A jaw pad and method of making same

Abstract

The application discloses a jaw pad and a manufacturing method thereof, and relates to the technical field of dental correction appliances. The jaw pad comprises a maxillary pad and a mandibular pad. The posterior tooth area of the maxillary pad is provided with an upper positioning part protruding towards the opposite jaw direction. The posterior tooth area of the mandibular pad is provided with a lower positioning part protruding towards the opposite jaw direction. The upper positioning part is provided with an upper positioning slope, and the lower positioning part is provided with a lower positioning slope. The upper positioning slope and the lower positioning slope can be in mutual contact to form a composite guide matching surface. The composite guide matching surface extends upwards from disto-incisally to mesio-incisally in the mesio-distal direction. The composite guide matching surface extends towards the mesio direction from the lingual side to the buccal side in the buccal-lingual direction. In the application, the mutual contact of the upper and lower positioning slopes can effectively prevent the mandibular retraction and left-right swing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of dental orthodontic appliances, specifically to a jaw pad and its manufacturing method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, after temporomandibular joint surgery or manual reduction, a jaw splint is required to stabilize the newly established mandibular position and prevent re-displacement. Existing jaw splints are mostly simple planar contact structures between the upper and lower jaws, lacking three-dimensional guiding surfaces. During sleep or bruxism, the mandible is prone to slipping and retracting along the occlusal surface, leading to treatment failure. Furthermore, traditional jaw splints have poor attachment retention and are prone to deformation with prolonged wear; the overall material strength is insufficient, making them susceptible to cracking and wear in the occlusal region. Therefore, a jaw splint that can improve positioning and prevent displacement of the upper and lower jaws is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, this application provides a jaw pad and a method for manufacturing the same to solve at least one of the above problems.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution provided in this application is as follows: A jaw pad includes a maxillary pad and a mandibular pad. The maxillary pad has an upper positioning part protruding from the posterior tooth region in the direction of opposition, and the mandibular pad has a lower positioning part protruding from the posterior tooth region in the direction of opposition. The upper positioning part is provided with an upper positioning slope, and the lower positioning part is provided with a lower positioning slope. The upper positioning slope and the lower positioning slope can abut against each other to form a composite guiding mating surface. The composite guiding mating surface is a spatial inclined surface that simultaneously has a meso-distal inclined component and a buccal-lingual inclined component in three-dimensional space; the composite guiding mating surface extends upward from the distal to the meso in the meso direction; and the composite guiding mating surface extends towards the meso in the buccal-lingual direction from the lingual side to the buccal side.

[0005] Preferably, the mesiodistal angle between the composite guide mating surface and the jaw plane ranges from 25° to 55°. And / or, the composite guide mating surface has a buccal-tongue angle range of 25°-55°.

[0006] Preferably, the upper positioning part is filled with resin; the lower positioning part is filled with resin.

[0007] Preferably, the upper positioning part is located on the maxillary pad towards the lingual side, and the lower positioning part is located on the mandibular pad towards the buccal side.

[0008] Preferably, the upper positioning part is provided with an upper positioning occlusal surface, the shape of which is adapted to the occlusal surface of the mandibular pad; the lower positioning part is provided with a lower positioning occlusal surface, the shape of which is adapted to the occlusal surface of the maxillary pad.

[0009] Preferably, the upper positioning part is provided with an upper reinforcing structure, the upper reinforcing structure including two first sidewalls in the buccal-lingual direction, the vertical projection of the first sidewalls on the jaw plane is a continuous wave shape or a continuous sawtooth shape; And / or, the lower positioning part is provided with a lower reinforcing structure, the lower reinforcing structure including two second sidewalls in the buccal-lingual direction, the vertical projection of the second sidewalls on the jaw plane being a continuous wave shape or a continuous sawtooth shape.

[0010] This application also provides a method for manufacturing a jaw pad, comprising the following steps: (1) Joint adjustment and repositioning: The patient's mandible is adjusted to the repositioning position along the sagittal and vertical directions, and the occlusal relationship after repositioning is recorded; (2) Three-dimensional model design and attachment insertion: On the three-dimensional oral scanning model, the base morphology of the maxillary pad and mandibular pad is designed according to the occlusal relationship after repositioning, and the upper attachment and lower attachment are inserted into the model as the base morphology of the upper positioning part and the lower positioning part, respectively; the upper attachment is provided with an upper slope to form the upper positioning slope of the upper positioning part; the lower attachment is provided with a lower slope to form the lower positioning slope of the lower positioning part; the upper slope and the lower slope are spaced apart. (3) 3D model confirmation: Confirm the completed 3D model with the clinician; (4) 3D printing model: Based on the confirmed three-dimensional data, 3D print the maxillary working model and the mandibular working model; (5) Compression molding: A diaphragm is used to compress and mold the printed model to obtain a maxillary pad prototype with an internally hollow upper positioning part and a mandibular pad prototype with an internally hollow lower positioning part; wherein, the upper positioning slope and the lower positioning slope are configured to abut against each other in the occlusal state to form a composite guiding mating surface; the composite guiding mating surface is a spatial slope, which has both mesiodistal tilt component and buccal-lingual tilt component in three-dimensional space; (6) Trim the edges and occlusal surfaces: Trim the edges of the jaw pad and remove material from the occlusal surfaces to obtain stable occlusal contact; (7) Filling with resin: Fill the upper positioning part of the maxillary pad and the lower positioning part of the mandibular pad with resin material.

[0011] Preferably, in step (1), the vertical adjustment amount is 4.5 mm.

[0012] Preferably, in step (1), the upper inclined surface of the upper attachment and the lower inclined surface of the lower attachment are spaced 1.4 mm apart.

[0013] Preferably, the angle between the composite guide mating surface and the jaw plane in step (5) in the mesiodistal direction is 25°-55°, and the angle between the composite guide mating surface and the jaw plane in the buccal-lingual direction is 25°-55°.

[0014] The technical solution provided in this application has the following beneficial effects: the mutual contact and cooperation of the upper and lower positioning inclined planes form a three-dimensional composite guiding mating surface, which simultaneously generates a composite guiding force on the mandible in the forward (mesi) and lingual directions during occlusion, constraining the mandibular position in both the sagittal (anteroposterior) and horizontal (left-right) degrees of freedom, effectively preventing mandibular retraction and lateral swinging; the anti-retraction design with distal to mesial inclination and the anti-swinging design with lingual to buccal inclination are integrated into the same mating surface, resulting in a compact structure that requires no additional limiting components; compared with traditional jaw pads that rely solely on the friction of the occlusal contact surface, this solution achieves active locking of the mandibular position through the directional guidance of the mechanical inclined plane, maintaining mandibular position stability even under non-functional loads such as nocturnal bruxism. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a front view of the maxillary pad and mandibular pad during occlusion in this embodiment; Figure 2 This is a side view of the maxillary pad and mandibular pad during occlusion in this embodiment; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the angle of inclination of the lower positioning slope towards the cheek and tongue in this embodiment; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing another perspective of the chin pad in this embodiment; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the angle of inclination of the lower positioning ramp towards the far-middle direction in this embodiment; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the tilt angle of the upper positioning ramp in the far-to-middle direction in this embodiment; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the angle of inclination of the upper positioning slope towards the cheek and tongue in this embodiment; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the upper and lower attachments in this embodiment; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the upper and lower attachments from another perspective in this embodiment.

