Inter-arch component with graduated ruler for mandibular stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intraoral guards (IOGs) face challenges in maintaining a precise and reproducible functional mandibular position, allowing adequate ventilation with closed jaws, and ensuring stable interlocking of dental arches during dynamic activities, particularly in customized models.
Innovation Solution
An inter-arch piece (IAP) with a U-shaped platform and a graduated ruler to measure the distance between dental arches, enabling stabilization of the mandibular position and allowing digital impressions for custom-made intraoral protections, ensuring ventilation and interlocking compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a custom-made intraoral guard is fabricated by increasing the vertical dimension to create ventilation space, then ventilation with closed jaws is improved, but the mandibular position becomes unstable and non-reproducible
Solution Approach 1:
The occlusal stops are pre-formed in the maxillary and mandibular portions at specific heights before final assembly. These stops preliminarily establish the vertical dimension and mandibular position, allowing the guard to be fabricated with adequate ventilation space while maintaining a stable and reproducible occlusal relationship between the dental arches.
2Volume of stationary object
If digital impressions are taken with increased vertical dimension, then ventilation space is achieved, but scanning becomes technically impossible due to free space between arches
Solution Approach 1:
The occlusal stops act as intermediaries that fill and define the space between the maxillary and mandibular arches. By providing physical reference points at predetermined heights, they eliminate the problematic free space that prevents digital scanning, while still allowing adequate ventilation space to be created in the final guard fabrication.
3Manufacturing precision
If occlusal stops are used to define mandibular position, then reproduction of occlusal position is improved, but the complexity of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intraoral guard is segmented into a maxillary portion and a mandibular portion, with occlusal stops formed as distinct elements on each portion. This segmentation allows the stops to be independently positioned and adjusted at optimal heights, improving occlusal position reproduction while keeping each component relatively simple in structure.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1E
Figure 2A~2E
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The invention relates to an inter-arch component comprising a body (10) which has a U-shaped plate (11), the plate (11) having an upper face (11c) configured to bear against an upper dental arch of a wearer, and a lower face (11d) configured to be oriented towards a lower dental arch of the wearer, and the body (10) additionally having a graduated rule (17) which extends transversely to the plate (11) and which is configured to measure a distance between the upper dental arch and the lower dental arch. It also relates to a use of such an inter-arch component and to a method for producing an intraoral protector (IOP) having such an inter-arch component. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 1: