Oral Device Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation Dentitional Swallowing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods lack an effective device and process to transition children from suction-swallowing to dentitional swallowing, leading to facial growth abnormalities and aesthetic issues, as existing treatments are either ineffective or require longer durations with unstable results.
Innovation Solution
An oral device with a gutter-shaped upper and lower portion, designed to be worn between the lips and dental arch, which maintains the labial musculature at rest and creates an unobstructed opening, facilitating the stimulation of the trigeminal nerve during swallowing, thereby promoting the acquisition of dentitional swallowing praxis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional mechanical treatments are used to correct maxillo-mandibular abnormalities, then treatment can be provided, but treatment duration is longer and results are unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables preliminary orthodontic intervention before conventional treatment age (before all permanent teeth have grown), allowing early correction of skeletal morphological disorders. This preliminary action on the trigeminal nerve and swallowing mechanism prevents the development of severe abnormalities, thereby reducing the need for long-term conventional mechanical treatment and stabilizing results earlier.
2Reliability
If early orthodontic intervention is implemented before permanent teeth are complete, then prevention of abnormalities is beneficial, but no appropriate method or device exists to implement it
Solution Approach 1:
The oral device serves as an intermediary tool that facilitates early orthodontic intervention. It provides a simple, non-invasive mechanism to stimulate the trigeminal nerve and modify swallowing patterns in children who lack permanent teeth, making early prevention practicable without requiring complex surgical or mechanical systems.
3Ease of operation
If the oral device maintains labial musculature at rest with an unobstructed opening, then dentitional swallowing can be acquired, but the device structure must be precisely configured
Solution Approach 1:
The device utilizes parameter changes in its gutter-shaped upper and lower portions that define a specific opening configuration. By carefully designing the dimensions, curvature, and spatial relationship of these portions, the device creates the optimal conditions for labial musculature relaxation and unobstructed opening maintenance, enabling spontaneous acquisition of dentitional swallowing through controlled physical parameters rather than complex mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An oral device (2) is designed to be worn in the mouth by a person and to stress the trigeminal nerve during swallowing. A method of learning the performance of an action, which includes the wearing of an oral device (2) by a person in order to stress the trigeminal nerve during swallowing.