CHEEK RETRACTOR

Abstract

In order to improve the occupational safety of the treating personnel during a dental treatment of a patient, an apparatus is provided wherein the discharge of aerosols from the oral cavity during the dental treatment can be reduced to a particular extent or possibly completely prevented. To this end, a cheek retractor, in particular for holding the patient's mouth open during a dental treatment in the oral cavity or throat, is equipped with integrated suction, wherein a plurality of suction openings connected to a suction system are arranged on the lip support shell of the cheek retractor.

Claims

1.-5. (canceled)

6. A cheek retainer for keeping a patient's mouth open during a treatment in an oral or pharyngeal region or a dental treatment, comprising: a lip retainer shell which completely receives the patient's lips along the entire lip section or lip contour and on which a number of suction openings connected to a suction system are arranged, and wherein at least 50% of the lip section is provided with suction openings along the lip section.

7. The cheek retainer according to claim 6, wherein at least 75% of the lip section is provided with suction openings along the lip section.

8. The cheek retainer according to claim 6, wherein the suction openings are positioned at most 25 mm offset from a parting plane between inner and outer regions of the patient's oral cavity.

9. The cheek retainer according to claim 6, wherein the suction openings are positioned at most 20 mm offset from a parting plane between inner and outer regions of the patient's oral cavity.

10. The cheek retainer according to claim 6, wherein the suction openings are positioned at most 10 mm offset from a parting plane between inner and outer regions of the patient's oral cavity.

11. The cheek retainer according to claim 6, wherein the or each lip retainer shell is provided with a number of retaining ribs.

12. The cheek retainer according to claim 6, wherein a suction power of the suction system is selected such that a suctioned volume flow is at least 125% of a volume flow of media supplied during treatment.

13. The cheek retainer according to claim 6, wherein a suction power of the suction system is selected such that a suctioned volume flow is at least 150% of a volume flow of media supplied during treatment.

14. The cheek retainer according to claim 6, wherein a suction power of the suction system is selected such that a suctioned volume flow is at least 200% of a volume flow of media supplied during treatment.

15. The cheek retainer according to claim 6, further comprising: an outer retaining or supporting ring; and an inner retaining or supporting ring; and wherein both the outer retaining or supporting ring and the inner retaining or supporting ring are made of elastic material and are correspondingly deformable and mechanically connected to one another via a deformable membrane forming the lip retainer shell.

16. The cheek retainer according to claim 15, wherein the deformable membrane includes a suction channel in communication with the suction openings.

Description

[0023] An embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail with reference to a drawing. Therein show:

[0024] FIG. 1 a cheek piece holder of conventional design in a one-sided version in top view (FIG. 1a), in side view (FIG. 1b), and in perspective view (FIG. 1c),

[0025] FIG. 2 a stringer holder of conventional design in double-sided design in top view (FIG. 2a), in side view (FIG. 2b), and in perspective view (FIG. 2c),

[0026] FIG. 3A cheek holder with integrated suction system in a single-sided design in perspective view (FIG. 3a) and perspective section (FIG. 3b),

[0027] FIG. 4 a cheek holder with integrated suction system in double-sided design in lateral (FIG. 4a) and perspective view (FIG. 4b),

[0028] FIG. 5a lip retainer, in particular for use in a cheek retainer according to FIG. 3 or 4,

[0029] FIG. 6A perspective view (FIG. 6a) and side view (FIG. 6b) of a known “OptraGate®” stringer available on the market, and a section of a longitudinal section (FIG. 6c),

[0030] FIG. 7 a perspective view (FIG. 7a) and a side view (FIG. 7b) of the “OptraGate®” stringer in the inserted state, as well as a section of the longitudinal view (FIG. 7c),

[0031] FIG. 8 Detail of the patient's mouth with the cheek retractor “Optra Gate®” in place in front (FIG. 8a) and perspective view (FIG. 8b),

[0032] FIG. 9 a section of the jaw region of a patient in longitudinal section without (FIG. 9a) and with (FIG. 9b) the “OptraGate®” cheek retractor in place, FIG. 10A cheek holder further formed according to the invention on the basis of the cheek holder according to FIG. 6, 7 in inserted state in perspective view (FIG. 10a) and lateral view (FIG. 10b), as well as sectional view in longitudinal section (FIG. 10c),

[0033] FIG. 11 a sectional view of the patient's mouth with inserted cheek retractor formed according to the invention in front view (FIG. 11a) and perspective view (FIG. 11 b),

[0034] FIG. 12 a sectional view of the jaw region of a patient in longitudinal section with the cheek retractor inserted,

[0035] FIG. 13 a tubing system to provide a suction channel,

[0036] FIG. 14 another tubing system to provide a suction channel,

[0037] FIG. 15 a frontal (FIG. 15a) and perspective (FIG. 15b) view of a hose system configured as a resilient support structure for a stringer, and

[0038] FIG. 16 an alternative embodiment of a tubing system configured as a resilient support structure for a stringer in frontal (FIG. 16a) and perspective (FIG. 16b) views.