[0016] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1. Maxillary pad; 11. Upper positioning part; 111. Upper positioning ramp; 112. Upper positioning occlusal surface; 113. Upper reinforcing structure; 2. Mandibular pad; 21. Lower positioning part; 211. Lower positioning ramp; 212. Lower positioning occlusal surface; 213. Lower reinforcing structure; 3. Composite guiding mating surface; 4. Upper attachment; 41. Upper ramp; 5. Lower attachment; 51. Lower ramp. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To further illustrate the various embodiments, this application provides accompanying drawings. These drawings are part of the disclosure of this application and are mainly used to illustrate the embodiments, and can be used in conjunction with the relevant descriptions in the specification to explain the operating principles of the embodiments. With reference to these drawings, those skilled in the art should be able to understand other possible implementations and the advantages of this application. Components in the drawings are not drawn to scale, and similar component symbols are generally used to represent similar components.

[0018] This application will now be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0019] Reference Figure 1-9 This embodiment provides a jaw pad, including a maxillary pad 1 and a mandibular pad 2. The maxillary pad 1 has two upper positioning portions 11 protruding from the posterior tooth region towards the opposing jaw, located on the left and right sides of the maxillary pad 1 respectively. The mandibular pad 2 has two lower positioning portions 21 protruding from the posterior tooth region towards the opposing jaw, located on the left and right sides of the mandibular pad 2 respectively, corresponding to the upper positioning portions 11. The upper positioning portion 11 has an upper positioning ramp 111, and the lower positioning portion 21 has a lower positioning ramp 211. When the maxillary pad 1 and mandibular pad 2 are in occlusal position, the upper positioning ramp 111 and the lower positioning ramp 211 can abut against each other to form a composite guiding mating surface 3. The composite guiding mating surface 3 is a spatial ramp, which simultaneously has a mesiodistal tilt component and a buccal-lingual tilt component in three-dimensional space. The composite guiding mating surface 3 extends upward from the distal to the mesial direction in the mesiodistal direction; the composite guiding mating surface 3 extends upward from the lingual side to the buccal side in the buccal direction in the mesiodistal direction.

[0020] The upper and lower positioning ramps 211 engage in a three-dimensional composite guiding mating surface 3, which simultaneously generates a combined forward (mesial) and lingual guiding force on the mandible during occlusion. This restrains the mandible's position in both the sagittal (anteroposterior) and horizontal (left-right) degrees of freedom, effectively preventing mandibular retraction and lateral movement. The distal-to-mesial anti-retraction design and the lingual-to-buccal anti-movement design are integrated into the same mating surface, resulting in a compact structure that requires no additional limiting components. Compared to traditional jaw pads that rely solely on the friction of the occlusal contact surface, this solution achieves active locking of the mandibular position through the directional guidance of the mechanical ramps, maintaining mandibular stability even under non-functional loads such as nocturnal bruxism.

[0021] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 , 5As shown by the dashed lines in sections 6 and 7, the mesiodistal angle θ1 between the composite guiding mating surface 3 and the plane perpendicular to the occlusal plane ranges from 25° to 55°, preferably 45°. The buccal-lingual angle θ2 between the composite guiding mating surface 3 and the plane perpendicular to the occlusal plane ranges from 25° to 55°, preferably 45°. The two inclination angles of the composite guiding mating surface 3 are limited to the preferred range of 25° to 55°: an angle ≥ 25° ensures sufficient inclination of the inclined surface to generate effective guiding force, avoiding jamming due to excessively steep inclination; an angle ≤ 55° avoids excessively gentle inclination that could easily cause mandibular displacement during occlusion; within this angle range, the mandible can smoothly and easily slide along the composite inclined surface to the target position, while providing sufficient restraint to resist unintended displacement. It should be noted that the occlusal plane is defined as the plane formed by the mesial contact points of the two maxillary central incisors (teeth 1) and the mesial buccal apex of the bilateral maxillary first molars (teeth 6).

