Method of Manufacturing a Pressure Chamber of a Dental Mouthpiece, Method of Manufacturing a Dental Mouthpiece, Pressure Chamber and Mouthpiece Manufactured with These Methods, Provided with These Methods, J-/U-Shaped Dental Mouthpiece, and Systems Comprising Said Mouthpieces

Information

  • Patent Application
  • 20230293279
  • Publication Number
    20230293279
  • Date Filed
    July 01, 2021
    3 years ago
  • Date Published
    September 21, 2023
    a year ago
Abstract
This application relates to method of manufacturing a pressure chamber of a dental mouthpiece; to a method of manufacturing a dental mouthpiece and pressure chamber; to a mouthpiece manufactured with these methods, provided with these methods; to J-/U-shaped dental mouthpiece; and to systems comprising said mouthpieces. The method of manufacturing a pressure chamber joins a frame part and a flexible wall part by over-moulding. The method of manufacturing a mouthpiece starts with an essentially flat member comprising pressure chambers, and is folded and bended into a J-shaped or U-shaped trough configuration. The J-/U-shaped mouthpiece may comprise a multiple of trough sections and be flexible to ride along a dental arch and has its handle coupling at the anterior end of the mouthpiece.
Description
Claims
  • 1. A method of manufacturing a pressure chamber of a mouthpiece for simultaneously treating a plurality of dental positions by increasing and decreasing a pressure in the pressure chamber, wherein the method comprises: - a step b) of providing a frame part of a frame of the mouthpiece in an injection mould,- a step c) of providing a wall part of a flexible wall of the mouthpiece in the injection mould,- a step f) of over-moulding, in which a first over-moulding material is injected into the injection mould to attach the wall part and frame part to each other along an attachment loop such that the attachment loop, a part of the wall part surrounded by the attachment loop, and a part of the frame part surrounded by the attachment loop delimit a composed pressure chamber, and- a step g) of allowing the composed pressure chamber to solidify and removing it from the injection mould, resulting in the pressure chamber to be manufactured having a frame part and flexible wall part.
  • 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wall part is stretchable, such as elastically stretchable.
  • 3. The method according to claim 1 of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises a step of arranging the frame part and wall part in a layered manner along each other to obtain a layered structure with a frame part layer and a wall part layer parallel to each other; wherein the method further comprises a step of introducing a pressurized medium into the area between the frame part layer and wall part layer, which area is surrounded by the attachment loop, to separate the frame part layer and wall part layer.
  • 4. (canceled)
  • 5. The method according to one of the claim 3, wherein the method further comprises a step a) of providing an intermediate member; wherein one of the steps b) and c) take place before step f) resulting in a provided part;wherein the method further comprises a step d) of combining the provided part and intermediate member to obtain a combined part, in which combined part the intermediate member is a positive or negative pre-defining a location of the attachment loop to be obtained, after step d), in the step f); andwherein the other of the steps b) and c) takes place in the step f) to provide the other of the wall part respectively frame part by moulding it onto the combined part to obtain the layered structure and the attachment loop.
  • 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, in the step d), the intermediate member is attached to the provided part.
  • 7. The method according to one of claim 5, wherein the step b) takes place before the step f) resulting in the provided part being the frame part, and wherein step c) takes place in the step f);wherein the method further comprises, before the step f), a step e) of preparing the injection mould such that it has a die cavity delimited by a first cavity wall and a second cavity wall opposite and spaced from the first cavity wall,wherein the step e) comprises: providing a said first cavity wall with bores, which bores: have bore ends which open into the die cavity, andare filled with bristles having a root section lying at the bore ends; andplacing the combined part as an insert into the die cavity spaced from the first cavity wall and with the frame part against the second cavity wall;wherein the first over-moulding material is a wall material (C) for forming the wall part and is, in step f), injected into the die cavity such that the root section of the bristles becomes integral with the wall part (C).
