WO2012153066A1

WO2012153066A1 - Holder for the shaping of a gum shield and corresponding gum shield

Info

Publication number: WO2012153066A1
Application number: PCT/FR2012/051031
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yoann Simon
Original assignee: Decathlon
Priority date: 2011-05-10
Filing date: 2012-05-10
Publication date: 2012-11-15
Also published as: FR2975011B1; FR2975011A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a holder more particularly intended to hold a gum shield so that the latter can be shaped to suit the dentition of a user, and also relates to a corresponding gum shield, notably with application to participation in sports in which it is important to protect the teeth, such as combat sports, team sports or contact sports. The gum shield 2 is made of a material that can be deformed by the action of heat and comprises an upper portion 2a intended to be at least partially in contact with a user's top teeth and a lower portion 2b opposite the upper portion. The holder 1 is made of a material that does not deform under the action of heat and comprises, on the one hand, a holding region 4 intended to hold the gum shield via its lower portion and, on the other hand, first means of temporary attachment able to collaborate with second means of temporary attachment which are arranged in the gum shield so as to allow the gum shield and the holder to be temporarily assembled. The invention is characterized in that the first means of temporary attachment comprise at least one second peg designed to collaborate with a second orifice (7) formed in the lower portion (2b) of the gum shield (2).

Description

RECEPTION BLOCK FOR THE SHAPING OF A TEETH PROTECTOR, AND CORRESPONDING TEETH PROTECTOR

The invention relates to a receiving wedge, more particularly for receiving a mouthguard for shaping it adapted to the dentition of a user. The invention also relates to a corresponding mouthguard. The invention is therefore particularly applicable to the practice of sports in which it is important to protect the teeth, such as combat sports or team sports, and more generally contact sports.

Preformed mouth guards made of a non-deformable material are known and are therefore not adaptable to a user's teeth and gums.

With such mouthguards, the only adjustment possible is to slightly resize the device with a tool such as a knife or a pair of scissors.

Preformed mouth guards made of a deformable material, such as a plastic material of the EVA type, are also known. Since such a material is heat-deformable, it is possible to adapt the toothguard to the teething and gingiva of a user by heating it to soften it.

Also known are mouthguards, part of which is made of deformable material and another part is made of a non-deformable material.

Thus, US 2009/0223526 discloses a mouthguard comprising an upper portion 11 of deformable material, for example of the EVA type, which is intended to be in contact with the teeth. This upper part 11 is fixed on a base 20 also made of deformable material such as EVA, by means of a male-female fastening system 18. Between the upper part 11 and the base 20 is arranged a sort of filler putty.

Once the assembly in three laminated layers 11, 30, 20 carried out, the device is soaked in boiling water to obtain its softening, then the user bites into the softened device to adapt to its morphology. One of the disadvantages of all these devices, deformable material or not, is that they do not allow to maintain sufficient thickness for the protection of the oral cavity of users.

Moreover, these solutions do not guarantee sufficient ventilation at the incisors, the user can not then breathe closed jaws. However, the closed jaw position is the position providing the best protection to the user in case of impact.

Also, these solutions do not make it possible to correctly wedge the upper and lower jaws with respect to each other for a given user. Also, movements of the lower jaw relative to the upper jaw can occur, especially in case of impact, which can cause irreversible damage.

The invention therefore aims to solve the aforementioned problems, among other problems.

The invention thus relates, in a first aspect to a receiving wedge for shaping a mouthguard of thermo-deformable material, this mouthguard comprising an upper portion intended to be at least partially in contact with the teeth of the top of a user and a lower portion opposite to the upper portion.

The wedge is made of a non-thermo-deformable material and comprises, on the one hand, a receiving zone adapted to receive the mouthguard by its lower portion, and, on the other hand, first temporary fixing means adapted to cooperate with second temporary fixing means arranged in the mouthguard, so as to allow the temporary assembly of the wedge and the mouthguard.

Thus, in use with a mouthguard, when the user crunches on the assembly formed by the mouthguard received in the hold, it can obtain the shaping of the mouthguard deformable material adapted to its morphology. At the same time, the indeformable nature of the material used for the wedge makes it possible to ensure that there is no contact between the teeth of the upper jaw and the teeth of the lower jaw. Once the formatting obtained, the user can remove the wedge material deformable since the assembly between the wedge and the mouthguard is temporary, and thus use the mouthguard fully adapted to its morphology.

In a first alternative embodiment of the wedge, the first temporary fixing means comprise at least one receiving gutter whose dimensions are adapted to the reception and temporary maintenance of at least a portion of the lower portion of the mouthguard.

This gutter can be arranged in the reception area.

This receiving channel may be provided with one or more first lugs adapted to cooperate with respectively one or more first holes formed in the upper portion of the mouthguard.

The receiving gutter is preferably intended to receive the front portion of the mouthguard itself to protect the incisors of a user.

