JPH0739809U - Occlusal lift spacer and mouthpiece - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To provide a spacer that accurately obtains the occlusal elevation value required when manufacturing a mouthpiece or a denture. [Structure] A plurality of spheres having a diameter corresponding to a required elevation interval are arranged in a plane in a plastic material sheet that is deformed by occlusal pressure. The sheet deforms when occlusal pressure is applied, but the sphere does not deform, and a lift value that matches the diameter of the sphere is obtained. The spheres can be embedded in the sheet by connecting with a connecting body of several mm.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an occlusal elevation spacer that is interposed between upper and lower molars to obtain an occlusal elevation at predetermined intervals, and a mouthpiece using the same.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, for example, when manufacturing a denture or a mouthpiece for sports, a wax plate (referred to as a bite wax) having a thickness of about 3 to 4 mm is used to elevate a space between upper and lower molars of a patient or an athlete. Often. The bite wax is heated and softened and bitten by a patient or the like, and the indentations of the upper and lower molars are formed on both sides of the bite wax to determine the positional relationship between the upper and lower jaws when raised by several mm. If a separately formed plaster jaw model of a patient, etc. is attached to the articulator with bite wax sandwiched, the jaw relationship with occlusal elevation raised at a predetermined interval is reproduced. Based on this, dentures or mouthpieces are manufactured.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 As described above, when bite wax is used for occlusal elevation, the interval changes depending on the strength of the occlusal pressure, so even a dentist requires considerable skill to obtain the prescribed elevation value. And In other words, it is often thinner than the desired value, or conversely, too thick, and it is possible to bite out.

In addition, in the case of a commercially available ready-made mouthpiece, the athlete purchases it at the store, soaks it in hot water, softens it, puts it in the mouth, bites between the upper and lower molars, and forms it by applying pressure to the lingual and buccal sides. However, even in such a case, it is extremely difficult to obtain a preset optimum elevation value. Since the softening of the mouthpiece material depends on the temperature of the hot water and the immersion time, and the occlusal pressure varies depending on the individual, it often occurs that the material is thicker or thinner than the standard value.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and uses an occlusal elevation spacer that can easily and accurately obtain occlusal elevations at predetermined intervals even by a non-expert. A mouthpiece is provided.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The occlusal lift spacer according to the present invention is obtained by arranging a plurality of spheres having a predetermined diameter, which are made of a material that is not deformed by the application of occlusal pressure, on a plastic material that is deformable by the application of occlusal pressure and are embedded in one plane. It will be. The spheres can be connected by a flexible connecting body, and the diameter of the spheres can be set in the range of 0.3 to 6.0 mm. In addition, the sphere can be formed of a thermoplastic elastomer having a softening temperature higher than 100 degrees Celsius (the same applies hereinafter). Further, the above plastic material can be formed as a wax or a thermoplastic elastomer having a softening temperature of 50 ° C. or higher.

Further, the mouthpiece according to the present invention has the occlusal lift spacer embedded in the occlusal surface, the plastic material is made of a thermoplastic elastomer having a softening temperature of 50 ° C. or higher, and conforms to the shape of a dental arch. It is formed in a horseshoe shape and is provided with an elongated body extending to the lingual side and the buccal side.

[0008]

[Action]

 The occlusal lift spacer is placed in the oral cavity with the plastic material heated and softened, and is sandwiched between the molars to bite slowly. When you feel resistance, stop biting and take out the spacer. As a result, indentations on the occlusal surfaces of the upper and lower molars are formed on both surfaces of the spacer, with the spheres at regular intervals.

The mouthpiece is softened by being soaked in hot water or the like, put into the oral cavity and bited, and at the same time, the tongue extension body is pushed by the tongue and the buccal extension body is pressed by the finger or the like to form the mouthpiece. As a result, mouthpieces are formed which are lifted at regular intervals by the sphere.

[0010]