[0022] In this embodiment, the upper positioning part 11 is positioned on teeth 4, 5, and 6 in the posterior tooth region, providing a large coverage area and sufficient support and retention. Simultaneously, the wider dental arch and greater occlusal force in the posterior tooth region enhance the overall stability and anti-rotation capability of the jaw pad. The lower positioning part 21 covers at least tooth 4, and can be extended to tooth 5 as needed clinically. This ensures sufficient contact area between the lower and upper positioning parts 21 and 11, while allowing for flexible selection of the coverage area based on the patient's dentition, minimizing the foreign body sensation in the oral cavity while maintaining functionality. Specifically, the contact between the upper and lower positioning ramps 111 and 211 occurs in the tooth 4 region. A composite guiding contact surface 3 is positioned at this location, generating a clear guiding force in the early stages of occlusion. This guides the mandible to slide along the predetermined trajectory of the composite guiding contact surface 3 to the target position, preventing the mandible from failing to accurately reach the repositioning target due to lag in guiding force.

[0023] In this embodiment, the upper positioning part 11 is filled with resin; the lower positioning part 21 is filled with resin. By filling the hollow positioning part with resin material, the compressive strength and wear resistance of the positioning part are significantly improved, preventing deformation, collapse or breakage of the positioning part due to concentrated occlusal force during long-term use, extending the service life of the jaw pad, and ensuring long-term treatment effect.

[0024] In this embodiment, the positioning part is located on the lingual side of the maxillary pad 1, and the lower positioning part 21 is located on the buccal side of the mandibular pad 2. In human anatomy, the maxillary dental arch is usually wider in the left-right direction than the mandibular dental arch, forming a "U" shape that wraps around the mandibular dental arch. This physiological characteristic means that when the maxillary pad 1 and the mandibular pad 2 cover their respective dentitions, without positional compensation, the occlusal contact point of the upper positioning part 11 and the support point of the lower positioning part 21 will be misaligned in the buccal-lingual direction, making it impossible to form an accurate inclined plane fit during occlusion. By positioning the upper positioning part 11 on the lingual side of the maxillary pad 1 and the lower positioning part 21 on the buccal side of the mandibular pad 2, positional compensation is performed based on the difference in width between the maxillary and mandibular dental arches. The two are basically aligned in the same dentition direction in the vertical projection direction, thereby ensuring that the upper positioning inclined plane 111 and the lower positioning inclined plane 211 can form an accurate and complete abutment fit during occlusion.

[0025] In this embodiment, the side of the upper positioning part 11 facing the mandibular pad 2 is the upper positioning occlusal surface 112, and the shape of the upper positioning occlusal surface 112 is adapted to the occlusal surface of the mandibular pad 2. The side of the lower positioning part 21 facing the maxillary pad 1 is the lower positioning occlusal surface 212, and the shape of the lower positioning occlusal surface 212 is adapted to the occlusal surface of the maxillary pad 1. By adapting the shape of the positioning occlusal surface to the opposing occlusal surface, the occlusal contact is evenly distributed, avoiding local stress concentration, while improving occlusal stability and wearing comfort, and reducing discomfort during the patient's adaptation period.

[0026] In this embodiment, the upper positioning part 11 is provided with an upper reinforcing structure 113, which includes two first sidewalls in the buccal-lingual direction. The vertical projection of the first sidewalls on the occlusal plane is a continuous wave shape. The lower positioning part 21 is provided with a lower reinforcing structure 213, which includes two second sidewalls in the buccal-lingual direction. The vertical projection of the second sidewalls on the occlusal plane is a continuous wave shape or a continuous sawtooth shape. By setting the buccal-lingual sidewalls of the positioning part to a wave shape or a sawtooth shape, the surface area and bending section modulus of the sidewalls are increased under the same wall thickness, which significantly improves the positioning part's ability to resist occlusal pressure deformation. At the same time, the wave / sawtooth structure improves the stiffness and buckling resistance of the sidewalls without increasing the material thickness, and is compatible with the compression molding process, requiring no additional processing steps.