In a second variant, possibly in combination with the previous one, the first temporary fixing means comprise one or more second lugs adapted to cooperate respectively with one or more second orifices formed in the lower portion of the mouthguard.

This or these second lugs may be arranged along at least one lateral arm of the shim and then extend transversely to this or these lateral arms.

Preferably, this or these lateral arms extend from the receiving channel to the area intended to receive the rear portion of the mouthguard itself to protect the molars of the user.

In yet another variant, possibly with one or more of the previous, the wedge comprises a gripping tab designed to facilitate handling by a user.

This gripping tab preferably extends from the receiving area.

Also preferably, the gripping tab extends in a direction such that it does not interfere with the placement of the shim in the mouth of a user, for example towards the outside of the mouth of the user. use. The invention also relates, according to a second aspect, to a mouthguard made of heat-deformable material and comprising an upper portion intended to be at least partially in contact with the upper teeth of a user and a lower portion. opposite to the upper portion.

The lower portion is provided with second temporary fixing means adapted to cooperate with first temporary fixing means arranged in a receiving zone of a receiving wedge, made of non-thermo-deformable material, for forming the toothguard , so as to allow the temporary assembly of the mouthguard and the wedge.

Thus, in use with a shim, when the user crunches on the assembly formed by the mouthguard received in the hold, it can obtain the shaping of the mouthguard of deformable material adapted to its morphology.

In a first embodiment of the mouthguard, the second temporary fixing means comprise at least a portion of the lower portion whose dimensions are adapted to receive in a receiving channel disposed in the hold.

In a second variant, possibly in combination with the previous one, the mouthguard comprises one or more first orifices formed in the upper portion and adapted to cooperate respectively with one or more first lugs arranged on the gutter of the shim.

Preferably, or the first orifices are formed in the front portion of the mouthguard for protecting the incisors of a user.

In a third variant, possibly in combination with the previous, the second fixing means comprise one or more second holes formed in the lower portion and adapted to cooperate with respectively one or more second lugs arranged on the shim.

Preferably, the second orifices are arranged on at least one of the side walls of the lower portion.

Preferably, the second orifices are formed in the rear portion of the lower portion for receiving the molars of a user.

In another variant, possibly in combination with one or more of the preceding, the lower portion comprises a front portion intended to receive the incisors of a user and a rear portion for receiving the molars of the user, this front portion and this rear portion are joined at a recess, so as to create a ventilatory space under the front part. of the lower portion when said toothguard (2) is in position on a user.

The invention also relates, in a third aspect, to a protection assembly comprising a shim as presented above and a mouthguard as presented above, so as to allow the shaping of the mouthguard adapted to the dentition of a user.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly and completely on reading the following description of the preferred embodiments, which are given by way of non-limiting examples and with reference to the following appended drawings:

FIG. 1 schematically represents an example of a shim according to the invention,

FIG. 2 schematically represents an example of a mouthguard according to the invention,

Figure 3 shows schematically the shim of Figure 1 assembled with the mouthguard of Figure 2 temporarily, so removable.

The shim 1 shown in Figure 1 corresponds to an alternative embodiment of the wedge according to the invention.

This shim 1 comprises a receiving zone 3 of the mouthguard according to the invention. The latter will be described later with reference to FIG.

In a first part of this reception zone 3, at the front of the shim 1, that is to say the part which, in use, is at the level of the user's incisors, the zone of 3 includes a gutter 4 whose shape and dimensions are adapted to receiving and maintaining the front portion of the mouthguard, that is to say the portion of the mouthguard for protecting the incisors of a user. Optionally, although this is not shown in FIG. 1, the reception trough 4 may be provided with one or more first lugs oriented transversely to the walls of this trough 4.

Towards the rear, that is to say in the part of the shim 1 which, in use, is at the level of the user's molars, the receiving zone extends into lateral arms 6, each provided with a plurality of second lugs 5 oriented transversely to the lateral arms 6 and towards the inside of the shim 1.

These second lugs 5 are intended to cooperate with orifices formed in the mouthguard.

Thus, the wedge 1 comprises first temporary fixing means which will allow, in cooperation with second temporary fixing means in the mouthguard, its temporary assembly with this mouthguard.

In the variant embodiment shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, these first temporary fastening means comprise both the trough 4, possibly provided with first lugs, in the front part, and the second lugs 5 carried by the lateral arms 6 in the rear part.

In other embodiments, these first attachment means could comprise only the gutter, possibly extended rearwardly, with or without first lugs, or only the second lugs 5 possibly in larger numbers.

These first fixing means could equally well include, in place of the means described above, or in addition, a simple lower support, other than the gutter 4, possibly supplemented with lugs oriented towards the top, to come to receive and keep the mouthguard.