【Example】

 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 is an occlusal raising spacer, which is made of a thermoplastic material such as a plastic material such as wax, polycaprolactone resin, or ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, and has a thickness of about 3 mm, a length of about 40 mm, and a width of about 15 mm. 2 and a plurality of spheres 3 and 3 made of a thermoplastic elastomer such as an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer, a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, and a urethane-based thermoplastic elastomer embedded in the sheet 2. The diameter of the spheres 3, 3 ... Is set to a constant value in the range of about 0.3 mm to 6.0 mm depending on the application. In the case of a sports mouthpiece, about 2.0 mm is standard. The spheres 3, 3, ... Are dispersed in the sheet 2 substantially uniformly and on one plane at intervals of about 2 mm. Here, the softening temperature of the sheet 2 is from room temperature (about 20 degrees) to about 80 degrees, and the sheet 2 is softened by being immersed in hot water or the like and is deformed by the application of occlusal pressure. On the other hand, the spheres 3, 3, ... Must be made of a material that does not deform even when heated to these temperatures, and those having a softening temperature of about 100 ° C. or higher, such as the thermoplastic elastomer, are suitable. .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the occlusal elevation spacer 1 is placed on and bitten by four molars 4, 4. The sheet 2 in FIG. 3 is omitted (shown by a broken line). The sheet 2 is crushed and deformed by applying an occlusal pressure. Since the sphere 3 does not deform even when an occlusal pressure is applied, there is a distance between the upper and lower molars 4, 4 that is a distance determined by the diameter of the sphere 3. Here, the spheres 3, 3, ... Are arranged on one plane in the sheet 2 for the following reason. That is, if the spheres are not arranged on one plane but are dispersed vertically, there is a possibility that two or more spheres 3 will be placed in the fossa 5 of the posterior tooth 4, and the predetermined elevation value will be obtained. Will not be obtained.

In order to more surely prevent the spheres 3, 3 ... from overlapping in the vertical direction, the structure of the following embodiment may be adopted. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the spherical bodies 3, 3 ... Are connected to the thread-like connecting body 6. In this example, the occlusal elevation spacer 1 is composed of two occlusal elevation spacer portions 1a and 1b and one curved connecting portion 7. The connecting portion 7 is formed so as to be located on the lingual side of the front tooth 8 when the occlusal raising spacer 1 is placed in the oral cavity and the spacer portions 1a and 1b are sandwiched between the molars. The occlusal lift spacer portions 1a and 1b may be used independently without being connected by the connecting portion 7. Further, if the connecting portion 7 is covered with wax, it can be maintained in a predetermined horseshoe shape. The connecting body 6 is composed of one main connecting body 9 that matches the tooth row direction and a plurality of sub connecting bodies 10, 10 ... The main and sub connecting bodies 9, 10, 10 ... Are formed in a thread shape having a thickness of about 0.1 to 0.5 mm. .. having a diameter of about 2.0 mm are arranged on the main connecting body 9 at intervals of about 5 mm. The sub-connecting bodies 10, 10 ... Cross the main connecting body 9 at right angles in the intermediate portion of the two spheres 3, 3 on the main connecting body 9. Spheres 3, 3 ... Are arranged at both ends of the sub-connectors 10, 10. The length of the sub-connecting bodies 10, 10 corresponding to the premolars 4a, 4a (pitch between the spherical bodies 3, 3 at both ends) is about 4 mm, and the sub-connecting body 10 for the portions corresponding to the molars 4b, 4b. , 10 (the pitch between the spheres 3 and 3 at both ends) is set to about 5 mm. In the case of a sports mouthpiece, the diameters of the spheres 3, 3, ... Are often in the range of about 1.0 to 3.0 mm depending on the type of sport and purpose, and are typically 2.0 mm as described above. Is used. In addition, the mouthpiece (called a template) used for the treatment of jaw deviation, etc., is about 0. It is set in the range of 5 to 5.0 mm. A value of about 0.5 to 1.0 mm is often set when occlusal elevation is performed when manufacturing a denture. The spherical bodies 3, 3 ... The connecting body 6 and the connecting body 7 can be integrally molded by injection molding or press molding of the above-mentioned thermoplastic elastomer such as olefinic thermoplastic elastomer. Reference numeral 2 denotes a sheet made of a thermoplastic material such as wax or polycaprolactone resin formed by covering the occlusal lift spacer portions 1a and 1b, and has a thickness of about 3 mm and a length of about 40 mm as in the above example. The width can be about 15 mm. With this size, it is possible to cover the four molar teeth of an ordinary adult. It is also possible to use a thermoplastic resin having no elasticity for the spheres 3, 3, ... And the connecting body 6.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, with the occlusal lift spacer 1 soaked in hot water or the like to be softened, the main connecting body 9 is adjusted in the oral cavity so that it is located substantially at the center of the molars 4a, 4b. When it is bitten, the sheet 2 is deformed, the spheres 3, 3 on the main connecting body 9 are located in the fossa at the center of the tooth, and the spheres 3, 3 on the sub connecting body 10 are lingual and buccal cusps, respectively. Located in. Since the spheres 3, 3, ... Are connected by the connecting body 6, the positions of the spheres 3, 3 ,. , And the spheres 3, 3 ... Do not overlap each other vertically. Since the spheres 3, 3 ... Are not deformed by the occlusal pressure, the distance between the upper and lower molars 4a, 4b is accurately determined according to the diameter of the sphere 3. Since the main and sub-connectors 9, 10, 10 ... Are thin and flexible, they deform according to the deformation of the seat 2 when occlusal pressure is applied, but they are fixed by the seat 2. , Its shape is retained even when the occlusal pressure is removed.

