US2593821A - Mouthpiece - Google Patents

Description

April 22, 1952 WELCH 2,593,821

MOUTHPIECE Filed June 2, 1950 Patented Apr. 22, 1952 UNITED s'mrss PATENT osrics ivioornrmon Edward Welch, Valley Falls, E. I.

Application June 2, 1950, Serial No. 165,719

3 Claims. (01. 128-136) My present invention relates to protective devices, and more particularly to a mouthpiece.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a mouthpiece or guard for protecting the interior of the mouth and teeth.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mouthpiece that will fit tightly and will not become dislodged.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a mouthpiece which can be anchored to the teeth and need not be removed in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mouthpiece which is simple in construction and will not become annoying in the mouth.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully-disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunc tion with the accompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the mouthpiece of the present invention anchored in a persons mouth.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the frame support.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the mouthpiece.

Prize fighters and other athletes in contact sports often wear mouthpieces for guarding the teeth and the interior of the mouth against injury. The use of such mouthpieces is compulsory in the case of prize fighters. These mouthpieces are made of thin rubber and are usually slipped over the upper teeth and held in place by clenching against the lower teeth. It has been found that when the athlete opens his mouth to breathe, the mouthpiece often falls out. Furthermore, it has a tendency to slide around in use and become annoying, so that it distracts the fighter. The present invention is designed to provide a mouthpiece which can be made light and simple in construction and yet be firmly and tightly anchored to the teeth without danger of falling out.

Referring more in detail to the drawings 11- lustrating my invention, the mouthpiece l comprises an integral sheet of rubber I l shaped to fit against the exterior of the upper teeth, the upper edge l2 being shaped to fit against the upper gums and between the upper gums and the lip, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. In the conventional mouthpieces now in use, the lower portion of the mouthpiece is usually provided with an integral U-shaped band which extends around the upper teeth and into the interior of the mouth. This excess rubber tends to get in the way of the tongue, causing the athlete to feel as though his mouth is filled with rubber. Accordingly, the body portion ll may be constructed straight downwardly to extend slightly beyond the Juneture of the upper and lower teeth in the form of an apron, or it may be turned slightly inwardly as at I3 to form a ledge upon which the teeth may be clenched, as shown in Fig. 1.

To anchor the mouthpiece 10 into the mouth, I provide a frame, shown in Fig. 3, comprising a plastic U-shaped palate member l4 designed to fit into the roof of the mouth. The portion I4 is made similarly to the conventional bridges and dentures used in the dental arts to anchor false teeth into the upper roof of the mouth. From each end iii of the member I4, I provide a resilient wire l6 which is reentrantly bent and is imbedded in the portion Ii, as shown in Fig. 3. The ends of the wires 16 overlap in the front, as at IT. The wires It not only form a shaping and stiffening frame for the portion 1 I, but the reentrantly bent portions l8 form rear loops which can be snapped around the rear upper molars, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to anchor the device to the teeth.

In view of the resiliency of the wires [6 and the inherent resiliency of the rubber in portion II, the mouthpiece can be stretched around the teeth and when the portions i8 are snapped around the upper rear molars, the mouthpiece will become resiliently anchored in position. To avoid gaps, the overlapping ends I! of the wires permit a pulling or stretching action while still maintaining a circled wire form around the teeth.

Such a mouthpiece will not slide around in the users mouth and will not give the feel of a mouthful of rubber. It will allow breathing during the exertions of boxing or any other sport. Furthermore, the user can drink water while it is in place and it, therefore, need not be removed during the rest periods. The combination of the loops i8 and the U-shaped palate member M insures a firm locking of the device in position. By completely encircling the teeth with the rubber, protection against injury to the teeth or cheeks is provided.

While I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that changes may readily be made in the size, shape and relative arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mouthpiece comprising a sheet rubber portion adapted to cover the upper teeth and gums, and means for releasably locking said portion over the teeth, said means including a wire loop at each inner end of said portion adapted to snap around the rear teeth, and a U-shaped plastic plate member attached to one end of each wire loop and adapted to abut the roof of the mouth.

2. A mouthpiece comprising a sheet rubber portion adapted to cover the upper teeth and gums, and means for releasably locking said portion over the teeth, said means including a wire loop at each inner end of said portion adapted to snap around the rear teeth, one end of each wire loop being imbedded in said rubber portion, and a U-shaped plastic plate member attached to one end of each wire loop and adapted to abut the roof of the mouth.

3. A mouthpiece comprising a sheet rubber 4 portion adapted to cover the upper teeth and gums, and means for releasably locking said portion over the teeth, said means including a wire loop at each inner end of said portion adapted to snap around the rear teeth, and being elongated to extend more than midway around the teeth, and a U-shaped plastic plate member attached to one end of each wire 100p and adapted to abut the roof of the mouth.

EDWARD WELCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Y Name Date 2,192,558 Poindexter Mar. 5, 1940 2,259,160 Glaser Oct. 14, 1941

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