Mouthguard with Magnetic Tethering

Abstract

A dual layer mouthguard with a U-shape polycarbonate/EVA skeletal base includes channels and ramps to ensure a uniform thickness on the occlusal, buccal and lingual surfaces of the teeth for proper alignment of the jaw and positioning for protection during the placement of the mouthguard. The liner is softer than the base when introduced to heat and remains softer as it is cooled. The base may also include metal/magnetic insertion to serve as a tethering device for temporary storage.

Claims

1. A method of making a protective mouthguard suitable for providing protection for persons having oral structure properties encompassed by a population of similarly sized but different persons, said method comprising: obtaining a plurality of oral scan tracings from persons included in the population; determining an average centerline of the plurality of oral scan tracings; determining a maximum and a minimum dimension of the protective mouthguard calculated using the plurality of oral scan tracings; and identifying inside bumper locations for plural interior bumpers, said identified locations ensuring contact with all teeth of persons encompassed in the population.

2. A mouthguard tethering system comprising: an external attachment mechanism comprising a clamp mechanism, wherein said clamp mechanism comprises: a first clamp half; a second clamp half; a connector arrangement configured to connect the first clamp half to the second clamp half; a ferrous and/or magnetic disc configured to be received in an opening in the second clamp half; and a protective covering arranged to cover the connector arrangement, the ferrous and/or magnetic disc, and the opening in the second clamp half

3. The mouthguard tethering system of claim 2, wherein one or more of the first clamp half and the second clamp half comprises a grooved portion arranged to receive a facemask bar therein.

4. The mouthguard tethering system of claim 2, wherein the ferrous and/or magnetic disc is adapted to receive an external article that is magnetically attracted to the ferrous and/or magnetic disc.

5. The mouthguard tethering system of claim 4, wherein the external article is a mouthguard that is securely held in place by a magnetic force to the ferrous and/or magnetic disc.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of an exoskeleton or outer shell of a mouthguard of an embodiment;

[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the exoskeleton of FIG. 1;

[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the exoskeleton of FIG. 1;

[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom/underside view of the exoskeleton of FIG. 1;

[0024] FIG. 5 illustrates a rear view of the exoskeleton of FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 6 illustrates a side and partial cutaway sectional view of the exoskeleton of FIG. 1, taken along the sectional line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

[0026] FIGS. 7A through 7E illustrate a representative sample of five patient scan tracings out of a larger patient population used to demonstrate the differences in tooth and jaw alignment between the patients;

[0027] FIG. 8 provides an overlay and evolution of the dimensions of the an embodiment of the exoskeleton of FIG. 1 using the five patient scan tracings of FIGS. 7A-7E;

[0028] FIG. 9 illustrates the overlay of the five patient scan tracings of FIGS. 7A-7E to determine the dimensions of an exemplary exoskeleton of an embodiment;

[0029] FIGS. 10A-10H illustrate various perspective views of the layered protective mouthguard of an embodiment and which includes an outer layer/exoskeleton of FIG. 1 and an inner thermoplastic layer;

[0030] FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a novel mouthguard clamping mechanism; and FIGS. 12A-12D illustrate an alternative embodiment of novel mouthguard clamping mechanism.

[0031] FIGS. 13A-13B illustrate an alternative embodiment of novel mouthguard clamping mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] This disclosure provides, in one or more embodiments, a dual layer mouthguard 100 having a U-shaped tapering base with an inner and outer wall extending into the vestibular area of the oral cavity. The outer and inner framework consists of a light weight, shock absorbing material to protect the teeth, surrounding soft tissue and temporal mandibular complex. The liner material may be a thermo-plastic material, e.g., ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) material which may be bonded to the harder outer exoskeleton/core, e.g., mechanically and/or chemically bonded.

