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Dental Innovations LLC

John D Summer

Gregory Stock

Erik Bodegom

Allen Lee

Edmund Pierzchala

Marek Perkowski

Plural tongue gripping projections coupled to upper and lower supports grip and hold the tongue during sleep and minimize the risk of the tongue slipping back and blocking the throat. One or both of the upper and lower supports are biased together. A tongue depressor extends rearwardly and downwardly from a cross member portion of a jaw coupler. A soft palate engager extends rearwardly from the cross member. The tongue grasping device, tongue depressor and soft palate engager cooperatively resist closing of the user's pharyngeal airway. The tongue depressor and soft palate engager are desirably biased apart and supported by flexible supports to permit movement of the rear of the tongue to close the pharyngeal airway during swallowing.

Multilevel oral appliance and method for maintaining a pharyngeal airway

A tongue grasping and restraining device holds the tongue securely during sleep in order to minimize the risk of the tongue slipping back and blocking the throat. Plural tongue gripping projections are coupled to upper and lower supports. One or more of the upper and lower supports are biased together into a tongue engaging position. A tongue depressor can extend rearwardly and downwardly from the upper support to depress the user's tongue to further open the user's airway. The position of the tongue depressor can be adjustable. The upper support is coupled to the user's upper jaw, for example, to a denture, dental appliance or other form of an upper jaw coupler and can be pivoted thereto. The lower support can be hinged to, fixed to, or otherwise joined to a lower jaw coupler. A tube and rod mechanism can couple the jaw couplers together.

Tongue retainer

A tongue grasping and restraining device holds the tongue securely during sleep in order to minimize the risk of the tongue slipping back and blocking the throat, a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea. Plural tongue gripping projections are coupled to upper and lower supports. The projections engage and hold the tongue. The upper and lower supports are biased toward one another into a tongue engaging position. The upper support is coupled to the user's upper jaw, for example, to a denture, dental appliance or by upper teeth engaging mechanisms. The lower support can be hinged or otherwise joined to the upper support or can be separate therefrom. A tube and rod mechanism in one embodiment couples the upper and lower supports together. Exemplary methods of manufacturing tongue gripping projections are also disclosed.

Tongue grasping and restraining apparatus and methods

A tie down strap is used for securing cargo or to attach various objects. A tie down strap is made from a bicycle tire inner tube and clips which can be removeably and adjustably attached to either end of the bicycle tire inner tube which is cut along a radial axis.

Method for using a bicycle tire inner tube to make a tie down strap

A device is disclosed for applying and holding a dental matrix strip against the side of a tooth which is to be filled. An embodiment of the device comprises a split ring that slidably receives a matrix. The split ring in this embodiment can have cushions on its ends sized to resist passage through matrix apertures following insertion of such cushions through these apertures when these components are slidably coupled together. This embodiment can also comprise respective matrix slots that receive portions of the split ring to at least partially conform the shape of the matrix to the shape of the split ring.

Dental matrix positioned by slidably engaged matrix retainer

Tooth inserts are described for use in restoring teeth having a proximal surface requiring restoration and an, intact proximal surface not requiring restoration. A tooth insert according to one disclosed embodiment comprises an elongated band having first and second spaced apart central portions. The central portions are positioned so that when the band is wrapped around a first tooth, the first central portion is positioned between the prepared surface of the first tooth and a second adjacent tooth and the second central portion is positioned between the intact surface of the first tooth and a third tooth at the opposite side of the first tooth from the second tooth. An aperture is formed in the second central portion to permit at least partial interproximal contact between the first and third tooth through the aperture to minimize separation between the first and third teeth caused by the thickness of the band.

Dental insert

A tooth spacer has first and second tooth spacer body portions which each define at least one window therein. Extremely thin film, for example from about 0.0003 to about 0.0006 inch in thickness, is sandwiched between the tooth spacer body portions to form the tooth spacer. Portions of the gingival edge of the tooth spacer may be thinned to facilitate insertion of the tooth spacer between teeth.

