Dental Mouthpiece

Abstract

The dental mouthpiece has a curved shape and includes a main body portion located at the center of the curve and having a first end and a second end, a suction connector portion connected to the first end, and a lip hook portion connected to the second end. The main body portion includes a front wall on the inside of the curve and a rear wall on the outside of the curve. The front and rear walls define an interior space. At least one connector connects the front wall to the rear wall. At least one front intermediate wall extends from the front wall partially toward the rear wall. At least one rear intermediate wall extends from the rear wall partially toward the front wall. The at least one front intermediate wall and the at least one rear intermediate wall each have alternating peaks and valleys.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 846,353, entitled "Dental Mouthpiece," filed May 10, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of dental mouthpieces. More specifically, the present invention relates to an intraoral dental aspirator and a separate mouthpiece. [Background technology]

[0003] Currently in the field of dentistry, various mouthpieces are used by dental specialists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, etc. In the past, dental patients received treatment from a traditional two-person team including a dental specialist and a dental assistant. Furthermore, many different dental equipment and materials were used in dental treatment. These dental equipment and materials include intraoral mirrors, bite blocks, low speed suction ejectors, high speed suction ejectors, gauze, cotton rolls, dry angles, etc. Each of these dental equipment may be used for different purposes or may be combined depending on the purpose of the dental procedure. Thus, a dental specialist performing a dental procedure will need to use multiple dental equipment. Therefore, an important role of a dental assistant is to assist the dental specialist in the use of multiple different dental equipment and materials. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Thus, there is a need in the art for systems and methods that allow for the delivery of more efficient, comfortable, and safe dental treatment services. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An embodiment of a dental mouthpiece configured with a curve is disclosed. Such a dental mouthpiece may include a main body portion located at the center of the curve and having a first end and a second end, a suction connector portion connected to the first end, and a lip hook portion connected to the second end.

[0006] In some embodiments, the main body portion, the suction connector portion, and the mouthpiece portion may be integrally molded by injection molding. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece may be made of a flexible, translucent, high heat resistant, autoclavable material that is favorable for injection molding. Such materials may include silicone. Since such mouthpieces are made of high heat resistant, autoclavable materials, they are reusable.

[0007] The main body portion includes a front wall on an inner side of the curve and a rear wall on an outer side of the curve. The front and rear walls define an interior space. At least one connector connects the front wall to the rear wall within the interior space. At least one front intermediate wall extends partially from the front wall toward the rear wall and at least one rear intermediate wall extends partially from the rear wall toward the front wall. The at least one front intermediate wall and the at least one rear intermediate wall each have alternating peaks and valleys. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a top view of the dental mouthpiece.

[0009] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1.

[0010] [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1.

[0011] [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1.

[0012] [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a top annular cross-sectional view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1.

[0013] [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1.

[0014] [Figure 7] 2 is a side view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1 with the front wall separated from the rear wall.

[0015] [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1, taken where the suction connector and the main body intersect.

[0016] [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1, taken where the suction connector and the main body intersect.

[0017] [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1 with a wall connector.

[0018] [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1 with a post connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] An embodiment of the present invention may include a mouthpiece attachable to a high suction dental adapter to assist dental staff by providing independent hands-free chairside suction. Such a mouthpiece may include a main body portion, a lip portion, a suction connector portion, a stability bar, and a bite block. In some embodiments, the main body portion, the lip portion, the suction connector portion, the stability bar, and the bite block (and portions thereof) may be integrally molded, preferably by injection molding. In one exemplary embodiment, the mouthpiece is made of a material that is flexible, resilient, at least translucent, and advantageous for injection molding. Such materials may include known thermoplastic elastomers.

[0020] 1 is a top view of a dental mouthpiece. The dental mouthpiece 100 includes a main body portion 102 having a first end 104 and a second end 106 opposite the first end 104. In the illustrated embodiment, a suction connector portion 108 is coupled to the first end 104 and a lip hook portion 110 is coupled to the second end 106. However, in alternative embodiments, the mouthpiece 100 may not have a suction connector portion 108 and / or a lip hook portion 110. Additionally, a bite block 101 is integrated into the suction connector portion 108 near the first end 104 of the main body portion 102. However, the bite block 101 may be located anywhere in the suction connector portion 108.

