Holder with detachable, angle-adjustable plug connection around the vertical axis and flexible shield for a tongue-holding system
The device with a point-symmetrical holder and angle-adjustable shield addresses the challenge of variable tongue retraction during dental treatments, offering secure, detachable, and hygienic repositioning, enhancing dental procedure efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- DE · DE
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- RUWENSTROTH HANS-FRIEDRICH GUNTER KLAUS
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-01
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-03
AI Technical Summary
Existing dental treatments face challenges in effectively and variably retracting the tongue to maintain optimal alignment with the sagittal or longitudinal axis of the tongue, ensuring it is kept away from both posterior and anterior teeth, while allowing for secure, detachable, and hygienic repositioning of the tongue retractor.
A device with a point-symmetrical holder and angle-adjustable shield that can be locked at various angles and rotated 180°, featuring form-fit, interlocking, snap-in, or clamping connections, allowing the shield to be positioned optimally relative to the tongue's axis, and made of medical-grade materials for comfort and hygiene.
Enables precise tongue displacement and retraction, providing maximum variability and secure, hygienic repositioning of the tongue retractor, ensuring effective working space for dental procedures.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical field
[0001] The invention relates to a device for variable tongue displacement from the dental arch during dental treatments. It relates in particular to a design of the holder and the attached shield for tongue retraction. State of the art
[0002] During dental treatments, it is essential to keep the tongue safely away from the dental arch. To allow for precise adaptation to anatomical conditions and varying depths of the floor of the mouth, a solution is particularly needed where the tongue retractor (shield) can be rotated and locked in place to align it at the optimal angle to the sagittal or longitudinal axis of the tongue. This ensures that the tongue is effectively kept away not only from the posterior teeth but also from the front teeth (incisors). Purpose of the invention
[0003] The invention is based on the objective of providing a device for tongue displacement in which the shield facing the tongue can be locked in stages or continuously at various angles and rotated by 180° to ensure maximum variability in tongue displacement. Furthermore, the connection should be secure during operation, but easily and non-destructively detachable for repositioning or hygienic cleaning after treatment.
[0004] This is achieved by the flat holder lying in the horizontal plane and having a continuous vertical recess at its distal end. The holder is point-symmetrical or mirror-symmetrical with respect to its horizontal midplane. This means that the top and bottom surfaces of the holder are completely identical, allowing the system to be used on either the right or left side of the mouth.
[0005] The shield can therefore be inserted into the holder's continuous recess from either the top or the bottom – this makes no difference to the locking mechanism. However, for use, the shield is rotated or aligned, regardless of the insertion direction, so that it always points towards the floor of the mouth.
[0006] By inserting the shield and using a form-fit and / or force-fit connection, it can be securely locked at various predefined or freely selectable angles to the sagittal plane (longitudinal axis of the tongue), depending on the chosen insertion or rotation position. The angle is adjusted by rotating the shield around the vertical axis of the connection. This allows the shield to be positioned to keep the tongue away from the posterior teeth or, perpendicular to this, from the anterior teeth.
[0007] Various geometric designs are possible for this angle-lockable, but detachable, plug connection: • Polygon connection: The receptacle in the holder is designed as a closed ring with an equilateral inner polygon geometry (preferably as a regular octagon or hexagon), into which a matching outer polygon pin of the shield engages in a form-fitting manner. • Interlocking / Hirth interlocking: Holder and pin engage via a fine vertical or axial face toothing, enabling very fine angular indexing. • Snap-in or pin connection: The pin has spring-loaded locking elements or pins that clip into corresponding vertical grooves or bores in the receptacle. • Conical or clamping connection: A slightly conical design of the pin and receiver ensures stepless angle adjustment through frictional engagement, while maintaining a firm but releasable clamping action.