[0027] This embodiment also provides a method for manufacturing a jaw pad, including the following steps: (1) Joint adjustment and repositioning: The patient's mandible is adjusted to the repositioning position along the sagittal and vertical directions, and the occlusal relationship after repositioning is recorded. By adjusting the mandible to the repositioning position, the compression of the postarticular and superior interarticular spaces is relieved, providing an accurate target occlusal relationship for subsequent jaw pad fabrication.

[0028] (2) Three-dimensional model design and attachment insertion: On the three-dimensional oral cavity scanning model, the base morphology of the maxillary pad 1 and mandibular pad 2 is designed according to the repositioned occlusal relationship, and the upper attachment 4 and lower attachment 5 are inserted into the model as the base morphology of the upper positioning part 11 and the lower positioning part 21, respectively. Figure 8 , 9 As shown, the upper attachment 4 is provided with an upper inclined surface 41 for forming the upper positioning inclined surface 111 of the upper positioning part 11; the lower attachment 5 is provided with a lower inclined surface 51 for forming the lower positioning inclined surface 211 of the lower positioning part 21; the upper inclined surface 41 and the lower inclined surface 51 are spaced apart. By precisely designing the direction and angle of the attachment inclined surfaces in the three-dimensional model, the geometric parameters of the composite guide mating surface 3 are accurately determined in the digital model stage, eliminating the need for repeated manual adjustments and improving manufacturing accuracy and consistency. The spaced interval between the upper inclined surface 41 and the lower inclined surface 51 allows for material thickness allowance for subsequent precise trimming of the mating surface.

[0029] (3) Confirmation of the three-dimensional model: Confirm the completed three-dimensional model with the clinician.

[0030] (4) 3D printing model: Based on the confirmed three-dimensional data, 3D print the maxillary working model and the mandibular working model.

[0031] (5) Compression molding: A diaphragm is used to compress the printed model to obtain a prototype of the maxillary pad 1 with an internally hollow upper positioning part 11 and a prototype of the mandibular pad 2 with an internally hollow lower positioning part 21. The upper positioning slope 111 and the lower positioning slope 211 are configured to abut against each other in the occlusal state to form a composite guiding mating surface 3; the composite guiding mating surface 3 is a spatial slope, which has both mesiodistal tilt component and buccal-lingual tilt component in three-dimensional space.

[0032] (6) Trim the edges and occlusal surfaces: Trim the edges of the jaw pad and remove material from the occlusal surfaces to obtain stable occlusal contact.

[0033] (7) Filling with resin: Fill the upper positioning part 11 of the maxillary pad 1 and the lower positioning part 21 of the mandibular pad 2 with resin material.

[0034] In step (1), the vertical adjustment is 4.5 mm. The preferred value of 4.5 mm has been clinically verified to effectively relieve the compression of the posterior and superior joint spaces, placing the condyle in the physiological functional position of the glenoid fossa, while avoiding muscle fatigue or joint discomfort due to overstretching.

[0035] In step (1), the upper inclined surface 41 of the upper attachment 4 and the lower inclined surface 51 of the lower attachment 5 are spaced 1.4 mm apart.

[0036] In step (5), the inclination angle of the composite guide mating surface 3 relative to the plane perpendicular to the jaw plane ranges from 25° to 55° in the mesiodistal direction and from 25° to 55° in the buccal-lingual direction. The angle values ​​of the inclination angles in different directions are determined according to the actual physiological and anatomical structure of different patients.

[0037] Although this application has been specifically shown and described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes in form and detail may be made to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application as defined by the appended claims, and all such changes shall be within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A jaw pad, characterized in that: It includes a maxillary pad and a mandibular pad. The maxillary pad has an upper positioning part protruding from the posterior tooth area towards the opposing jaw, and the mandibular pad has a lower positioning part protruding from the posterior tooth area towards the opposing jaw. The upper positioning part is provided with an upper positioning slope, and the lower positioning part is provided with a lower positioning slope. The upper positioning slope and the lower positioning slope can abut against each other to form a composite guiding mating surface. The composite guiding mating surface is a spatial inclined surface that simultaneously has a meso-distal inclined component and a buccal-lingual inclined component in three-dimensional space; the composite guiding mating surface extends upward from the distal to the meso in the meso direction; and the composite guiding mating surface extends towards the meso in the buccal-lingual direction from the lingual side to the buccal side.