[0021] The main body portion 102 may include a neck portion 120 extending from the second end 106 to the hook portion 110. The neck portion 120 may have a width 122 that is narrower than the width of the main body portion 102, the width of the hook portion 110, and the width of the suction connector portion 108. However, in other examples, the width 122 may be wider than the width of the main body portion 102, the width of the hook portion 110, and the width of the suction connector portion 108.

[0022] In the illustrated embodiment, the suction connector portion 108, the lip hook portion 110, the bite block 101, and the main body portion 102 may be constructed as one piece. However, in other examples, each of the suction connector portion 108, the lip hook portion 110, the bite block 101, and / or the main body portion 102 may be constructed as separate pieces. For example, in some embodiments, the main body portion 102, the lip hook portion 110, and the suction connector portion 108 (and portions thereof) are integrally molded, preferably by injection molding. The bite block 101 may be constructed as a separate piece and be attachable to the suction connector portion 108. In one exemplary embodiment, the mouthpiece 100 may be made of a material that is flexible, resilient, at least translucent, and advantageous for injection molding. Such materials may include thermoplastic elastomers.

[0023] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body portion 102 may be curved. The mouthpiece 100 is made of a flexible and resilient material (e.g., a thermoplastic elastomer) so that it can curve to conform to the shape of the patient's mouth when placed in the patient's mouth. The suction connector portion 108, when properly positioned, may protrude from one side of the patient's mouth, while the main body portion 102 rests against the back of the patient's mouth and the lip hook portion 110 presses against the cheek opposite the patient's mouth.

[0024] The lip hook portion 110 may be configured to compress the patient's cheek and retract the patient's cheek away from the patient's teeth on the side opposite the extension of the suction connector portion 108. Because the material from which the mouthpiece 100 is made is flexible, the mouthpiece 100 will bend to some extent when placed in the patient's mouth. However, the resilience of the material allows the mouthpiece 100 to exert pressure on a portion of the patient's mouth when released from bending. For example, the material of the mouthpiece 100 may be resilient such that the lip hook portion 110 will compress the patient's cheek with enough pressure to move the patient's cheek away from the teeth. The lip hook portion 110 is illustrated as having a hammerhead-shaped distal region that is attached to the main body portion 102. The lip hook portion 110 may be solid in some instances and hollow in other instances.

[0025] The main body portion 102 may include a front wall 112 at a curved inner portion and a rear wall 114 (also shown in FIG. 4) at a curved outer portion. The front wall 112 may face the front of the patient's mouth. The rear wall 114 may face the rear of the patient's mouth. The front wall 112 and the rear wall 114 of the main body portion 102 may be configured to be parallel to one another. The front wall 112 may have a predetermined shape that corresponds to the predetermined shape of the rear wall 114. However, in other examples, the front wall 112 may have a different shape than the rear wall 114. The predetermined shape may be wider at the first end 104 and narrower at the second end 106. In some embodiments, the predetermined shape may correspond to a shield shape. However, the predetermined shape may be, for example, a square, straight arrow, rectangle, star, oval, circle, or any other shape that generally conforms to the shape of the patient's mouth. Different sized mouthpieces may be provided to accommodate the different sizes of mouths of adults and children. The first end 104 may be formed with a thicker wall than the remaining portions of the main body portion 102. Such thickness may provide additional stability at the first end 104. The front wall 112 and rear wall 114 may be positioned within a patient's mouth to seal the patient's airway, with the bite block 101 positioned between the patient's teeth. The suction connector portion 108 extends from one side of the patient's mouth. The corner of the mouth portion 110 presses against the other cheek in the patient's mouth.

[0026] The main body portion 102 may include openings 140 positioned on the front wall 112 and / or on the rear wall 114. Such openings 140 (e.g., perforations, slits, apertures, etc.) allow air, liquids, small debris, etc., to be drawn through the openings 140 from the patient's mouth into the interior space 126 and through the suction connector portion 108 to a suction source. The openings 140 may be located around the periphery of the front wall 112 and / or rear wall 114. In some examples, the openings 140 may be located on either side of the neck portion 120 on the front wall 112 and / or rear wall 114. In another example, the openings 140 are multiple apertures, where all of the apertures may be the same size, or some or all of the apertures may be different sizes.

[0027] 3 is a rear view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the suction connector portion 108 may be oval-shaped and may be attached to the main body portion 102. The suction connector portion 108 may be formed with a thicker wall than the main body portion 102 and may be configured to be attached to a high suction vacuum adapter. The suction connector portion 108 may help transfer water, saliva, debris, etc. from the interior space 126 to an external adapter for removal. The suction connector portion 108 may include an internal stop to stop the sliding mouthpiece at a desired depth in the adapter.