[0039] Identical parts are marked with the same reference signs in all figures.

[0040] The cheek retractor 1 shown in FIG. 1, which is of conventional design, is commonly used in the oral cavity of a patient as part of a treatment to improve access to the treatment in the oral cavity. Such cheek retractor 1 may be used in the corner of the patient's mouth and/or other areas of the patient's cheek and lip to hold them off to increase access into the oral cavity. For this purpose, the cheek retainer 1 comprises a lip retaining shell 2, also referred to as a cheek attachment, which in the embodiment shown is designed in the manner of a semi circular profile. A part of the lip, for example in the corner of the mouth, can be inserted into this lip retainer shell 2 during treatment. For this purpose, the lip retaining shell 2 in the embodiment shown is stretched in a semi-circular shape so that it can be inserted particularly well into a corner of the mouth, protects the lip and pulls the cheek away with traction on an integrally formed cheek retaining handle 4 to increase access to the oral cavity. The patient's lip is thereby partially enclosed by the lip retainer shell 2 to prevent it from slipping away. The lip support 6 of the lip support shell 2, into which the lip is inserted and by which the lip is partially enclosed to ensure a better hold, is provided on the concave side of the lip support shell 2. The side opposite the lip pen support 6 with respect to the lip retaining shell 2, as indicated by the arrow 8, points in the direction into the oral cavity. However, in the case of this type of cheek retractor 1 (simple cheek retractor), it is disadvantageous that it must be held with one hand during treatment.

[0041] In contrast, to avoid the need to use a hand to hold the cheek, a likewise conventional cheek holder 10 of double-sided design can also be used, as shown in FIG. 2. This is characterized by the fact that it comprises two lip retaining shells 2, each of which is arranged at the end on a common connector element 12. The two lip retaining shells 2 are inserted into the left and right corners of the patient's mouth during treatment. One of the functions of the connector element 12 is to spread the two cheek attachments away from each other and thus provide the largest possible mouth opening with very good access to the oral cavity. Such double-sided cheek retractors 10, also referred to as double cheek retractors, are particularly useful for PZR, as this therapy can be performed by a single assistant with the appropriate training, as both hands are available for the therapy. However, the double cheek retractors 10 are also used for other therapies.

[0042] Based on these known cheek holders 1, 10 according to FIGS. 1, 2, which are to be regarded as state of the art, cheek holders 20 designed according to the invention will now be explained in more detail below. These have in common that they can each be connected to a suction system for aerosols in order to increase the safety of the treating personnel or other persons in the vicinity, wherein a number of their respective lip holding shells 2 are provided in the vicinity of the respective lip contour with a number of suction openings 22 intended for connection to the suction system.

[0043] Suction, particularly of aerosols, in the immediate vicinity of the lip pens is ideal for preventing aerosols from escaping from the oral cavity during treatment. It is particularly advantageous if the suction is distributed at least almost constantly over the entire length of the lips. In this way, a relatively constant suction flow is achieved at the outer edge of the oral cavity, which results in an air flow relatively centrally in the oral cavity opening in the direction of the oral cavity. This counteracts the direction of movement of the aerosols leaving the oral cavity, so that they are slowed down and can be captured by the suction. In this way, it can be avoided that the aerosols leave the oral cavity. In a very simple embodiment of the invention, such a suction device in the form of the suction openings 22 is arranged along the lips on at least one lip holding shell 2 of a single- or double-sided cheek holder. The actual suction system 24 connected to the suction openings 22 can comprise, for example, a pipe or hose system 26 connected to the suction openings 22 and shown only schematically in the figure, via which air as well as the aerosols can be sucked in via the suction openings 22 as well, and which in turn is connected to a suitably selected suction pump 28.