[0008] A particular advantage of all these variants is that the shield can also be inserted rotated a full 180°. This allows the tongue – even on the side where the holder is fixed – to be pushed in the opposite direction (i.e., away from that side of the dental arch) to create working space for the practitioner. To ensure that the shield can be positioned close enough to the side of the dental arch during this 180° rotation, the holder features coupling recesses that extend along its length to just before the ring-shaped head.
[0009] In a design optimized for practical use, the holder has a length of approximately 6.0 cm to 10.0 cm (preferably approximately 8.0 cm) and a width of approximately 0.6 cm to 1.5 cm (preferably approximately 1.0 cm). The plate is angled at approximately 10° to the vertical and angled at the bottom (or alternatively, curved into a channel). The plate is offered in various sizes (preferably heights of 1.5 cm to 2.0 cm and widths of 1.5 cm to 2.0 cm), with the pin for universal coupling always remaining the same size. At the opposite, proximal end, the holder has a textured surface on both the top and bottom.
[0010] The holder and pin of the shield are made of either medical-grade plastics or metals. The shield itself is preferably made of a soft, elastic, flexible plastic to conform to the tongue with minimal pressure. Character description
[0011] The following drawings are schematic representations and not necessarily to scale: • Fig. 1 (Top view): Shows the holder (1) with the sign (2) mounted. Dashed lines indicate the sign (2) mounted at a different angle. • Fig. 2 (Side view): Shows the holder (1) with the sign (2) mounted. • Fig. 3 (cross-section): Shows a cross-section through the shield (2). Reference symbol list 1 holder 2 sign
Claims
Holder for a tongue-holding system, characterized in that the flat holder (1) has a vertically continuous receptacle at its distal end into which a corresponding pin of a flexible shield (2) can be inserted, so that the shield (2) can be locked in various predefined or freely selectable angles to the sagittal plane by means of a form-fit and / or force-fit connection coupling, wherein the plug connection is fixed during operation, but can be released without damage for changing the position or for cleaning. Holder according to claim 1, characterized in that the holder (1) is shaped in a mirror-symmetrical manner with respect to its horizontal central plane and has an identical upper and lower surface, so that the shield (2) can be inserted into the receptacle either from above or from below and the holder (1) can be used independently of side on the left as well as on the right side of the mouth. Holder according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the receptacle in the holder (1) and the pin of the shield (2) are designed as interlocking, equilateral polygons (preferably as a regular octagon or hexagon). Holder according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the receptacle in the holder (1) and the pin of the shield (2) are angularly lockable and coupled to each other via an interlocking face toothing, a locking groove connection or a friction-fit conical clamping. Holder according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the pin of the shield (2) can be inserted into the receptacle of the holder (1) in such a way that the shield (2) can be mounted rotated by 180° in order to push the tongue away from this area of the dental arch in the opposite direction also on the side on which the holder (1) is fixed. Holder according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the holder (1) has at its proximal end opposite the ring a haptically grippy surface for manual handling arranged on both the top and bottom sides. Holder according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the holder (1) has recesses for variable longitudinal positioning which extend along the holder to just before the distal receptacle, so that the shield (2) can be pushed close to the dental arch in the 180° rotated state. Holder according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the holder (1) has a total length in the range between 6.0 cm and 10.0 cm and a width in the range between 0.6 cm and 1.5 cm. Holder according to one of the preceding claims in combination with a flexible shield (2), characterized in that the shield (2) has a pin geometry suitable for receiving the holder (1). System according to claim 9, characterized in that the shield (2) runs obliquely to the vertical at an angle of about 10° and is angled or channel-shaped at the lower end. System according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the shield (2) is provided in different widths and height levels, wherein the geometry and size of the pin of the shield (2) for universal coupling is always kept identical, and wherein the height of the shield (2) is in the range between 1.5 cm and 2.0 cm and the width is in the range between 1.5 cm and 2.0 cm. System according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the holder (1) and / or the pin of the sign (2) are made of metal or a hard plastic and the sign (2) is made of a softer, flexible plastic in comparison.