In the variant shown in Figure 1, the shim 1 is also provided with a gripping tab 8, which facilitates the manipulation of this shim 1 by a user.

This tongue 8 extends from the front part of the shim 1, from the receiving zone 3, in a direction such that it does not interfere with the installation in the mouth of the user. In the example of Figure 1, the tongue 8 extends forward, so that in use, it comes out of the mouth of the user.

The mouthguard 2 intended to be assembled with the shim 1 previously described, is shown schematically in Figure 2 in an exemplary embodiment.

This mouthguard 2 consists of a single block and comprises an upper portion 2a facing upwards, that is to say a portion intended to be at least partially in contact with the teeth and gums of the top of the body. 'user.

This mouthguard 2 also comprises a lower portion 2b opposite to the upper portion 2a, so oriented downwards, that is to say a portion intended to be oriented opposite to the teeth and gums of the top of the user when using.

The upper portion 2a and the lower portion 2b are formed in the same block and are therefore integral with each other. Nevertheless, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a mouthguard could be conceived, the upper and lower portions of which are distinct and connected by securing means.

More specifically, in common use, that is to say after the guard 2 has been preformed in a manner adapted to the morphology of the user and after removal of the shim 1, as explained later in In the present description, the lower portion 2b of the mouthguard 2 may be at least partially in contact with certain lower teeth, in particular the molars, and possibly with the gingiva at these teeth, which makes it possible to obtain the gear jaws high and low.

The lower portion 2b, at its front portion, that is to say the portion intended to be placed at the incisors, has dimensions adapted to receive in the gutter 4 of the shim 1 described above.

Although this is not shown in Figure 2, the lower portion 2b, at its front portion, may be provided with first orifices adapted to cooperate with the first lugs of the shim 1 described above. Furthermore, this lower portion 2b, at its rear portion, that is to say the portion intended to be placed at the level of the molars, has second orifices 7 formed in the side walls 9. Such second orifices are adapted to cooperate with the second lugs 5 of the shim 1 described above.

Thus, the mouthguard 2 comprises second temporary fixing means which will allow, in cooperation with the first temporary fixing means in the shim 1 described above, its temporary assembly with this shim 1.

In the variant embodiment shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2, these second temporary fixing means comprise both the front portion of dimension adapted to receive and hold in the gutter 4 of the shim 1, possibly provided with first orifices, and the second orifices 7 in the side walls 9 in the rear part.

In other embodiments, these second attachment means could comprise only the front portion, possibly extended rearwardly, with or without first orifices, or only the second orifices 7 possibly in larger numbers.

Depending on the length of the second lugs 5 in the shim 1, the second orifices 7 are formed only in the external lateral walls 9, or also in the internal lateral walls 12.

The front part of the mouthguard 2, intended to receive the user's incisors, and the rear part of this mouthguard 2 intended to receive the molars of the user, meet at a recess 10, which which forms a ventilatory space 11, under the front part in use.

FIG. 3 schematically represents the temporary assembly of the shim 1 represented in FIG. 1 and of the mouthguard 2 represented in FIG. 2.

The lower portion 2b of the mouthguard 2 is thus received, at least at the front portion, in the channel 4 of the shim 1.

Furthermore, in the rear part, the lugs 5 (not visible in Figure 3) on the side arms 6 of the shim 1, cooperate with the orifices 7 in the outer side walls 9, and optionally the inner side walls 12, protects -dents 2. The shim 1 is made of a non-thermo-deformable material, such as polypropylene.

The mouthguard 2 is, in turn, made of a heat-deformable material, such as a plastic type EVA.

More specifically, the deformation of the mouthguard 2 is obtained by heating. The shim 1 must therefore be made of a material whose softening temperature is greater than that of the material used for the mouthguard 2.

More generally, in the present invention, the term "mouthguard" made of a heat-deformable and wedge material made of a non-thermo-deformable material means a toothguard made of a first material having a first softening temperature and a shim. made in a second material having a second softening temperature greater than the first.

Thus, the user who wants to shape the mouth guard 2 in a manner adapted to its morphology, place this mouthguard 2 in the hold 1, and heat the assembly for example by soaking in boiling water .

The gripping tab 8 on the wedge 1 facilitates this manipulation, and in particular avoids the risk of burns.

The mouthguard 2 being made of thermo-deformable material, it softens by heating, so that the user can then place the whole shim 1 plus mouthguard 2 in his mouth, and bite on this set, so to deform the mouthguard 2 so that it adapts to its morphology.

The indeformable nature of the wedge 1 ensures the absence of contact between the upper teeth and the lower teeth of the user.

The assembly between the shim 1 and the mouthguard 2 being temporary and removable, once the proper shaping of the mouthguard 2 obtained, the user can let cool and harden the mouthguard 2 and detach the protector- teeth 2 of the hold 1, to be able to use it thereafter without the hold 1.

