Tongue-stabilized universal tongue holding device with deformation-adaptive tongue protection shield, integral tongue grid and tapered floor of mouth plate as well as modular roller attachment
A deformable tongue guard with modular cotton roll accommodation provides a stable, hygienic, and anatomically precise tongue retraction system for dental treatments, addressing stability and flexibility issues in existing retractors.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- DE · DE
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- RUWENSTROTH HANS-FRIEDRICH GUNTER KLAUS
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-17
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-03
AI Technical Summary
Current tongue retractors face challenges in achieving stability and flexibility, with rigid systems being uncomfortable and unstable, and conventional devices complicating cleaning and increasing bacterial adhesion risks.
A hands-free device with a deformable tongue guard and modular receptacle that accommodates conventional cotton rolls, providing a secure, pressure-free fit and ensuring hygiene through a smooth, non-porous surface, while allowing for modular suction or padding systems.
Ensures reliable tongue retraction with optimal visibility and hygiene, accommodating various roll diameters and materials for anatomical precision and ease of cleaning.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
DESCRIPTION
[0001] The invention relates to a device for hands-free tongue retraction during dental treatments. It combines a flexibly deformable tongue guard for physical barrier formation with a modular receptacle for functional rollers for anatomical stabilization. STATE OF THE ART:
[0002] Current state-of-the-art tongue retractors suffer from the conflict between necessary stability and required flexibility. Rigid, single-material systems are either too hard for the floor of the mouth or too unstable to reliably displace the tongue. Furthermore, conventional devices often have surface textures that complicate cleaning or increase the risk of bacterial adhesion. A solution is lacking that utilizes conventional cotton rolls as a multifunctional skeletal and cushioning element to stabilize a flexible protective shield hands-free while enabling residue-free sterilization. TASK OF THE INVENTION:
[0003] The invention aims to provide a hands-free, sterilizable device that ensures reliable tongue retraction with optimal visibility. The device is designed to securely accommodate conventional cotton rolls of variable diameters, with these rolls acting as an elastic backbone for the protective shield. The goal is a pressure-free, quick, and anatomically precise fit, while also offering modularity for active suction or padding systems. SOLUTION TO THE TASK:
[0004] The device comprises a translucent tongue shield (2). The elastic clamping devices (1) securely fix rolls of varying thicknesses. The roll forms the shaping skeleton: due to the material flexibility of the tongue shield (2), it follows the arc-shaped curvature of the roll. The entire surface of the device is smooth, non-porous, and crack-free, ensuring hygiene and atraumatic application to the mucous membrane. MODULARITY AND ANATOMIC ADAPTATION:
[0005] The centrally positioned, conically tapered floor-of-mouth plate (3) on the central strut (4) allows the device to deform in an arc-shaped manner lingually without the outer components colliding. According to the invention, the device can be made of materials of different hardness (e.g., 2K silicone), with the tongue protection shield (2) being softer than the supporting structures. The system is modularly designed to accommodate not only cotton rolls but also active suction rolls or elastomeric cushioning rolls. FIGURE DESCRIPTION Fig. Figure 1 shows a top view illustrating the conical floor plate (3) and the axial projection of the roller for anterior and posterior padding. Fig. Figure 2 shows a side view from the buccal side to illustrate the surface-level holding function of the tongue guard (2). Fig.Figure 3 shows a detailed cross-section through a clamping device (1). The horizontal axis (H), the vertical axis (V) and the angular axis (A) are shown to define the safety overlap in the upper buccal quadrant while simultaneously releasing the lower and buccal pole of the functional roller. REFERENCE MARK LIST 1 clamping device 2 tongue protection shields 3 Mouth floor plate 4 strut H horizontal axis V vertical axis A angular axis (45°)
Claims
Device for tongue restraint during dental treatments, comprising a flexibly deformable tongue guard (2) with at least three vertical struts (4) arranged at its lower edge, characterized in that the struts (4) are attached on the lingual side to the lower edge region of the tongue guard (2), wherein elastically expandable clamping devices (1) for receiving a functional roller are arranged on two outer struts and a floor of mouth plate (3) is attached to a middle strut. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device consists of at least two materials of different hardness, elasticity or flexibility, wherein the tongue protection shield (2) has a higher flexibility than the clamping devices (1) and / or the floor of the mouth plate (3). Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the entire surface of the device is smooth and free of pores and cracks in order to ensure atraumatic application on the mucous membrane and residue-free sterilization. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device is manufactured in one piece or in a multi-component process from metallurgically bonded elastomers or silicones of different Shore hardnesses. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tongue protection shield (2) follows the arcuate deformation of a functional roller fixed in the clamping devices (1) in a form-fitting manner and returns to a flat initial shape after removal of the roller. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping devices (1) enclose the functional roller from obliquely above, wherein an overlap in the upper buccal quadrant secures the roller against vertical dislocation, while the buccal pole and the lower pole of the functional roller are free. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the floor of the mouth plate (3) is conically tapered from its lateral edges towards the central strut (4) in order to enable collision-free bending of the device lingually. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping devices (1) are modularly designed to accommodate cotton rolls, active suction rolls or elastomeric upholstery rolls of different diameters. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device is edge-free, sterilizable and translucent from translucent to transparent.