Pacifier Teat Stem Design for Open Bite Prevention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The use of conventional hollow-body pacifiers can lead to a frontally-open bite in infants due to the elastic restoring force applied to the jaw and teeth, as the teeth rows cannot fully close around the stem section, causing malposition of the teeth during pacifier use.
Innovation Solution
A two-step method for manufacturing a pacifier teat with a single-walled design in the stem region by connecting opposite wall sections of a pre-formed hollow body using a viscous connecting material, eliminating the elastic restoring force and preventing pressure on the jaw and teeth, thereby reducing the likelihood of a frontally-open bite.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a hollow-body teat design is used, then the teat can deform elastically when suction is applied, but the elastic restoring force applied to the jaw and teeth causes a frontally-open bite
Solution Approach 1:
The teat is divided into two distinct structural zones: a hollow-body teat section for elastic deformation and a solid-walled stem section for preventing harmful forces on teeth. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different wall thickness characteristics are applied to different parts of the teat. The teat section maintains thin walls for elasticity, while the stem section has increased wall thickness to eliminate elastic restoring force in the region contacting the jaw and teeth.
2Ease of operation
If an angled transmitter body is added to allow teeth closing, then the incisors can close, but the hollow-body design requires a double-walled structure with high wall thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The teat is segmented into a hollow-body teat section and a solid-walled stem section. The angled transmitter body is integrated into the solid-walled stem rather than requiring a complex double-walled structure throughout the entire teat.
Solution Approach 2:
The solid-walled stem section with angled transmitter body is localized only where needed for teeth closing, while the rest of the teat maintains its hollow-body design for elasticity. This avoids unnecessary complexity in regions where it is not required.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If opposite wall sections are connected in the stem region, then the elastic restoring force is eliminated, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow body is pre-formed as a separate component with opposite wall sections that will later be connected. This preliminary formation allows the elastic teat section to be created first, then modified in a second step to eliminate the harmful restoring force by connecting the wall sections.
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 method effectively prevents the application of pressure to the jaw and teeth by creating a single-walled design in the stem region, reducing the risk of a frontally-open bite and ensuring a more natural alignment of the teeth during pacifier use.
Implementation Method 1
introducing a connecting material in viscous state between the opposite wall sections and then converting the connecting material into an elastic state by applying pressure and/or heat in order to connect the wall sections to one another
Implementation Method 2
the hollow body deforms elastically when suction is being applied by the child, with the hollow space enclosed by the teat walls thus being reduced
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a pacifier teat, and a pacifier teat with a teat section which forms a hollow space and which is adjoined by a stem, wherein an elastic hollow body comprising the teat section and the stem is injection molded or pre-formed by a dipping method, and opposite wall sections of the pre-formed hollow body are connected to each other in the region of the stem.