[0028] Hereinafter, the term upper wall 116 may be used to mean the side that rests against the roof of the mouth when placed in the mouth of a patient, as shown in FIG. 3. Similarly, the term lower wall 118 may be used hereinafter to mean the side that rests against the bottom of the mouth when placed in the mouth of a patient. The upper wall 116 and the lower wall 118 may be formed identically. In this case, the mouthpiece can be turned around, such that in the new orientation, the upper wall 116 looks like the lower wall 118 (and vice versa). In use, the upper wall 116 and the lower wall 118 of the main body portion 102 may act as protection and isolation for the top of the mouth, as well as the bottom of the mouth and / or the tongue. The main body portion 102 may also act as protection and isolation for the back of the mouth (e.g., throat and airway) from falling debris.

[0029] 4 is a bottom view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1. The front wall 112 and the rear wall 114 may be connected to each other using at least one connector 124. In some embodiments, the suction connector portion 108 may have a cutout 142 (e.g., in the shape of a logo, a rectangular cutout, a square cutout, a circular cutout, or any other shape of cutout) to allow for further coupling with a corresponding protrusion (which may also be in the shape of a logo, a rectangular cutout, a square cutout, a circular cutout, or any other shape of cutout) on the external high suction vacuum adapter.

[0030] The bite block 101 may be reinforced with bite blocking openings 141 to form cavities in the bite block 101, making the bite block more stable. In one embodiment, the bite blocking openings 141 may be two parallel rectangular openings opening at the bottom of the bite block 101. The bite blocking openings 141 extend towards the suction connector portion 108, but do not have to extend beyond the thickness of the suction connector portion 108.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a top annular cross-sectional view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8, the main body portion 102 may include a bridge structure 136 that protrudes from an inner surface 135 of the rear wall 114. In some embodiments, the bridge structure 136 has a logo shape (e.g., arrowhead or shield shape). The bridge structure may have a gap at the tip of the arrowhead, so that the arrowhead has an open arc rather than a peak. In some embodiments, the bridge structure 136 may be located in the center of the main body portion 102 of the mouthpiece 100. In some examples, such bridge structure 136 may protrude from the inner surface 135 in a wave shape with bridge peaks 137 and bridge valleys 138. In other embodiments, the bridge structure 136 may protrude in a battlement or trapezoid shape. The bridge peaks 137 provide multiple contact points that are generally separated from the rear wall 114. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the height of the bridge peak 137 near the opening 146 of the suction connector part 108 may be higher than the height of the bridge peak 137 far from the opening 146. As shown in Fig. 8, the length of the bridge peak 137 near the opening 146 of the suction connector part 108 may be longer than the length of the bridge peak 137 far from the opening 146. The bridge valley 138 may be substantially flush with the inner surface 135 or extend above the inner surface 135. During suction, the bridge valley 138 contacts the front wall 112 to keep the front wall 112 separated from the rear wall 114. This prevents the front wall 112 or the rear wall 114 from falling into the interior space 126. Thus, the dirt and / or water is discharged through the interior space 126. Meanwhile, the bridge valley 138 provides a gap. This allows air, fluid, small dirt, etc. to be sucked through the bridge structure 136. In another example, the bridge structure 136 may be smooth. Alternatively, the bridge structures 136 may include peaks and valleys that are sharp peaks and sharp valleys, circular peaks and circular valleys, square peaks and square valleys, or combinations of these shapes.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the main body portion 102 may further include a stabilizing bar 143 extending from approximately the center of the main body portion 102 toward the buccal portion 110. Such a stabilizing bar 143 may protrude from the inner surface 135 of the rear wall 114 along the longitudinal axis 103. In one embodiment, the stabilizing bar 143 begins at the open arc of the bridge structure 136 and continues along the longitudinal axis 103 toward the second end 106 of the neck portion 120 before reaching the buccal portion 110. The stabilizing bar 143 may protrude from the inner surface 135 of the rear wall 114 toward the inner surface 113 of the front wall 112. The stabilizing bar 143 may be any height up to the height of the interior space 126. In one embodiment, a connector 124 for attaching the front wall 112 to the rear wall 114 may be attached to a specific point of the stabilizing bar 143. The connectors 124 on the stabilizing bar 143 may aid in retracting, stabilizing, supporting and bending the mouthpiece 100 during inhalation. In one exemplary embodiment, the stabilizing bar 143 may be provided with multiple connectors 124 aligned with it, although in other examples, the stabilizing bar 143 may not be aligned with at least one connector 124.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a side view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 shows the underside that rests against the floor of the patient's mouth. The front wall 112 and the rear wall 114 are spaced apart from one another to define an interior space 126. Other than at least one of the connector 124, the stabilizing bar 143, and the bridge structure 136, the interior space 126 is generally open and unobstructed. This allows suction to flow through the interior space 126. The interior space 126 between the front wall 112 and the rear wall 114 generally has the same predetermined shape as the front wall 112 and the rear wall 114. In some instances, the interior space 126 extends through the neck 120. However, in other instances, the interior space 126 does not extend through the neck 120. In yet other instances, the interior space 126 extends through the neck 120 to the cornucosalis 110.

