1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dental appliances. More specifically, the present invention relates to a denture with suction attachment so that the denture is held in place in the mouth of the user by applying suction through a check valve to reduce air pressure within a suction cavity within the denture.
2. Description of the Related Art
Temporarily installed artificial tooth structures, e.g., bridgework and denture plates, have been known for a considerable period of time. Such dentures are conventionally held in place in the mouth by mechanical means, e.g., a closely fitting structure that secures to other natural teeth in the mouth, or by adhesive means, e.g., denture cream. In situations where complete denture plates are used, an adhesive has been conventionally used for attachment in the mouth, as no natural tooth structure remains for mechanically attaching the denture structure in the mouth.
More recently, various dentures have been developed that use a partial vacuum (suction) between the denture and the mouth structure to hold the dental plate in place in the mouth. An example of such is found in German Patent No. 3,836,885, published on May 3, 1990. The '885 patent describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) a denture held in place by partial vacuum, the denture having a highly flexible sealing lip to provide a vacuum seal. Non-return valves, i.e., check valves, apparently comprising flexible flap seals, are provided in the denture structure.
Thus, a denture with suction attachment solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The denture with suction attachment is an upper or lower denture plate having a mouth contact surface or floor with at least one suction cavity formed therein, at least one check valve for sealing the suction chamber formed by the suction cavity and the mouth of the user when the denture is installed therein, and at least one suction passage extending between the at least one valve and the at least one suction cavity. The suction cavity may be formed by one or more cavities extending generally across the span of the peripheral gum recess of an upper plate, or along the gum line of a lower plate. The suction cavity or cavities are preferably provided with a peripheral seal of a soft, resilient silicone material, or other suitable seal.
A manually actuated suction pump is also provided for removable attachment to the check valve. Alternatively, the pump may be electrically powered. A magnetic attachment is preferably provided for securing the end of the interconnecting suction pump line or tube to the check valve of the denture. The denture may incorporate multiple suction cavities, multiple valves, and/or multiple internal passages between the cavity or cavities and the valve(s). The suction check valve(s) of the denture preferably includes multiple sealing elements therein, with the suction pump also preferably including at least two sealing elements.
A user of the denture with its suction attachment need only position the denture properly in the mouth, attach the suction line from the pump to the valve of the denture, and draw a partial vacuum by actuating the suction pump. The check valve automatically seals the partial vacuum within the suction chamber of the denture and user's mouth when the suction line is removed. The process is applied to other vacuum cavities having separate check valves, as required. The denture is quickly and easily removed when desired by opening the check valve(s) with a small rod, pin, or the like to equalize the air pressure within the suction cavity with that of the ambient air.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The present invention relates to a denture, specifically, a dental plate, which is removably secured within the mouth of the user by suction. The denture includes various valve mechanisms and a separate, externally disposed manually or electrically actuated suction pump, which is removably connected to the denture to produce and apply the suction required to secure the denture in the mouth of the user.
The suction cavity 24 preferably includes a peripherally disposed soft, pliable seal 28. The seal 28 is preferably formed of a silicone plastic material, which remains soft and pliable. An example of such material is known as “Cusil,” used in dentistry as a bonding agent for securing artificial teeth in a dental bridge, plate, or the like. The seal 28 is preferably provided with a relatively thin distal edge in order to provide greater flexibility and conformity to the contours of the roof of the mouth. A single suction check valve 14 is installed within the peripheral wall 22 of the plate 10, with its outer face 30 disposed to the outer surface 26 of the peripheral structure 22 of the plate 10 in order to facilitate the removable attachment of the suction tube or line 16 thereto. A suction passage 32 extends between the suction recess or cavity 24 and the check valve 14, to provide fluid communication between the cavity 24 and check valve 14.
The two adjacent suction cavities of each pair are connected together by a suction passage, i.e., the two suction cavities 40a, 40b are joined to one another by suction passage 44a and the two suction cavities 42a, 42b are joined to one another by suction passage 44b. This allows each pair of suction cavities to be served by a single suction check valve, i.e., the first suction check valve 14a communicating with the frontal suction cavity 40a, and the second suction check valve 14b communicating with the frontal suction cavity 42a.
It will be noted that the application of suction to either valve 14a or 14b will apply suction to only two of the four suction cavities of the lower plate 18, as the left and right side pairs of cavities are not interconnected. Alternatively, each cavity could be provided with its own valve, or all cavities within a plate could be interconnected by corresponding suction passages. Moreover, more or fewer suction recesses and/or valves than shown in
The upper or outwardly disposed end of the valve body 46 is capped by a semi permanently installed valve cap 48, which is threaded in place upon the valve body 46. Opposed slots 50, also shown in
Either the valve cap 48 or the annular ring 54, or both, may be formed of a magnetic material, with at least one of the two components 48 or 54 being formed of magnetic material and the opposite component being formed of ferromagnetic material. This provides a positive, yet easily removable, attachment of the suction tube 16 to the denture body 10 in the form of a magnetic latch. It will be recognized that it is difficult for the user of the dental appliance to see the precise location of the valve(s) 14 of the device, particularly if no mirror is available. However, a person wearing the suction attached denture will quickly adapt to at least the approximate location of the valve(s) 14. The provision for a magnetic latch enables the user to position the distal end 56 of the flexible suction tube 16 in at least approximately the correct position, with the mutual magnetism of the two components 48 and 54 providing a sharp “click” which is detectable through the bone structure and/or aural facilities of the user as the components are drawn together when properly positioned.
The suction check valve 14 preferably includes a series of three separate valves therein, in order to provide more positive sealing. A first, external frustoconical valve 58 seats within a mating conical passage 60 formed concentrically within the valve cap 48. This first valve 58 is linked to a second, medial valve 62 by a connecting rod 64. The medial valve 62 is a circular disc which seats upon a mating valve seat and O-ring seal assembly 66 within the valve body 46. A third or internally disposed valve 68 having a frustoconical form extends from the connecting rod 64 opposite the first or external valve 58, and seats upon a concentric ring 70 surrounding the connection of the suction passage 32 to the base of the valve body 46. The three valves 58, 62, and 68 are urged toward their respective seats 60, 66, and 70 by a compression spring 72 disposed between the intermediate disc valve 62 and the overlying valve cap 48. Suction applied to the valve cap 48 draws the three interconnected valves 58, 62, and 68 from their respective valve seats 60, 66, and 70, thereby allowing air to be withdrawn from the suction recess of the denture through the suction passage 32.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.