[0044] A unilaterally designed cheek holder 20 in a first embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the suction is integrated into the cheek holder handle 30 of the cheek holder 20. As can be seen from FIGS. 3a, 3b, the suction holes 22 are made in the lip retainer shell 2 in positions along the expected t lip contour. To provide the suction system, the cheek holder handle 30 is hollow so that the cavity 32 inside forms the suction associated with the suction holes 22. The suction holes 22 in the lip retainer 2 thereby point in the direction of the oral cavity. In the illustrated embodiment, the cheek holder 20 with integrated suction is made in two parts, with one of the two parts being shown in FIG. 3b in the form of a sectional view. The cavity 32 formed allows air, liquids, solids and/or aerosols to be sucked in via the suction openings 22 and then transported away through the cheek holder handle 22 and a suction connection 34 arranged at the end of the cheek holder. The suction connection 34 can in turn be connected to the external suction device, i.e. in particular the suction pump 28, and for this purpose preferably has a standard connection 36 for dental units or dental chairs which can be connected to the hose system 26 for contacting the suction device. In this way, the cheek holder 20 with integrated suction can be connected to any available suction connection of dental units or to another suction system for dental applications.

[0045] In FIG. 4, on the other hand, a double-sided cheek holder 40 is shown in a further embodiment of the invention. This design corresponds essentially to the design of the double cheek holder 10 shown in FIG. 2, with the modification that here too the lip retaining shells 2 are provided with suction holes 22 and the connector element 12 is hollow to form a suction channel, so that this cheek holder 40 is also designed with integrated suction. Here, the two lip retaining shells 2 with suction are thus connected to each other via a cheek attachment connector 42 with an integrated cavity system 44. The extracted media are transported via the cavity system 44 to the extraction connection 34, from where they are disposed of via a hose and an extraction unit.

[0046] The geometric shape of the suction openings 22 can be designed differently and, in particular, suitably selected adapted to a particular treatment purpose. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the suction openings 22 are shown as a rectangle. However, they may also be round, square, oval, a polygon or a combination of at least two of these shapes. It may also be useful to place a line or other readily mentioned geometric shape of small openings next to each other, for example a line with round openings, which prevent too large particles or elements from being sucked in.

[0047] In the design of the suction system as a double cheek holder 40 with integrated suction system, it is expedient and considered to be independently inventive to provide the section of the oral cavity opening or the section of the lips as far as possible in its entirety or fully permanently with a suction system in order to achieve a particularly high efficiency of the suction. The “lip section” is defined here as the total section formed by the section resulting from the upper lip and the section resulting from the lower lip. Due to the very individual lip sections of different patients, it is not always possible to provide the entire lip section with suction openings. However, at least 25%, preferably 50% and particularly preferably 75% of the length of the lips is provided with suction or with suction openings 22 placed in the vicinity, which is particularly preferred and is regarded as an independent invention.

[0048] Alternatively, the cheek retractor according to the invention can also be provided as a system comprising more than two lip retractor shells 2 with and in some cases without integrated suction. This could prove to be particularly favorable with regard to handling on the patient. It is also possible to connect the cheek attachments to a line system which also has suction openings, air outlet openings, distance sensors and or glove holder ribs. In addition, the exhaust port can also be attached directly to one of the cheek extensions or to the piping system that may be used. The claimed stringer holder with integrated suction system may be listed in one piece or in multiple pieces. In this case, the suction system can also be designed to be separately attachable to the stringer holder.

[0049] In a further particularly preferred variant, the cheek attachment 2 is designed along the entire length of the lips. This means that the cheek line is closed along the length of the lips. However, it can also be interrupted at one or more points along the length of the lips.

[0050] If the suction power is very high, there is the theoretical possibility that the gloves used by the treating personnel could be sucked in via the suction openings 22 and thus hinder the personnel in their handling. Although the gloves usually fit very snugly on the hands, suction may still occur. This is a disturbing and unpleasant side effect for the personnel performing the therapy. To avoid this effect or to reduce this inconvenience, in a particularly preferred embodiment, which is also considered to be independently inventive, spacers or spacer ribs 46 are provided in the vicinity of the suction holes 22. The se result that when the gloves fit very snugly on the hands, the gloves cannot have direct contact with the intake holes 22.