[0034] At least one anterior intermediate wall 127 may extend from at least one end 128 of the anterior wall 112 partially toward the posterior wall 114. The anterior intermediate wall 127 may have a thickness extending from at least one end 128 to a midpoint between the anterior wall 112 and the posterior wall 114. Thus, the overall length of such anterior intermediate wall 127 may not exceed the entire length of the space between the anterior wall 112 and the posterior wall 114. The thickness of such anterior intermediate wall 127 may gradually increase from the buccal cavity 110, through the neck 120, to the first end 104. Such an increase in thickness may provide increased stiffness at the first end 104. In some embodiments, such anterior intermediate wall 127 may be further ribbed. In other embodiments, such anterior intermediate wall 127 may have a smooth edge. In some examples, the anterior intermediate wall 127 includes alternating peaks 130 and valleys 132. In the illustrated embodiment, the peaks 130 are flat surfaces and the valleys 132 are cylindrically cut surfaces. However, the peaks 130 and valleys 132 may be any shape. In some examples, the peaks 130 and valleys 132 extend the entire depth of the front intermediate wall 127. However, in other examples, the peaks 130 and / or valleys 132 may extend along only a portion of the front intermediate wall 127. The peaks 130 and valleys 132 may provide additional recession, stability, support, and bending to the mouthpiece 100.

[0035] The rear wall 114 may have at least one corresponding intermediate wall 134 extending from at least one end 133 of the rear wall 114 and partially extending toward the front wall 112. The rear intermediate wall 134 may be a mirror image of the front intermediate wall 127 with ridges of the same intensity, or may be different from the front intermediate wall 127. As shown in FIG. 6, in one example, the ridges of the front intermediate wall 127 may be aligned with the ridges of the rear intermediate wall 134. Considered in combination, the front intermediate wall 127, the rear intermediate wall 134 and their respective aligned ridges may form an open mesh between the front wall 112 and the rear wall 114. Such an open mesh may continue to the ends 128, 133 of each of the front wall 112 and the rear wall 114 between the first end 104 and the second end 106. The open mesh between the front intermediate wall 127 and the rear intermediate wall 134 allows air, fluids, small debris, etc. to be drawn from the patient's mouth, through the mesh, into the interior space 126, and then to the suction connector portion 108 toward the suction source.

[0036] The front intermediate wall 127 may be connected to the rear intermediate wall 134 at the top wall 116 and bottom wall 118 near the suction connector portion 108 of the main body at the first end 104. Alternatively, the front intermediate wall 127 may be connected to the rear intermediate wall 134 at the top wall 116 and bottom wall 118 near the corner hook portion 110 at the second end 106. In some embodiments, the front intermediate wall 127 may be connected to the rear intermediate wall 134 at the corner hook portion 110.

[0037] 7 is a side view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1 with the front wall pulled away from the rear wall. At least one connector 124 may span the entire distance between the front wall 112 and the rear wall 114 within the interior space 126. In other words, the connector 124 may be attached to the inner surface 135 of the rear wall 114 and the inner surface 113 of the front wall 112. The at least one connector 124 may provide structural rigidity to the mouthpiece 100 and may be a pillar, post, wall, or the like. In the illustrated example, the at least one such connector 124 includes three connectors. Each of the three connectors is post-shaped and linearly separated from one another.

[0038] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the dental mouthpiece of Fig. 1. The height of the bridge peaks 137 near the opening 146 of the suction connector part 108 may be greater than the height of the bridge peaks 137 far from the opening 146. Also, the length of the bridge peaks 137 near the opening 146 of the suction connector part 108 may be greater than the length of the bridge peaks 137 far from the opening 146.

