Elastically Deformable Dental Guard for Bruxism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Custom-fitted dental guards for bruxism treatment are time-consuming and expensive, making them inaccessible for widespread use, as they need to be tailored to individual dental arches of varying sizes and shapes.
Innovation Solution
A non-custom dental guard with an elastically deformable body, featuring a U-shape with a front band portion and molar portions, designed to fit over a range of dental arches by conforming to the occlusal surfaces and outer surfaces of teeth, accommodating different sizes and shapes without the need for precise fitting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a custom-fitted dental guard is designed to match individual dental arches, then the protection effectiveness is improved, but the manufacturing time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The dental guard is designed with a universal fit capability that accommodates multiple dental arch sizes and shapes through a standardized U-shaped configuration. The guard can be used across different patient populations without requiring custom fabrication, thereby reducing manufacturing time while maintaining protective function through its adaptable elastically deformable body
Solution Approach 2:
The dental guard utilizes elastically deformable material properties to adapt to different dental arch configurations. By changing the physical state from rigid to flexible through elastic deformation, the guard can conform to various tooth arrangements while maintaining its protective function, eliminating the need for custom fitting for each patient
2Adaptability or versatility
If a custom-fitted dental guard is fabricated for each patient, then the adaptability to individual teeth is improved, but the cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dental guard employs a flexible elastically deformable body that can bend and conform to the contours of different dental arches. This flexible shell approach allows the guard to adapt to individual tooth shapes and arrangements without requiring complex custom fabrication processes, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The dental guard transitions from a static custom-fitted design to a dynamic adaptable design where the elastically deformable body can change its shape in response to different dental arch configurations. This dynamic capability allows the same standardized guard to fit various patients effectively, reducing fitting complexity while maintaining versatility
3Ease of manufacture
If the dental guard is designed with a fixed size and shape, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the ability to fit different mouth sizes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The dental guard utilizes elastically deformable material properties to change its physical dimensions and shape in response to different dental arch sizes. This parameter change capability allows a single standardized guard design to accommodate a wide range of mouth sizes while maintaining manufacturing simplicity, as the same mold and material can be used for all patients
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The dental guard effectively reduces the impact of bruxism by absorbing forces during clenching, providing protection for differently sized and shaped teeth, while being comfortable and less intrusive, allowing for extended wear without the need for custom fitting.
Implementation Method 1
The dental guard comprises an elastically deformable body... When the jaws are closed the body at least partially conforms to the outer surfaces and occlusal surfaces of differently sized and differently shaped teeth
Implementation Method 2
the upper side wall of each molar portion comprises a generally planar occlusal plate having top and bottom surfaces adapted to be positioned between the facing occlusal surfaces of upper teeth and lower teeth to absorb forces when the jaws are clenched
Data Source
AI summary
A dental guard for treatment of bruxism in a human dental arch. The dental guard comprises an elastically deformable body having a front band portion and a pair of molar portions contiguous with and extending from the ends of the front band portion. The distance between distal ends of the molar portions is configured to differ from the width of the human dental arch. The front band portion and molar portions form a U-shape configured and may have less curvature than a curvature of the human dental arch. The body includes a front side wall and an upper side wall extending at an angle from a longitudinal edge of the front side wall. The body is adapted to be positioned to fit over a plurality of teeth such that the inner surfaces of the front wall and the upper wall engage occlusal surfaces of the posterior teeth. When the jaws are closed the body at least partially conforms to the outer surfaces and occlusal surfaces of differently sized and differently shaped teeth corresponding to different people during use.