2. A jaw pad according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle between the composite guide mating surface and the jaw plane in the mesiodistal direction ranges from 25° to 55°. And / or, the angle between the composite guide mating surfaces in the buccal-lingual direction ranges from 25° to 55°.

3. A jaw pad according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper positioning part is filled with resin; the lower positioning part is filled with resin.

4. A jaw pad according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper positioning part is located on the lingual side of the maxillary pad, and the lower positioning part is located on the buccal side of the mandibular pad.

5. A jaw pad according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper positioning part is provided with an upper positioning occlusal surface, the shape of which is adapted to the occlusal surface of the mandibular pad; the lower positioning part is provided with a lower positioning occlusal surface, the shape of which is adapted to the occlusal surface of the maxillary pad.

6. A jaw pad according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper positioning part is provided with an upper reinforcing structure, which includes two first sidewalls in the buccal-lingual direction. The vertical projection of the first sidewalls on the jaw plane is a continuous wave shape or a continuous sawtooth shape. And / or, the lower positioning part is provided with a lower reinforcing structure, the lower reinforcing structure including two second sidewalls in the buccal-lingual direction, the vertical projection of the second sidewalls on the jaw plane being a continuous wave shape or a continuous sawtooth shape.

7. A method for manufacturing a jaw pad, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Joint adjustment and repositioning: The patient's mandible is adjusted to the repositioning position along the sagittal and vertical directions, and the occlusal relationship after repositioning is recorded; (2) Three-dimensional model design and attachment insertion: On the three-dimensional oral scanning model, the base morphology of the maxillary pad and mandibular pad is designed according to the occlusal relationship after repositioning, and the upper attachment and lower attachment are inserted into the model as the base morphology of the upper positioning part and the lower positioning part, respectively; the upper attachment is provided with an upper slope to form the upper positioning slope of the upper positioning part; the lower attachment is provided with a lower slope to form the lower positioning slope of the lower positioning part; the upper slope and the lower slope are spaced apart. (3) 3D model confirmation: Confirm the completed 3D model with the clinician; (4) 3D printing model: Based on the confirmed three-dimensional data, 3D print the maxillary working model and the mandibular working model; (5) Compression molding: A diaphragm is used to compress and mold the printed model to obtain a maxillary pad prototype with an internally hollow upper positioning part and a mandibular pad prototype with an internally hollow lower positioning part; wherein, the upper positioning slope and the lower positioning slope are configured to abut against each other in the occlusal state to form a composite guiding mating surface; the composite guiding mating surface is a spatial slope, which has both mesiodistal tilt component and buccal-lingual tilt component in three-dimensional space; (6) Trim the edges and occlusal surfaces: Trim the edges of the jaw pad and remove material from the occlusal surfaces to obtain stable occlusal contact; (7) Filling with resin: Fill the upper positioning part of the maxillary pad and the lower positioning part of the mandibular pad with resin material.

8. A method for manufacturing a jaw pad according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step (1), the vertical adjustment amount is 4.5 mm.

9. A method for manufacturing a jaw pad according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step (2), the upper inclined surface of the upper attachment and the lower inclined surface of the lower attachment are spaced 1.4 mm apart.

10. A method for manufacturing a jaw pad according to claim 7, characterized in that: The angle between the composite guide mating surface and the jaw plane in the mesiodistal direction in step (5) is 25°-55°, and the angle between the composite guide mating surface and the jaw plane in the buccal-lingual direction is 25°-55°.

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