[0051] One such embodiment of a lip retainer shell 2 with integrated suction and with a number of integrally formed retainer ribs 46 is shown in FIG. 5. Here, the glove-retaining ribs 46 are each arranged between two adjacent suction openings so that avoidance or at least reduction of contact of the gloves with the suction openings 22 is achieved in a particularly reliable manner. The design of the glove restraint shown in FIG. 5 thereby only shows the inne re shell of a cheek attachment 20, 40 with integrated suction, and it represents only one example of such a design. It is also possible to use straight or curved ribs or otherwise shaped glove restraints. Furthermore, the function intended hereby, i.e. the avoidance of direct surface contact of the fingers or gloves with the actual suction openings 22, can also be achieved by the suction openings 22 themselves being arranged in a recess within a spatially lowered contour, for example a groove or depression. In particular, they may be located in the area embossed in the lip retaining shell 2, which is at least twice as large in area as the area of the suction openings 22 themselves. For all embodiments with the objective of glove retention, it is desirable that the front edges of the protective device protrude at least 1.0 mm, preferably 2.0 mm, and particularly preferably 3.0 mm above the surface of the respective suction opening 22, or that the respective suction opening 22 is positioned lowered relative to the “free surface” of the lip retaining shell 2 by the corresponding amounts.

[0052] The cheek retractors 20 with integrated suction and, in particular, the double cheek retractors 40 with integrated suction and optional glove retractor ribs can work particularly efficiently if the suction line or the suction volume, if possible, is at least as high as the volume of liquids, gases and solids introduced into the oral cavity, usually in the form of air, water and powder (for a PZR), when added to the suction line or the suction volume of the additional suction instruments that may be introduced. In addition, the patient's exhalation volume can also be included in the calculation of the minimum necessary suction volume. In most cases, however, the patient closes the pharynx with the tongue and breathes through the nose during the introduction of liquids, gases and/or solids (e.g. cooling during grinding, air-powder-water spray [PZR], air-water mixture, air, etc.) in order to avoid swallowing the media introduced. Consequently, the necessary aspiration volume should be at least 120%, preferably at least 150%, and in a particularly preferred embodiment 200% of the introduction volume. The corresponding volumes can be determined by the dental unit via measurements on its own unit or on additionally used units and in this way control or regulate the suction volume. This can also be done by an external unit. The suction system 24 and in particular the suction pump 28 assigned to it are designed for a suction capacity of at least 750 l/min, so that the above criteria are easily met.

[0053] In order to handle more massive media, which may not even be captured by the suction flow when they are ejected from the oral cavity, just as reliably, an advantageous and independently inventive design is to deflect them in their resulting trajectory and move them in the direction of the suction flow so that they can be captured and suctioned off by it. For this purpose, the cheek projections should have, on the one hand, the suction openings 22 already mentioned and, on the other hand, an air supply system which, by means of injected air, can deflect the exhaust gas stream flowing out of the mouth cavity toward the edge regions of the mouth opening and thus toward the suction openings positioned there. For this purpose, in addition to the intake openings 22, a number of air outflow openings connected to an overpressure system on the inlet side are arranged on the respective lip pen retaining shell 2. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the ensemble of intake openings 22 and discharge openings is designed in such a way that the total area of the discharge openings is smaller than the total area of the intake openings 22, in particular in order to achieve a high air discharge velocity.

[0054] In simple embodiments, the suction openings 22 are arranged either along the upper lip, along the lower lip, along the lip of the second and third quadran tents or of the first and fourth quadrants. It is also possible to choose an arrangement in the lip regions of the first and third or second and fourth quadrants. The air outlet openings are in each case located opposite one another. In a preferred embodiment, the air outlet openings are located between the areas of the intake openings 22. In addition, the air outlet openings are additionally positioned opposite the intake openings 22 with respect to the course of the lips on the lip section. In this way, it can be achieved that when instruments, fingers or hands are inserted, a partial area of the oral cavity is not exclusively subjected to air pressure, which would counteract the original basic idea of preventing aerosols from escaping from the oral cavity. For such a design variant, it is advantageous to integrate an overpressure line system in or on the cheeks holder 20 or double cheek holder 30 in addition to the suction line system and to provide a connection for it. The resulting air outlet volume should advantageously be included in the calculation of the necessary extraction volume.