[0039] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1. FIG. 9 shows the dental mouthpiece where the suction connector is attached to the main body. As shown in FIG. 9, the suction connector portion 108 may be oval shaped. Furthermore, the suction connector portion 108 may be attached to the main body portion 102 by seamlessly moving until the main body portion 102 reaches the bridge structure 136 (where the bridge peak 137 and bridge valley 138 may partially block the opening of the main body portion 102 near the suction connector portion 108). The bite block 101 is attached to the outside of the suction connector portion 108 so as not to interfere with the opening of the suction connector portion 108.

[0040] The suction connector portion 108 may include an opening 146 (also shown in FIG. 5 ). The opening 146 opens into the interior space 126 of the main body portion 102, thereby providing fluid communication between the interior space 126 and the suction connector portion 108. Near the opening of the suction connector portion 108, at least one suction connector wall 144 may extend from the front wall 112 to the rear wall 114, thereby preventing the front wall 112 or the rear wall 114 from collapsing during suction. The at least one suction connector wall 144 includes a pair of walls disposed on either side of the opening 146 of the suction connector portion 108.

[0041] The bite block 101 may include bite blocking ridges 147 and bite blocking valleys 148 on either side of the bite block 101 to provide greater traction and support to the bite block 101. In one embodiment, the bite blocking ridges 147 and bite blocking valleys 148 have a jagged or wavy shape on either side of the bite block 101. However, the bite blocking ridges 147 and bite blocking valleys 148 may have any shape.

[0042] 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1 with a wall-like connector. In this embodiment, the connector 124 connects the front wall 112 to the rear wall 114 as a rigid wall along the longitudinal axis 103. The connector 124 extends from the neck 120 at the second end 106 some distance from the apron 110 along the longitudinal axis 103 toward the first end 104. The connector 124 then terminates near the opening of the bridge structure 136 that surrounds the midpoint of the main body portion 102. In another embodiment, the connector 124 extends along the longitudinal axis 103 and terminates anywhere within the interior space 126 of the main body portion 102.

[0043] FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the dental mouthpiece of FIG. 1 with a post-shaped connector. In this embodiment, the connector 124 connects the front wall 112 to the back wall 114 as three cylindrical posts equally spaced apart on the longitudinal axis 103 with a stabilizing bar 143. A first connector is located on the main body portion 102. A second connector is located near the neck 120. And a third connector is spaced near the apex 110. The three connectors are linearly separated to provide additional rigidity to the neck 120 while maintaining the narrow width 122 of the neck. In another embodiment, such a connector 124 may be located where the placed mouthpiece 100 begins to wrap from one side of the mouth through the back to the other side. This allows the mouthpiece 100 to conform to the general intraoral shape of the patient's mouth. In another example, the at least one connector 124 may include one connector, two connectors, or three or more connectors. In this regard, each connector may be located anywhere on the mouthpiece 100. In one example, at least one connector 124 may be a rib that extends from the main body portion 102, through the neck portion 120, and to the mouth corner portion 110.

[0044] The mouthpiece described herein may be used with an integrated autoclavable high suction vacuum adapter. Such high suction vacuum adapter may be made of a single homogenous material. Such vacuum adapter may function similarly to all current high suction vacuum evacuators and saliva ejectors that have a single lever design and are capable of controllably removing water, saliva, debris, etc. from the oral cavity to a suction source. The single lever may be designed to controllably remove water, saliva, debris, etc. from an at least partially enclosed main body through a single large removal conduit within the suction connector.

[0045] Although various embodiments have been described above, it should be noted that these are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. The description in this specification does not limit the scope of the present invention to a specific embodiment. Therefore, the scope and scope of the preferred embodiment are not limited to the exemplary embodiment described above. It should be noted that the description in this specification is schematic and not limiting. On the other hand, this disclosure covers all modifications, improvements, and equivalents that are within the scope of the present invention that can be understood by those skilled in the art, in addition to those defined in the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be determined not by the description in this specification, but by the claims including all equivalents.

