Patent Application
20170202638
The disclosed invention relates to dental devices used to support the patient's jaw during procedures. More specifically, the device can stabilize the chin of a patient in situations where such movement would be risky or counterproductive to a procedure or the patient is, or will be, undergoing.
Individuals with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) suffer from a variety of symptoms including pain in and around the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and jaw muscles, headaches, inability to fully open the mouth or close it, and many others. While there are several hypothesized causes of TMD, dental treatment for people with TMD can be difficult due to the jaw pain they are already experiencing and the extra time dentists need to provide patients with during procedures so patient's can rest their jaws.
Additionally, overextension or significant force on the jaw during dental treatments is a major cause of TMD, and TMD complaints result in uncompensated postoperative care. Currently, approximately 5 to 12% of the population suffers from TMD or TMD-like symptoms. Most of these people are women between the ages of 18 and 45.
Even for those patients who do not suffer from TMD, downward force applied to a patient's jaw during dental procedures can cause jaw pain, discomfort, or fatigue because the patient must tense jaw muscles to oppose the downward force. Further, if a patient is sedated, the patient may incur injury because the patient is not tensing jaw muscles to oppose the downward force. Injury to a patient can result in: (1) lost time for the dentist to manage the symptomatic patient; (2) patient suffering and injury; and (3) potential medico-legal problems.
While current medical devices in the dental market exist that can prop the mouth open (i.e., bite blocks), nothing is available to support the mandible when a downward force is applied. Currently, in addition to devices such as bite blocks, dentists attempt to address patient safety by limiting the length of the procedure, preliminarily terminating the procedure if the patient complains of pain, providing breaks during procedures, and supporting the patient's jaw with their own or their assistant's hands. However, these current methods are not always effective and can be disruptive to a procedure. Therefore, a device is needed that supports the jaw when a downward force is applied, prevents over-extension of the jaw, minimizes jaw pain and fatigue during dental procedures, and reduces treatment time.
The disclosed jaw brace can hold a patient's jaw in one position and provide stability for a dentist to do complex dental procedures with minimal patient movements and fewer patient time breaks. More specifically, the jaw brace includes one or more chin supports for holding a patient's chin in a fixed relative position. The chin support is itself supported in its fixed position using additional mechanisms such as a chest plate or one or more arms that can be attached to a dental or oral surgical chair. The jaw brace is used to support the patient's jaw when the jaw is aligned with the chin support.
Various user interfaces and embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. Reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the claims attached hereto. Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the appended claims. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover application or embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims attached hereto. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The jaw brace is a device worn by a patient and fitted by a user, often times a dental professional, to assist in alleviating patients' jaw pain and reduce fatigue during and after dental procedures. It is a modified sterno-occipital mandibular immobilizer (SOMI) that is a modified cervical collar, designed to provide the required support with minimal restriction on mandibular movement, and minimal intrusion into the dental operating field.
The device, in some embodiments, fits over the shoulders of the patient, secures with buckles, and the size can be adjusted to comfortably fit almost any adult patient. Attached to the front of the device is an adjustable chin rest. The chin rest is composed of a soft, but dense material that allows the patient's chin to rest comfortably on this cushion. The chin rest can be adjusted to ensure that it properly supports the jaw. In some embodiments, it is on a ball bearing that enables the rotation.
The jaw brace can alleviate pain and fatigue during dental procedures by supporting the lower mandible (i.e., jaw) and allowing the patient to refrain from actively resisting pressure from the dentist when a downward force is applied. This allows the dentist to place the amount of pressure required on the jaw without worrying about inflicting pain on the jaw, hyper-extending the jaw, taking breaks to allow the patient to rest, or providing care for sore jaw muscles or TMJs.
Therefore, the device minimizes jaw pain and discomfort, prevents overextension of the jaw, reduces treatment time by reducing the need for breaks during a procedure, enhances stability and precision, and reduces post-operative jaw pain.
Several types of patients can benefit from the disclosed device: (1) patients undergoing long procedures—especially on the mandibular arch; (2) patients undergoing any procedure where significant force is placed on the mandible; (3) symptomatic TMJ/TMD patients; (4) asymptomatic patients with signs of TMD; (5) patients who experience over-extension of the jaw or locking open; (6) patients with movement disorders such as tardive dyskinesia, Parkinson, MS; (7) and geriatric patients. In addition, it can be used as a patient restraint by putting the shoulder straps around the dental chair.
