Mouth appliance

May 11, 1954

2,678,043

E. STARK

MOUTH APPLIANCE

Filed Dec. 13, 1951

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FIG 2.

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FIG 4.

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Patented May 11, 1954

2,678,043

OFFICE

UNITED STATES PATENT

2,678,043

MOUTH APPLIANCE Emanuel Stark, Stamford, Conn. Application December 18,1951, Serial No. 262,313 (Cl. 128—136)

Claims.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation view thereof similar to that shown in Fig. 3 but showing how the device is retained upon the upper teeth of the wearer to permit talking and breathing through the mouth;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view thereof taken along the lines 5—5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the Ushaped, soft, cushion rubber protector or mouth appliance embodying my invention is referred to generally by the numeral 10. Mouth appliance IS is provided with inner and outer flanges 12 and 14 respectively on its upper side (Fig. 1) and inner and outer flanges 16 and 18 respectively on Its lower side (Fig. 2). The flanges 12, 14, 16 and 18 extend completely around the mouth appliance commencing at one end 20 thereof and continuing around the loop or bight portion 22 and terminating at the other end 24 thereof. The entire mouth appliance is preferably molded in one piece so that said flanges are integral with the body of the mouth appliance forming a substantially continuous unitary structure.

It is intended that the mouth- appliance em²⁵ bodying my invention be made by taking a cast of the wearer’s teeth and from the cast producing an appliance that conforms· substantially to the individual shape and contour of the wearer’s mouth and teeth and to the natural articulation ₃₀ of the jaws. It is not intended, however, to limit the scope of my invention to custom made mouth appliances, but protectors embodying my invention may be mass-produced in several sizes and contours to fit a great variety of mouths.

The flanges 12 and' 14 and the flanges 16 and I8^; of mouth appliance 10 are constructed in space-confronting relation- to each other forming a bite portion 26 therebetween on both sides of the mouth appliance. Since it is preferable that the mouth appliance be made and constructed especially for each individual wearer, the upper and lower bite portions 26 will be molded or shaped to substantially conform to and fit the cusps and faces of the teeth, while the flanges 12 45 and 14 will be molded and shaped to fit the inner and outer sides of the crown surfaces of the upper set of teeth, and the flanges 16 and 18 will be molded and shaped to fit the inner and outer sides of the crown surfaces of the lower teeth.

The loop or bight portion 22 is thickened while the ends 20 and 24 respectively of mouth appliance 10 taper off and are thinner in relation to said loop or bight portion. A strip of material 28, preferably an extremely strong yet pli10

My invention relates to mouth appliances for protecting the teeth, mouth and lips of contestants in athletic endeavours, for example, football players. _ ,

The mouth appliances now in use by football players are distinctly unpleasant to wear not only because of their awkward size, but also because they make breathing difficult and talking virtually impossible. _ .

My invention is designed to eliminate these faults, accordingly an object of my invention is to provide an athletic mouth protector that is comfortable to wear and permits normal breathing and speech when worn.

A further object is to provide an athletic mouthpiece with a strip insert embedded therein which makes the appliance extremely strong yet pliable. The inclusion of this insert embedded in the appliance distributes the force of a blow or shock over the entire area of the appliance and hence to all the teeth, thus loss of teeth is almost completely eliminated.

Another object is the provision of an athletic mouth protector which is easily and rapidly fitted in the mouth and which maintains its position therein during its use, protecting both the upper and lower set of teeth from damage and the mouth and lips from lacerations.

Another object is to provide an athletic mouth protector which is relatively compact in size and which is locked and retained in close-fitting position with the upper set of teeth when the wearer’s mouth is opened to permit breathing and talking

A further object is the provision of a mouth appliance with flanges and bite portions therebetween shaped to conform to the upper and lower sets respectively of the wearer’s teeth, the lower set of teeth being adapted to be inserted and withdrawn from its respective flanges and bite portion upon articulation of the wearer’s lower jaw.

The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view looking angularly down from above and in front of the device em- 50 bodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 1 but looking angularly upward from below and in ^^rKg°3 is a'ffide Elevation view ^f’the device as 55 able material like'ortho-ply resin which is an fitteTin position fXe; orthopedic resin is embedded m the soft cush35 orthopedic resin is embedded in the soft cush2,6 ion rubber and extends from one end 20 of the mouth appliance 10 around the loop or bight portion 22 and terminates at the other end 24 thereof. This strip is preferably vulcanized in the outside arch of the mouth appliance and when said mouth appliance is in place the strip 28 is positioned between the wearer’s lips and teeth and follows the generally U-shaped contour of the mouth appliance and functions to distribute the shock of a blow evenly over the entire mouth appliance and consequently to ah the teeth. Thus, instead of one tooth or several teeth bearing the impact of a blow, the force is spread over and absorbed by all the teeth of the wearer, protecting both the upper and lower sets of teeth from damage, and the mouth and lips from lacerations. The upper face of mouth appliance 10 is so designed by contour and shape to hold the mouth appliance by suction upon the upper teeth of the wearer, even when the lower set of teeth are removed from the bite portion 26. As seen in Figs. 3 and 4, due to the compactness of said mouth appliance the wearer may breathe and talk normally without sacrificing any protection of the mouth and teeth.

It will be noted from Fig. 5 that the orthoply resin strip 28 does not abut directly on the wearer’s teeth, but a portion of soft cushion rubber appears behind said resin strip as well as in front of the same to minimize the effect of a blow or other force that may be struck in the mouth region.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an athletic mouth appliance that is compact in size and simple in construction which will protect the teeth from damage and minimize the possibility of bruising and cutting or otherwise injuring the lips due to a blow administered upon or over the area of the lips yet at the same time allowing normal and natural breathing and talking.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the latter may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, and that in the illustrated embodiment certain changes in the details of construction and in the arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principle of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.