Claims

1. A dental mouthpiece configured with a curve, a main body portion located at a center of the curve and having a first end and a second end; a suction connector portion connected to the first end; A mouth corner hook portion connected to the second end portion; Equipped with The main body portion has a front wall on the inside of the curve and a rear wall on the outside of the curve, the front wall and the rear wall define an interior space corresponding to a gap between the front wall and the rear wall; At least one connector connects the front wall to the rear wall; At least one front intermediate wall extends along an edge of the front wall, partially between the front wall and the rear wall, and toward the rear wall; At least one rear intermediate wall extends toward the front wall along an edge of the rear wall and partially between the front and rear walls; the at least one anterior medial wall has alternating peaks and valleys extending partially toward the at least one posterior medial wall; The dental mouthpiece is characterized in that the suction connector portion connects the internal space to a vacuum suction source.

2. The dental mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein at least one of the suction connector portions includes at least one wall extending longitudinally of the main body portion within the interior space or column.

3. and a bridge structure including one or more protrusions protruding from the rear wall within the interior space, 2. The dental mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein the protrusions include spaced peaks and valleys.

4. The dental mouthpiece of claim 3 , wherein the protrusions vary in height and length.

5. The dental mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the anterior intermediate wall and the posterior intermediate wall includes a plurality of protrusions of varying height or size.

6. 2. The dental mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein the front and rear intermediate walls meet where the suction connector portion contacts the main body portion.

7. 2. The dental mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein the front intermediate wall and the rear intermediate wall contact each other at a location where the main body portion contacts the canthus portion.

8. The suction connector further includes a bite block integrated therewith, 10. The dental mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein the bite block provides additional compression resistance and reduced compressibility during a patient's bite.

9. 2. The dental mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the main body portion, the suction connector portion and the mouth corner hook portion are formed as a single part by injection molding.

10. 2. The dental mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein the material forming the main body portion, the suction connector portion and the mouth corner hook portion is a flexible, translucent, high heat resistant, autoclavable, silicone-based material.

11. 10. The dental mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein the rear wall further includes a stabilizer bar projecting from an inner surface of the rear wall along a longitudinal axis of the main body portion.

12. The dental mouthpiece of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the connectors includes a plurality of connectors evenly spaced along the stability bar.

13. 2. The dental mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein the suction connector portion includes cutouts that correspond to protrusions on a vacuum adapter to provide a locking fit.

14. the suction connector portion is connected to the vacuum suction source; 2. The dental mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein activation of the vacuum suction source causes suction of fluid from an interior space of the main body portion.

15. 15. The dental mouthpiece of claim 14, wherein activation of the vacuum suction source draws fluid from outside the main body portion into the interior space of the main body portion.

16. A dental mouthpiece, a main body portion having a first end and a second end; a suction connector portion connected to a first end of the main body portion; a hook portion connected to a second end of the main body portion; Equipped with The main body portion is The front wall and a rear wall spaced apart from the front wall; Equipped with an interior space corresponding to a gap between the front wall and the rear wall is defined by the front wall and the rear wall; The main body portion is at least one connector within the interior space connecting the front wall to the rear wall; at least one intermediate wall extending from the front wall along an edge of the front wall or the rear wall and at least partially between the front wall and the rear wall; a neck extending from the second end of the main body portion; Further equipped with the at least one intermediate wall extends across a portion of the interior space; the at least one intermediate wall has a plurality of alternating peaks and valleys extending along the interior space at different intervals, partially toward the front wall or the rear wall; the width of the neck portion is less than the width of the main body portion at the first end; the suction connector portion is configured to connect the interior space to a vacuum suction source; The width of the neck is narrower than the width of the angle of the mouth, A dental mouthpiece, wherein the mouth corner hook portion is connected to a neck portion extending from the second end of the main body portion.

17. 17. The dental mouthpiece of claim 16, wherein the at least one intermediate wall has a plurality of spaced apart portions.

18. The suction connector further includes a bite block integrated therein.

17. The dental mouthpiece of claim 16, wherein the bite block provides compression resistance during a patient's bite.

19. 17. The dental mouthpiece of claim 16, wherein the main body portion, the suction connector portion and the mouth corner hook portion are formed by injection molding as a single part.

20. 16. The dental mouthpiece of claim 15, wherein the suction connector portion includes cutouts that correspond to protrusions on a vacuum adapter to provide a locking fit.

21. the suction connector portion is connected to the vacuum suction source; 17. The dental mouthpiece of claim 16, wherein activation of the vacuum suction source causes suction of fluid from the interior space of the main body portion.

22. 22. The dental mouthpiece of claim 21, wherein activation of the vacuum suction source draws fluid from outside the main body portion into the interior space of the main body portion.

Images