In a first embodiment, the jaw brace is a chest and shoulder-supported jaw brace 100 and includes: a chest plate 102; a chin support 600 for supporting and stabilizing a patient's chin in a fixed position relative to the patient's chest; a rod 104 having a top surface 602, said rod 104 adjustably attached to said chest plate 102; and an adjustable linkage 106 connected to said top surface 602 and to said chin support 600. The jaw brace 100 is used to support the patient's jaw when the patient's chin is placed upon the chin support 600. Examples of the first embodiment of the jaw brace in use are illustrated in
The chest plate 102 is a base formed to fit comfortably against the patient's chest and is formed of any plastic, metal, or other material having sufficient strength to support the chin support 600 when the chin support 600 is used to support said patient's chin. The chest plate, in some embodiments, includes a core 502 and padding 504. The chest plate 102 is also provided with a left shoulder brace 108 and a right shoulder brace 110. Each shoulder brace 108, 110 is provided with one or more adjustable straps 112 attached to the bottom portion of the chest plate 102, as illustrated in
The chin support 600 is a metal or plastic frame, which can include a post 114 attached to an adjustable linkage 106 and a pad 116. In another embodiment, the adjustable linkage 106 includes a post 114 attached to the chin support 600. In some embodiments, the post 114 may be threaded to match a threaded hole to achieve the desired connection. Alternatively, the post 114 may be attached to the chin support 600 by welding or by a suitable adhesive. In some embodiments, the adjustable linkage 106 may connect directly to the pad 116 without an intermediary post 114. When in use, the pad 116 is placed in contact with the patient's chin.
The rod 104 has a top surface 602 attached to the adjustable linkage 106 and is slideably attached, and may be rotatably attached, to the chest plate 102 to permit adjustment of the position of the chin support 600 relative to the patient's chest. The rod 104 is of any desired cross section but a circular cross section facilitates rotational attachment to the chest plate 102.
The adjustable linkage 106 connects the chin support 600 to the top surface 602 of the rod 104. The adjustable linkage 106 permits adjustment of the chin support 600 relative to the chest plate 102 and the ability to lock the chin support 600 in a selected position relative to the rod 104. Cross-sections of this region of the jaw brace are illustrated in
In use, the chest plate 102 is fastened by means of the left shoulder brace 108, right shoulder brace 110, and adjustable straps 112 to the patient's chest and the rod 104 is adjusted to place the chin support 600 at a selected height relative to the patient's chest by an adjustable connector 118 connecting the rod 104 to the chest plate 102. A cross-section of the adjustable connector 118 is illustrated in
In one embodiment, the adjustable straps 112 are used to hold the device on to the patient by connecting each shoulder brace 108, 110 to the chest plate 102. Each adjustable strap 112 can attach to the base of the chest plate 102 through the use of a hook and clasp feature, wherein one strap will thread through an outside hole 124 and fold back and attach to itself. Each adjustable strap 112 can attach to a shoulder brace 108 or 110 through the use of a buckle, wherein the male connector part of the buckle is attached to the adjustable strap 112 and slides into the female receiving part of the buckle, which is attached to the shoulder brace 108 or 110. Alternatively, the male connector part of the buckle can attach to the shoulder brace 108 or 110 and the female receiving part of the buckle can attach to the adjustable strap 112. In one embodiment, the adjustable straps 112 cross across the patient's back so that one adjustable strap 112 connects to the right side of the chest plate 102 and the left shoulder brace 108 and the second adjustable strap 112 connects to the left side of the chest plate 102 and the right shoulder brace 110.
In some embodiments, the jaw brace includes: a chest plate 102 that includes a core 502 and padding 504; a chin support 600 for supporting and stabilizing a patient's chin in a fixed position relative to the patient's chest; a rod 104 having a top surface 602, said rod 104 adjustably attached to said chest plate 102; an adjustable linkage 106 connected to said top surface 602 and to said chin support 600; a left shoulder brace 108; and a right shoulder brace 110; and one or more adjustable straps 112. The chin support 600 can include: a post 114 attached to an adjustable linkage 106 and a pad 116. An example of this embodiment of the jaw brace is illustrated in
In some embodiments, the jaw brace includes a clavicle brace 1702; an arched chest plate 1704; a chin support 600 for supporting and stabilizing a patient's chin in a fixed position relative to the patient's chest; a rod 104 having a top surface 602, said rod 104 adjustably connected to said arched chest plate 1704; and an adjustable linkage 106 connected to said top surface 602 and to said chin support 600. The chin support 600 can include: a post 114 attached to an adjustable linkage 106 and a pad 116. The clavicle brace 1702 can connect to the arched chest plate 1704 via hooks 1706 that are affixed to the clavicle brace 1702. In some embodiments, the arched chest plate 1704 can have openings on its left and right sides that are wide enough to receive the hooks 1706. The hooks 1706 can be permanently affixed to the clavicle brace 1702 and, when threaded through the openings on the arched chest plate 1704, can turn to lock the clavicle brace 1702 to the arched chest plate 1704. This embodiment enables a user to: first, apply the clavicle brace 1702; second, adjust the fit using, for example, a hook and loop closure system or a tooth buckle closure system; and third, place the arched chest plate 1704 onto the patient's chest. The closure system can be located on the front or back of the device. An example of this embodiment of the jaw brace is illustrated in
Use of a bite block can ensure the maximum comfortable opening for the patient. The user can then set the chin support 600 to a comfortable position with the bite block still in. Lastly, the bite block can be taken out or it can be left in the patient's mouth for extra stability and removed whenever the patient wants to close his or her mouth.