Furthermore, it will be noted that the variant in which the second temporary fixing means comprise first orifices and / or second orifices 7 formed in the mouthguard 2, has the advantage of leaving empty cavities in the mouthguard 2 after removal of the shim 1. These cavities form air cushions that improve the absorption and impact diffusion performance.

Also, in the variant in which the first temporary fixing means comprise first lugs and / or second lugs 5 formed in the shim 1, the diameter of these cylindrical lugs, or their thickness in the case where they have a shape other than that of a cylinder, to ensure a specific thickness for the mouthguard 2 after shaping.

The shim 1 and the mouthguard 2 according to the invention also have the advantage of being very simple to use, and the advantage of being very simple to manufacture.

It is specified that the whole of the description above is given by way of example, and is therefore not limitative of the invention.

Claims

Receiving shim (1) for shaping a mouthguard (2) made of thermo-deformable material, said mouthguard (2) comprising an upper portion (2a) intended to be at least partially in contact with the upper teeth of a user and a lower portion (2b) opposite to said upper portion (2a), said wedge (1) being made of a non-thermo-deformable material and comprising, on the one hand, a zone of receiving (3) adapted to receive the mouthguard (2) by its lower portion (2b), and, secondly, the first temporary fixing means adapted to cooperate with second temporary fixing means arranged in the protective cover teeth (2), so as to allow the temporary assembly of the wedge (1) and the mouthguard (2), said wedge being characterized in that the first temporary fixing means comprise at least one second lug (5) adapted to cooperate with a second orifice (7) formed in the lower portion higher (2b) of the mouth piece (2).

2. Shim (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first temporary fixing means comprise at least one receiving gutter (4) whose dimensions are adapted to the reception and temporary maintenance of at least a portion of the lower portion (2b) of the mouthguard (2).

3. Shim (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the receiving trough (4) is disposed in the receiving zone (3).

4. shim (1) according to any one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the receiving trough (4) is provided with one or more first lugs adapted to cooperate with respectively one or more first holes formed in the upper portion (2a) of the mouthguard (2).

5. Wedge (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the receiving trough (4) is intended to receive the front part the mouthguard (2), itself intended to protect the incisors of a user.

6. shim (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the second or the lugs (5) are arranged along at least one side arm (6) of said shim (1) and extend transversely to this or these lateral arms (6).

7. shim (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the or the lateral arms (6) extend from the receiving trough (4) to the area for receiving the rear portion of the mouthguard (2) itself intended to protect the molars of the user.

8. Wedge (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises a gripping tongue (8) intended to facilitate handling by a user.

9. Shim (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the gripping tongue (8) extends from the receiving zone (3).

10. Shim (1) according to any one of claims 8 and 9, characterized in that the gripping tongue (8) extends in a direction such that it does not interfere with the placement of the shim (1). ) in the mouth of a user.

11. Mouthguard (2) made of thermo-deformable material and comprising an upper portion (2a) intended to be at least partially in contact with the upper teeth of a user and a lower portion (2b) opposite said portion upper (2a), said lower portion (2b) being provided with second temporary fixing means adapted to cooperate with first temporary fixing means arranged in a receiving zone (3) of a receiving wedge (1), made in non-thermo-deformable material, for shaping the mouthguard, so as to allow the temporary assembly of the mouthguard (2) and the wedge (1), said mouthguard being characterized in that the second temporary fixing means comprise at least a second orifice (7) formed in the lower portion (2b) and adapted to cooperate with a second lug (5) disposed on the shim (1).

12. Mouthguard (2) according to claim 11, characterized in that the second temporary fixing means comprise at least a portion of the lower portion (2b) whose dimensions are adapted to the reception in a receiving gutter (4). ) arranged in the hold (1).

13. Mouthguard (2) according to any one of claims 11 and 12, characterized in that it comprises one or more first holes formed in the upper portion (2a) and adapted to cooperate with respectively one or more first lugs arranged on the gutter (4) of the hold (1).

14. Mouthguard (2) according to claim 13, characterized in that the or the first orifices are formed in the front portion of the mouthguard (2) for protecting the incisors of a user.

15. Mouthguard (2) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that the or the second orifices (7) are arranged on at least one of the side walls (9, 12) of the lower portion ( 2b).

16. Mouthguard (2) according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that the or the second orifices (7) are formed in the rear portion of the lower portion (2b) for receiving molars d 'an user.

17. Mouthguard (2) according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that the lower portion (2b) comprises a front portion for receiving the incisors of a user and a rear portion for receiving the molars of the user, and in that the front portion and the rear portion meet at a recess (10), so as to create a ventilatory space (11) under the front portion of the lower portion (2b) when said mouthguard (2) is in position on a user.

18. Protection assembly, comprising a shim (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and a mouthguard (2) according to any one of claims 11 to 17, so as to allow formatting mouthguard adapted to the teeth of a user