[0033] With reference to FIGS. 1-5, advantages of one or more embodiments of new mouthguard design 100 may be found in various features illustrated in the drawings and discussed below. For example, in one embodiment, harder outer core (or exoskeleton) 110 contains front scaffold 120 and rear scaffolds 130, 131 on interior tray portion 140 made of a semi-rigid material on which the molars and incisor teeth will contact during and after initial fitting to ensure a uniform thickness of the softer, flowable liner material 195 that is flowed into interior 140 of exoskeleton 110 to fit mouthguard 100 to a particular user. The softer, flowable thermoplastic liner material 195 is not shown in FIGS. 1-6 to aid in exposition of the arrangement of the constituent parts of exoskeleton 110. The thermoplastic material used for the inner layer, i.e., flowable liner material 195 is selected to be strong enough to absorb and dissipate forces so as to reduce traumatic injury to the teeth, TMJ, and surrounding oral structures.

[0034] In one or more embodiments, mouthguard 100 includes exoskeleton 110, front internal scaffold 120, rear internal scaffolds 130/131, interior tray portion 140, front exterior scaffold 150, right/left rear outside scaffolds 160/161, exterior bumpers 170, interior bumpers 171, facial flanges 180, buccal flanges 185, interior lingual flange 190, and liner material 195 (see FIG. 10A). The functions and dimensions of these elements will be discussed below.

[0035] In an embodiment, the dimensions of rear interior scaffolds 130, 131 may be 10 mm×5 mm in the posterior, and the dimensions of front interior scaffold 120 may be 9.45 mm x 12.5 mm with an incisal flare angle θ.sub.1=28° in the incisal regions. In addition, front/rearinterior scaffolds 120/130/131 may be raised to have a height of 3 mm above the bottom of interior tray portion 140 to ensure adequate flow of the flowable liner material 195 when mouthguard 100 is fitted to a user. Rear right/left interior scaffolds 130/131 may be oriented at rear interior scaffold centerline angle θ.sub.2=12.5°. These dimensions should be understood to be exemplary in nature, and not limiting, as other dimensions and/or angles may be determined to be more appropriate for other athletes or user populations.

[0036] In an embodiment, and as illustrated in the bottom/underside view of FIG. 4, exoskeleton 110 may contain front outside scaffold 150, and right/left rear outside scaffolds 160, 161. Rear outside scaffolds 160, 161 may be 1 mm high on the exterior with a determined slant angle θ.sub.5 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). This feature allows the condyle to be positioned in a more downward, anterior position to allow better protection of the TMJ joint and allows the muscle to be placed at a more neutral, relaxed position. For a particular population of users, e.g., NFL® athletes, right/left rear outside scaffold slant angle θ.sub.5=3° mimics the arc of closure to allow less interference and allows the jaw to be more accurately positioned. These parameters may be adapted for a different population of users.

[0037] In one embodiment, facial flanges 180 and buccal flanges 185 of exoskeleton 110 were devised based on the average of scanned models of NFL® athletes and information determined by an interactive user interview process so as to be comfortable but yet protective in design. The average height of facial flanges 180 and buccal flanges 185 is 13.5 mm in one embodiment. These flanges have been determined to allow adequate protection of the teeth and supporting bone and soft tissue from impact. Although the embodiment illustrated is directed to a specific population of athletes, i.e., large adult males who play professional football, the inventive concept described herein is equally applicable to other sports and differently sized athletes, e.g., lacrosse, basketball, wrestling, soccer, judo, etc., without departing from the inventive concept described herein. For example, the various angles, heights, and thicknesses of various components may be separately determined on an average basis for each different athlete population.

[0038] In one embodiment, interior lingual flange 190 of exoskeleton 110 was devised using the average height that was deemed comfortable and proper fitting to allow airway exchange and speech for NFL® athletes, but which still provided adequate protection. In one embodiment, the average height of interior lingual flange 190 is 11 mm, with interior lingual flange flare angle θ.sub.6=63.4°. Interior lingual flange 190 allows adequate protection of the teeth and supporting bone and soft tissue from impact. Of course, flare angle θ.sub.6 may (and likely will) be different for a different population of athletes.