[0055] During treatment or therapy, instruments, fingers and or hands must be introduced into the oral cavity. Regardless of the design variant used and already described (suction with or without air outlet, cheek holder according to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 etc.), the introduction of instruments, fingers and/or hands into the oral cavity will impair the suction efficiency and may not be optimal in all accesses to the oral cavity that are still open. To optimize for this, ab standing sensors can be mounted in the lip retaining shells 2 along the length of the lips, which detect the position of the instruments, fingers and/or hands protruding into the oral cavity. Based on the distance or position data determined from this, the suction power or suction volume can be calculated and controlled or regulated for each area still open to the oral cavity, also in combination with the determination of the optimum air outlet. For optimale efficiency, it is then also advantageous that the suction openings 22 and the air outlets are divided into several groups, which should then also be individually controllable at.

[0056] With regard to the problem of gloves being sucked in or media being sealed and possibly splashed when air outlet openings are closed, an overpressure/underpressure measurement can also take place in the respective suction lines or pressure lines, which adjust the suction or air outlet performance accordingly if necessary.

[0057] An alternative, particularly preferred embodiment of a cheek retractor 50 according to the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to and as an inventive further development of a known cheek retractor 52 already available on the market under the product designation “OptraGate®”.

[0058] The known cheek retractor 52 “OptraGate®” is shown in FIG. 6 in a ready-for-sale condition in perspective (FIG. 6a) and lateral view (FIG. 6b) as well as in a sectional longitudinal view (FIG. 6c). It includes an outer or extra-oral retaining or support ring 54 and an inner or intra-oral retaining or support ring 56, both of which are made of elastic material and are correspondingly deformable. The support rings 54, 56 are mechanically connected to each other via a deformable membrane 60 forming the lip retaining shell 58. In particular, the support rings 54, 56 are thereby made of a harder plastic, such as an ABS, compared to the diaphragm 60 and are of a resilient design. As can be seen from the sectional view in FIG. 6c, the diaphragm 60 in the unloaded state has a side wall 62 that is almost straight in the longitudinal direction.

[0059] For use during treatment of a patient, the cheek retractor 52 is first inserted into the patient's mouth with the support rings 54, 56 temporarily suitably deformed. In this process, as is evident in FIG. 7 in perspective (FIG. 7a) and lateral view (FIG. 7b) as well as in detail in longitudinal section (FIG. 7c) and most particularly in FIG. 8 by the detail of the patient's mouth 64, the inner support ring 56 is positioned behind the patient's lip, where, on the other hand, the outer support ring 54 remains outside the lip contour. Due to the elastic restoring forces and the resilient design, the support rings 54, 56 resume their original contour as far as possible after insertion, so that they locally fix the membrane 60. The membrane 60 thereby deforms in the longitudinal direction and encompasses the patient's lip, clearly forming the lip retaining shell 58.

[0060] For further clarification, FIG. 9 shows a section of the jaw region 66 of a patient in longitudinal section without (FIG. 9a) and with (FIG. 9b) the cheek retractor 52 inserted. Shown are the patient's maxilla 70 with upper anterior tooth 72 and mandible 74 with lower anterior tooth 76, which together form oral cavity 78. The tongue 80 is also located in the oral cavity 78. The mouth opening 82, through which exhalation may take place, is bounded by the upper lip 84 and the lower lip 86, which in their entirety fully enclose the mouth opening 82 at all times. In the illustration shown in FIG. 9b, with the cheek retainer 52 inserted, it is clear how the membrane 60 encompasses the upper and lower lips 84, 86 to form the lip retainer shell 58. It can also be clearly seen that as a result of the inserted cheek retainer 52, both the upper and lower lips 84, 86 are curved forward, away from the oral cavity 78, to optimize oral accessibility.

[0061] Based on this known cheek retractor 52, the cheek retractor 50 further developed in accordance with the invention is explained in more detail below. As can be seen from the illustration according to FIG. 10 in the inserted state in perspective view (FIG. 10a) and lateral view (FIG. 10b) as well as in a sectional view in longitudinal section (FIG. 10c), the cheek holder 50 further formed according to this embodiment example of the invention has on its membrane 60 forming the lip retaining shell 58 a suction channel 90 attached thereto, for example formed on, glued on, vulcanized on or welded on. The suction channel 90 is provided with suction openings 22 and, on the other hand, is connected to the suction system 24 on the gas side via the hose system 26 in a manner analogous to the embodiments already described above and is connected via the latter to the suction pump 28 at.

