferential valve body lip 20 which rests on a tooth side 22 of the prosthesis base circularly around the valve opening 18 and seals against it.

[0038] Thus, the valve 12 forms a one-way valve or check valve at the valve body lip 20, said valve opening upon positive pressure on a side 28 of the prosthesis base facing away from the teeth compared to the pressure on the tooth side 22, and releasing this pressure and blocking thereat in case of negative pressure.

[0039] The valve body 16 further comprises a counter holding flange 24 which also extends circularly but is spaced apart when viewed from the valve body lip 20 in the direction parallel to a valve axis 26 and also abuts against the periphery of the valve opening 18 on the side 28 of the prosthesis base 14 facing away from the teeth.

[0040] The combination of counter holding flange 24 and valve body lip 20 holds the valve body 16 undetachably at the valve opening.

[0041] The valve opening 18 is configured specially. It comprisesas is apparent from FIG. 3radially protruding regions 30 and radially outwardly receding regions 32. They alternate when viewed in the circumferential direction of the valve opening 18.

[0042] In the exemplary case, four alternating receding regions 32 and protruding regions 30 are provided each, wherein it is to be understood that any desired other number of corresponding regions, for instance 8 or 10, may be configured, wherein the edge of the valve opening may also be configured undulatory when viewed in the top view.

[0043] The ventilation valve 12 may be opened manually upon central pressure on an actuation element 38 at its upper side. The valve body 16 is deformed in such a way that the valve body lip 20 at the regions 30 is supported more strongly radially towards the inside and is thus lifted accordingly radially on the outside. This lifting motion opens the radially outward regions 32 (see FIG. 3) and air may stream from the tooth side 22 to the side 28 facing away from the teeth such that the prosthesis is vented and may be removed easily.

[0044] The valve body 16 is configured to consist of an elastic material, more elastic than the prosthesis base 14 in any case and such that it abuts between the counter holding flange 24 and the valve body lip 20 in the idle state because of pretension.

[0045] The inventive ventilation valve 12 additionally comprises a bleed function in the embodiment illustrated herein. When the prosthesis is pressed to the palate on the side referred to as the side 28 facing away from the teeth herein, positive pressure is produced on the side 28 of the prosthesis base 14 facing away from the teeth in the region of the air cushion 40 compared to the tooth side 22. This positive pressure may be released easily via the valve body lip 20 as the bottom side of the valve body lip is in fluid connection with the side 28 of the prosthesis base facing away from the teeth due to the radially receding regions 32.

[0046] In case of a corresponding swallowing movement of the patient, negative pressure is generated on the tooth side 22 which leads to bleeding of air from the region of the air cushion 40 via the valve 12 acting as the bleed valve.

[0047] As the precisely produced prosthesis is pressed on, it adheres to the palate of the patient especially well, but it may be opened and thus removed upon pressure on the actuation element 38 at the central region on the upper side of the valve body 16.