FIG. 7 shows a mouthpiece 11 in which the occlusal elevation spacer 1 is embedded, and the occlusal elevation spacer 1 is embedded in the occlusal surface of the part corresponding to the molar teeth. 12 is an extension body extending to the lingual side and the buccal side. This mouthpiece 11 is made of a thermoplastic elastomer such as ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and is formed into a horseshoe shape corresponding to the dental arch. It is soaked in hot water of about 50 to 100 degrees to be softened and put in the oral cavity. At the same time of biting, the lingual extension 12 is pushed by the tongue, and the labial and buccal extension 12 is pushed from the outside by a finger to press-mold. When biting the mouthpiece 11, a central occlusal position is obtained by biting with the jaw pulled. When the user feels resistance to the force of biting and stops biting, the spacer 1 has obtained a predetermined occlusal elevation. It is preferable that the spacer 1 is soft enough not to feel uncomfortable when it is bitten, and a JISA hardness of about 40 to 90 is suitable, and the hardness is set to be almost equal to that of the mouthpiece 11 at room temperature. If the spacer 1 is colored and the mouthpiece 11 is transparent or translucent, the occlusal elevation by the spacer 1 can be confirmed.

In reality, commercially available ready-made mouthpieces are extremely difficult to mold in the oral cavity, and as shown in FIG. 8, there is often a gap 13 between the extension 12 and the side surfaces of the molars 4a and 4b. The mouthpiece 11 having such a gap 13 has poor wearability on a tooth, does not have a sufficient tooth protection function, and is extremely inconvenient to use. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the mouthpiece 11 is used as a personal tray, the impression material 14 is filled inside the tray, and the player bites it again to obtain an accurate impression of the molars 4a and 4b. By forming a mouthpiece based on this, a highly accurate mouthpiece can be manufactured.

FIG. 10 shows a structure in which the occlusal lifting spacer 1 without the sheet made of the plastic material is arranged in the hollowed holes 16, 16 at the positions corresponding to the molar teeth of the individual tray 15 made of the thermoplastic elastomer. The occlusal lift spacer 1 has a structure in which a plurality of spheres 3, 3, ... Are connected by a thread-like connecting body, and is stretched in the hollow holes 16, 16. The impression holes are filled in the hollow holes 16 and 16 and inserted into the oral cavity to be bitten. Since the upper and lower molars are located in the hollowed holes 16, 16, the distance between the molars is determined by the diameter of the spheres 3, 3. In such a method, since the impression material has fluidity in its initial stage, the elevation value can be accurately obtained with a relatively weak bite pressure.

[0017]

[Effect of device]

 According to the present invention, when performing occlusal elevation, a plurality of spheres having a predetermined diameter are arranged on one plane and embedded in a plastic material sheet, so that the occlusal elevation can be accurately performed at predetermined intervals. You can do the above.

Further, according to the present invention, since a plurality of spheres are connected by a connecting body and embedded in a plastic material sheet, the spheres do not overlap with each other vertically, and an occlusal elevation that matches the diameter of the sphere is performed. It can be carried out.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an occlusal lift spacer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a relationship between an occlusal elevation spacer and molars.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an occlusal state.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an occlusal lift spacer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a mouthpiece according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a mouthpiece molding state.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a case where the mouthpiece is used as a personal tray.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a personal tray with an occlusal lift spacer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 occlusal raising spacer 2 sheet 3 sphere 4a, 4b molars 6 connecting body 1a, 1b occlusal raising spacer part 9 main connecting body 10 sub connecting body

Claims (7)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An occlusal lift spacer formed by arranging and embedding a plurality of spheres having a predetermined diameter formed of a material that is not deformed by the application of occlusal pressure in a plastic material that is deformable by the application of occlusal pressure. . 2. The occlusal lift spacer according to claim 1, wherein the spheres are connected by a flexible connecting member. 3. The sphere has a diameter of 0.3 to 6.0 mm.
The occlusal lift spacer according to claim 1 or 2, which is set within the range. 4. The sphere comprises a thermoplastic elastomer having a softening temperature higher than 100 degrees.
The occlusal lift spacer. 5. The occlusal lift spacer according to claim 1, wherein the plastic material is wax. 6. The occlusal lift spacer according to claim 1, wherein the plastic material is a thermoplastic elastomer having a softening temperature of 50 degrees or more. 7. The occlusal lift spacer according to claim 1, which is embedded in the occlusal surface, wherein the plastic material is made of a thermoplastic elastomer having a softening temperature of 50 ° C. or higher and conforms to the arch shape of the teeth. A mouthpiece that is formed in a horseshoe shape and includes an extension body that extends to the lingual side and the buccal side.