[0039] In an embodiment, and as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, for example, exterior bumpers 170 and interior bumpers 171 may project 2 mm from the internal walls to provide an adequate thickness of softening layer for protection, as outlined in the standards set forth by the American Academy of Sports Dentistry. The 2 mm bumper is designed such that the contact surface is generally located at the height of contour of the teeth in contact for the particular athlete population. The 2 mm dimension may be modified for athletes with different average sizes. This ensures sufficient flow of the softer thermoplastic inner layer material, i.e., flowable liner material 195 around each tooth for better protection. In an embodiment, the slope of exterior bumper sidewall angle θ.sub.4, e.g., θ.sub.4=45° (or θ.sub.4=135° measured from the vertical sidewall) acts as a guide to properly position mouthguard 100 in the optimally protective position. Mouthguard 100 is centered in order that the impact forces are directed over the long axis of the teeth for better protection. Interior bumpers 171 may be undercut to act as a mechanical lock for flowable liner material 195 to the harder exoskeleton. This reduces the incidence of delamination or separation of the two layers and is an added retention technique in addition to the bond (e.g., chemical and/or mechanical) that joins the two layers of the mouthguard.

[0040] In an embodiment, mouthguard 100 may offer advanced dental protection from harmful bacteria by introducing an antimicrobial agent to prevent harmful bacteria from growing inside of the mouthguard. In addition, a Fluoride (F) leaching material may be provided in the flowable liner material 195 to reduce the carious rate of teeth from the consumption of high sucrose and carbohydrate drinks or performance enhancers commonly consumed by the athletes. provision of a fluoride leaching agent (e.g., in the form of F) into may help reduce the caries rate by providing protection for the outer enamel matrix of the teeth. Further, the thermoplastic materials used in both exoskeleton 110 and flowable liner material 195 are strong enough to absorb and dissipate forces to reduce traumatic injury to the teeth, TMJ, and surrounding oral structures.

[0041] In various embodiments, protective mouthguard 100 may be tethered, e.g., conventional straps may be used to tether the mouthguard to a football helmet mask. However, this approach is generally not preferred for the reasons discussed above. In one embodiment, a ferromagnetic material, e.g., stainless steel or other non-corrosive magnetic material may be embedded in the mouthguard. For example, a magnet and/or ferromagnetic material (not shown) may be embedded in either or both the front and rear scaffolds 120/130/131/150/160/161 of FIG. 1, or both, or in some other location of the outer layer (exoskeleton) such as facial flanges 180. A complementary magnet and/or ferromagnetic material adapted to attract the magnet and/or ferromagnetic material embedded in exoskeleton 110 may be provided separately as a wristband, helmet sticker, or in another suitable location to allow temporary stowage and effective retention of the protective mouthguard when not in use. The present mouthguard design thus provides a novel and breakthrough tethering technique which has long been desired by professional athletes.

[0042] The initial fitting operation of a protective mouthguard of an embodiment includes, similar to conventional “boil and bites”, heating the protective mouthguard to soften the thermoplastic inner layer. The user then places the warmed and softened mouthguard into their mouth, where the tapered and projected side bumpers, acting in cooperation with the front and rear interior scaffolds, and the exterior rear outside scaffolds, ensures proper placement of the mouthguard with respect to the user's teeth, and jaw structure, assuming that the user's pertinent physiological measurements fall within the minimum and maximum averages determined from the measured population.

[0043] Such minimum and maximum averages may be determined, for example, from patient populations as represented by the large adult scan tracings of NFL® players in FIG. 7, which is an exemplary subset of a larger sample size. FIG. 8, illustrates the superposition of the five samples that allows determination of an approximate centerline of the five models, along with the maximum and minimum outside dimensions for all five models. Finally, FIG. 9 illustrates a further superposition of the five models to determine a final shape and dimensions of the protective mouthguard.

[0044] FIGS. 10A through 10H provide various perspective views of an unfitted protective mouthguard of an embodiment. In these figures, flowable liner material 195 is depicted in the lighter shading, and the harder exoskeleton outer layer 110 is depicted by the darker shading. In FIG. 10A, for example, bumpers 170/171 and scaffolds 130/131/160/161 are illustrated.