[0062] As can be seen particularly clearly in the illustration of the patient's mouth 64 with the cheek retractor 50 inserted in accordance with the preferred embodiment in FIG. 11, in this embodiment in particular the suction channel 90 can be guided completely around the mouth opening 82 and thus completely along the lip section defined by the upper lip 84 and the lower lip 86. This ensures that in this embodiment example the entire lip section is provided with suction openings 22.

[0063] In FIG. 12, the patient's jaw region 66 is shown with the cheek retractor 50 inserted according to a particularly preferred embodiment. It is clearly visible here, among other things, that in this embodiment in particular the suction openings 22 brought to in the suction channel 90 are spatially positioned directly at the mouth opening 82 defined by the lips 84, 86. In particular, the desired criterion that the suction openings 22 should be positioned particularly close, i.e. at most 50 mm, preferably at most 25 mm and in particular at most 10 mm, to the separating plane representing the position of the mouth opening 82 between the so-called “intraoral” or inner region of the oral cavity 78 and the so-called “extraoral” or outer region of the oral cavity 78 is thus easily fulfilled. In FIG. 12, this parting plane is represented by line 92.

[0064] As mentioned, the suction channel 90 may be formed on the lip retaining shell 58 of the cheek holder 50. However, in another embodiment considered to be independently inventive, the suction channel 90 is formed by a number of pieces of tubing 94, 96, preferably made of a plastic material commonly used in the dental field, such as PVC, latex, ABS or silicone. To form a contour covering the entire lip section, a combination of two or more suitably overlapping pieces of tubing 94, 96 can be provided, as shown in FIG. 13 in frontal (FIG. 13a) and perspective (FIG. 13b), which are suitably attached, for example welded, to the membrane 60 forming the lip retaining shell 58 and are connected on the gas side to the suction system 24 via the tubing system 26 and are connected via the latter to the suction pump 28. Alternatively, in this case, the suction channel 90 can of course also be formed by a single piece of tubing 94, as shown in FIG. 14 in frontal (FIG. 14a) and perspective (FIG. 14b) view. In this variant, the piece of tubing 94 is guided in the manner of a closed loop to form a contour covering the entire lip section and is suitably attached, for example welded, to the membrane 60 forming the lip retaining shell 58, and is connected on the gas side to the suction system 24 via the tubing system 26 and connected to the suction pump 28 via the latter.

[0065] In a very particularly preferred embodiment, the hose or tube pieces 94, 96 forming the suction channel 90 are, in terms of functionality corresponding to the above-described embodiment of the retaining or support rings 54, 56, made of a harder, in particular resiliently deformable, material such as an ABS compared to the material of the membrane 60. This means that they can be temporarily deformed when the cheek retractor 50 modified in this way is inserted into the patient's mouth, but subsequently resume at least almost their original shape due to the resilient design and can thus also contribute to stabilization and secure positioning of the cheek retractor 50 in the patient's mouth in the manner of a dual function. A tube or hose system designed in this way as a resilient support structure for the cheek retractor 50 is shown in FIG. 15 in frontal (FIG. 15a) and perspective (FIG. 15b) view; an alternative embodiment thereof is shown in FIG. 16.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0066] 1 Cheek holder in single-sided design

[0067] 2 Lip retainer

[0068] 4 Cheek holder handle

[0069] 6 Lip support

[0070] 8 Arrow

[0071] 10 Cheek holder in double-sided design

[0072] 12 Vonnector element

[0073] 20 cheek holder

[0074] 22 Suction opening

[0075] 24 Suction system

[0076] 26 Hose system

[0077] 28 Suction pump

[0078] 30 cheek holder handle

[0079] 32 Cavity

[0080] 34 Suction connection

[0081] 36 Standard connection

[0082] 40 Cheek holder

[0083] 42 Joining connector

[0084] 44 Cavity system

[0085] 46 Holding rib

[0086] 50 cheek holder

[0087] 52 Known “OptraGate®” stringer holder

[0088] 54, 56 Support ring

[0089] 58 Lip retainer

[0090] 60 Membrane

[0091] 62 Sidewall

[0092] 64 Patient mouth

[0093] 66 Jaw area

[0094] 70 Upper jaw

[0095] 72 Upper anterior tooth

[0096] 74 Lower jaw

[0097] 76 Lower anterior tooth

[0098] 78 Mouth cavity

[0099] 80 Tongue

[0100] 82 Mouth opening

[0101] 84 Upper lip

[0102] 86 Lower lip

[0103] 90 Suction channel

[0104] 92 Line

[0105] 94, 96 Piece of hose