Method of making a tooth spacer

A flexible frame supports and at least partially surrounds a thin polymer sheet. The frame and polymer sheet is positioned between a tooth being filled and an adjacent tooth so as to extend partly or completely around the buccal and lingual sides of the tooth being filled. The frame may be severable to facilitate removal of the frame and apparatus following the completion of a filling. A mechanism may be included for tightening the gingival border of the frame to more closely follow the natural tooth contour. A mechanism may also be included for tightening the occlusal border of the frame with such tightening mechanisms being independently operated. The frame may be secured to a tooth being treated such as utilizing adhesive tabs.

Method and apparatus for shaping dental filling material

Tooth spacer

Tooth inserts are described for positioning between interproximal surfaces of teeth during a dental procedure. The tooth inserts have thin regions positioned in the interproximal contact area of the teeth.

A jaw tracking device, which fits entirely in the mouth and can be attached to conventional removable dental appliances, tracks the location and movement of the lower jaw with high precision and speed when the mouth is closed or nearly closed by recording the projection of light from a light emitting diode, laser diode, or fiberoptic source fixed to the lower dental arch onto one or two position sensitive detectors (PSDS) fixed to the upper dental arch. Since the system acquires data quickly enough to record the minute deflections of the lower jawbone which occur each time the jaw is closed eccentrically, it can be used with acoustic sensors attached to the individual teeth in order to analyze a person's bite. Since each PSD relies on only four outputs, its data can be easily transmitted by telemetry so that it can be used to track the location of the jaw during sleep without requiring wires protruding from the mouth of the sleeping subject.

Intraoral jaw tracking device

A loop of cord, projecting out from one end of an elongate sleeve is placed around the base of a tooth and closed. In one preferred form, the cord includes elastic material so that, as the loop is closed around the tooth, the contractile force exerted by the stretched elastic cord around the circumference of the tooth at a part of the tooth which tapers toward the root tends to seat the cord apically (toward the apex of the root). The self-seating tendency of this loop of elastic cord as it is tightened around the base of a tooth more effectively separates the gingival tissues from the base of the tooth. As a result, good clean dry access to the margins of a crown or inlay is provided. In one form, the sleeve is of a heat shrinkable material and is heat shrunk to frictionally engage the cord.

Gingival retraction apparatus and method

An apparatus and method for sensing tooth contact includes at least one, and more typically plural, vibration sensors which are coupled to the non-biting surfaces of teeth. These sensors produce output signals when the associated teeth contact one another during jaw closing, the output signals being processed to provide information concerning tooth contact. For example, information concerning the first tooth which contacts may be determined, the sequence of contact by various teeth may be determined, as well as the time between contact of the various teeth. Other information concerning tooth contact may also be determined and displayed in a variety of forms. The device may be implemented in circuit as well as in microprocessor forms. In addition, in combination with a jaw trajectory apparatus, the tooth contact information may be correlated with jaw trajectory information to provide a more complete indication of the stability of a patient's bite.

Tooth contact sensing apparatus and method

The tooth spacer comprises an elongated body having two opposite side edges extending between gingival and occlusal edges. A recessed or thin central portion of the body extends from the gingival edge toward the occlusal edge. The recessed central portion is sufficiently thin so that it may be inserted between the interproximal surfaces of two adjacent teeth while minimizing any wedging of the teeth apart.

A dental splint is disclosed for changing the bite surface between upper and lower teeth to treat painful conditions such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. The interocclusal splint covers the teeth of a lower dental arch and interdigitates with the teeth of a second dental arch to change the bite surface and registration of upper and lower teeth which engage it. The splint includes a clip which mechanically locks the splint onto the teeth, and a mold retaining member which extends along the occlussal surfaces of adjacent teeth. The clip is placed between the interproximal spaces which separate adjacent teeth, and a plastic material, such as acrylic, is placed over the clips. The patient bites down on the plastic material such that an impression of the teeth is made in the splint and the jaws are positioned in a comfortable therapeutic position. This device allows interocclusal splints to be formed directly in a patient's mouth, thereby eliminating the costly and time-consuming necessity of making impressions from which a dental splint is then manufactured in a laboratory.

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Portland, OR, United States of America

John D Summer