[0045] FIGS. 10B and 10G illustrate multiple vent holes 145 in a bottom surface of the mouthguard. These vent holes allow the thermoplastic inner layer material, e.g., EVA material, to flow out of the tray portion of the mouthguard when the mouthguard is being fitted over the upper teeth of the user. The inner layer material that flows out the vent holes may aid in cushioning the bottom teeth.

[0046] Turning now to FIG. 11, clamp mechanism 200 includes T-nut 210, first clamp half 220, second clamp half 221, screw 240, ferrous/magnetic material 250, ferrous/magnetic material receiver or opening 251, and protective covering 260. Ferrous/magnetic material 250 may be ferrous material if mouthguard 100 includes an embedded magnet, or it may be magnetic material if mouthguard 100 includes an embedded piece of ferrous material, or both ferrous/magnetic material 250 and mouthguard 100 may include magnetic material, as long as there is magnetic attraction between the elements to ensure proper retention force and stowage. When assembled, first clamp half 220 and second clamp half 221 clamp around facemask bar 230, and are retained in position by the interaction between screw 240 and T-nut 210. As should be appreciated, facemask bar 230 does not form part of the inventive concept, but merely illustrates one environment of use of clamp mechanism 200.

[0047] Turning now to FIGS. 12A-12D, an alternative clamp mechanism 300 includes first clamp half 320, second clamp half 330, lock detents 331/332, screw 340, ferrous/magnetic material 350, ferrous/magnetic material receiver or opening 355, protective latching cover 360, and lock mechanism 361. Although not shown, alternative clamp mechanism 300 may also include a T-nut to receive screw 340 as in clamp mechanism 200.

[0048] First clamp half 320 and second clamp half 330 of alternative clamp mechanism 300 assemble around a facemask bar similarly to first clamp half 220 and second clamp half 221 of clamp mechanism 200, but protective latching cover 360 attaches in a different manner and more securely by the use of lock mechanism 361 in cooperation with lock detents 331/332. Lock detents 331/332 are made of a plastic material, and their design allows flexure in an inward direction to engage lock mechanism 361, as illustrated in FIG. 12D.

[0049] It should be noted that the disclosure above mentions various dimensions and angles of various components, but these measurements are not to be construed as limiting, as they merely represent an example of measurements for a particular group and/or type/size of athlete. Other groups, types and/or sizes of athletes may have different dimensions and attributes which may be determined by measuring and averaging techniques.

[0050] The above-discussed embodiments and aspects of this disclosure are not intended to be limiting, but have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the inventive concept, and are intended to encompass various modifications that would be within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0051] Table 1 below lists reference numbers utilized in the specification and drawings:

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Ref. No. Description 100 mouthguard 110 outer core/exoskeleton 120 front interior scaffold 130 right rear interior scaffold 131 left rear interior scaffold 140 interior tray portion 145 multiple vent holes 150 front outside scaffold 160 right rear outside scaffold 161 left rear outside scaffold 170 exterior bumpers 171 interior bumpers 180 facial flanges 185 buccal flanges 190 interior lingual flange 195 flowable liner material 200 clamp mechanism 210 T-nut 220 first clamp half 221 second clamp half 230 facemask bar 240 Screw 250 ferrous/magnetic material 251 ferrous/magnetic material receiver or opening 260 protective covering 300 alternative clamp mechanism 320 first clamp half 330 second clamp half 331 lock detent 332 lock detent 340 screw 350 ferrous/magnetic material 355 ferrous/magnetic material receiver or opening 360 protective latching cover 361 lock mechanism θ.sub.1 incisal flare angle θ.sub.2 rear interior scaffold centerline angle θ.sub.3 rear outside scaffold centerline angle θ.sub.4 exterior bumper sidewall angle θ.sub.5 right/left rear outside scaffold slant angle θ.sub.6 interior lingual flange flare angle