In other embodiments of the disclosed device, the jaw brace can be attached to a chair, such as a dental procedure chair 1802, as illustrated in
The jaw brace can have two main parts if it is built in to the dental procedure chair 1802: one or more arms and one or more chin rests 1804. If the jaw brace is not built in to the dental procedure chair 1802, it can have three main parts: the one or more arms, the one or more chin rests 1804, and an headrest attachment piece (for example, an adapter) 1902 that connects the arm to the dental procedure chair 1802. The benefit to these embodiments is that the jaw brace does not rest on the patient's chest. Instead, the dental procedure chair 1802 supports the jaw brace.
The arm can operate in several ways. In one embodiment, illustrated in
In another embodiment, the arm can be a straight telescoping arm 2102 or a curved telescoping arm 2104 with rotational joints, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, as described above, the jaw brace can have two arms, as illustrated in
The headrest attachment piece 1902, in some embodiments, can be removably attached to the headrest 1806 of the dental procedure chair 1802 by attaching to the neck portion of the headrest 1806, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, the jaw brace has a connection piece 2602, such as, but not limited to, a rod or strap, that hooks around the neck portion of the headrest 1806 of the dental procedure chair 1802, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, the arm can be curved, can connect to the chair via a locking mechanism, such as, but not limited to, a pivot bar clamp 2802, and can pivot toward or away from the patient. For example, as illustrated in
The pivot bar clamp 2802 can attach to the headrest 1806 of the dental procedure chair 1802 and can include an internal grooved track that, when locked, prevents disengagement of the teeth of the device, thereby locking the arm 2804 in place. To adjust the arm 2804, the pivot bar clamp 2802 can include a knob that unlocks the locking mechanism and permits a user to adjust and re-lock the arm 2804 in place. The maneuverability of the arm 2804 enables a user to keep the jaw brace attached to the headrest 1806 at all times.
In another embodiment, the jaw brace can attach to the headrest 1806 of the dental procedure chair 1802 so that the only contact to the patient is under and behind the patient's jaw, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the jaw brace is comprised of two chin rests 1804, as illustrated in
In other embodiments, as illustrated in
The chin rests 3202 are shaped so that they can hook under and behind the jaw line, which allow the patient's jaw to be pushed forward during a dental procedure or surgery, as illustrated in
The adjustable arms 3002 can, as described above, be articulating arms that include two or more rods or other rigid support structures. Each of the rods on one adjustable arm 3002 can connect to another arm by a pivot joint 3104. Therefore, the rods can pivot around each other, enabling the user to custom fit the jaw brace to any patient. In some embodiments, the pivot joints 3104 can include a quick release lock 3102 that enables a user to quickly move the jaw brace in and out of place without moving the patient. When not in use, the jaw brace can be folded and collapsed behind the headrest 1806.
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
To control the magnetorheological fluid, the jaw brace may include an electromagnet and appropriate controls. Therefore, when the magnetorheological fluid is subjected to a magnetic field created by the electromagnet, the viscosity of the fluid will increase until it becomes a viscoelastic solid. Once the magnetorheological fluid because a viscoelastic solid, the ball joints 3206 are effectively locked in position. After the dental or oral procedure is completed, removal of the electrical current from the electromagnet can deactivate the magnetic field, and the magnetorheological fluid can return to a flowable liquid state. This enables the ball joints 3206 within the ball sockets 3210 to once again move freely. In some embodiments, the chin rest 3202 also contains magnetorheological fluid and is similarly adjustable.
In one embodiment, the current can be activated and deactivated by a surgeon, dentist, or assistant using appropriate controls. For example, a user can control activation using a foot control pedal or a hand switch. This quick release is desirable for repositioning the patient during a procedure or surgery and it is also useful in the event of a power failure or emergency.
As mentioned above, the adjustable arms 3204 can attach to the dental procedure chair via an adjustable head rest mount 3208. The adjustable head rest mount 3208 can attach to the neck portion of the dental procedure chair head rest or it can attach directly to the back of the head rest. In some embodiments the adjustable head rest mount 3208 can be positioned higher or lower on the dental procedure chair using a friction lock, which can be controlled by a knob. Therefore, when the knob is turned in one direction, it loosens the lock and enables the head rest mount 3208 to move along the neck portion or head rest. When the knob is turned in the opposite direction, it tightens the lock and holds the head rest mount 3208 in place. In some embodiments, the head rest mount 3208 can also include the first ball joint and ball socket for each of the adjustable arms 3204.
Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in
The various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the claims attached hereto. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the following claims.
This application is continuation-in-part of International Application No. PCT/US15/48419, filed on Sep. 3, 2015, titled JAW BRACE, which is an International Application of U.S. Nonprovisional Application Ser. No. 14/476,516, filed on Sep. 3, 2014, titled JAW BRACE, which is a continuation-in-part of International Application No. PCT/US2013/38246, filed on Apr. 25, 2013, titled THE BRACE, which is an International Application of U.S. Nonprovisional Application Ser. No. 13/457,376, filed on Apr. 26, 2012, title BRACE.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14476516 | Sep 2014 | US |
| Child | PCT/US15/48419 | US | |
| Parent | 13457376 | Apr 2012 | US |
| Child | PCT/US13/38246 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/US15/48419 | Sep 2015 | US |
| Child | 15448059 | US | |
| Parent | PCT/US13/38246 | Apr 2013 | US |
| Child | 14476516 | US |