  • 8. (canceled)
  • 9. The method according to one of claim 5, wherein the step c) takes place before the step f) resulting in the provided part being the wall part; wherein the method further comprises, before the step f), a step e) of preparing the injection mould such that it has a die cavity delimited by a first cavity wall and a second cavity wall opposite and spaced from the first cavity wall;wherein the step e) comprises: providing a said first cavity wall with bores, which bores: have bore ends which open into the die cavity, andare filled with bristles having a root section lying at the bore ends; andplacing the combined part as an insert into the die cavity spaced from the second cavity wall and with the wall part contacting the root section(s);wherein the first over-moulding material is a frame material (A) for forming the frame part and is, in step f), injected into the die cavity.
  • 10-14. (canceled)
  • 15. The method according to one of the claim 3, wherein the intermediate member comprises a 3-dimensional male or female configuration mating with a corresponding 3-dimensional female respectively male configuration of at least part of the provided part such that the intermediate member and provided part fit in a male-female manner into each other.
  • 16. (canceled)
  • 17. The method according to one of claim 5, wherein the frame part and wall part are fusible with each other when over-moulded onto each other; wherein the intermediate member is an intermediate layer;wherein, in the combined part resulting from the step d), the provided part is covered with the intermediate layer whilst leaving a fusing loop on the provided part exposed, andwherein, in the step f), said other of the wall part respectively frame part is obtained by moulding a layer onto the intermediate layer and onto the fusing loop resulting in: a layered structure with the intermediate layer in between the frame part layer and the wall part layer, andthe attachment loop by fusing of the frame part layer and wall part layer at the fusing loop; andwherein the intermediate layer (B) is configured to provide a separation layer along which the wall part layer separates from the frame part layer when introducing a pressurized medium between the wall part layer and frame part layer.
  • 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the intermediate layer has a first outer surface which faces the provided part and fuses with the provided part in the step f) or is attached to the provided part, and wherein the laminate has a second outer surface facing away from the provided part, which second outer surface is configured to resist fusing with the first over-moulding material injected in the step f).
  • 19. (canceled)
  • 20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the intermediate layer is a laminate comprising a first surface bonding to the wall part layer, a second surface bonding to the frame part layer, and, in between the first and second surface a weakened area, to provide the separation layer such that the wall part layer separates from the frame part layer by delamination when said pressurized medium is introduced between the wall part layer and frame part layer.
  • 21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the intermediate layer covering the provided part has an exposed surface facing away from the provided part, which exposed surface is configured to resist fusing with the first over-moulding material which is injected in the step f), and wherein the intermediate layer covering the provided part has, opposite the exposed surface, an opposing surface facing the provided part, which opposing surface is configured to fuse with the provided part due to the heat of the first over-moulding material injected in the step f).
  • 22-26. (canceled)
  • 27. The method according to one of claim 5, wherein the frame part and wall part are made of materials resisting or configured to resist fusing with each other when over-moulded onto each other; wherein the intermediate member is a bead loop which is configured to fuse, in the step f), with the first over-moulding material injected in the step f);wherein, in the step d), the bead loop is placed against the provided part whilst leaving inside the bead loop an exposed area of the provided part,wherein the first over-moulding material injected in the step f) is moulded onto the bead loop and onto the exposed area resulting in: a layered structure with the frame part layer and the wall part layer lying against each other, andthe attachment loop by fusing of the first over-moulding material in the step f) with the bead loop.
  • 28. (canceled)
  • 29. The method according to one of the claim 1, wherein in the step b) a pre-fabricated frame part is provided; wherein in the step c) a pre-fabricated wall part is provided;wherein the method further comprises, before the step f), a step e) of preparing the injection mould,wherein the step e) comprises placing the pre-fabricated frame part and the pre-fabricated wall part as an insert into the injection mould with the frame part and wall part pressed against each other along a circumferential edge of the pre-fabricated wall part; andwherein the first over-moulding material injected in the step f) fuses, in the step f), with the circumferential edge of the wall part such that the circumferential edge of the wall part becomes fixed relative to the frame part to provide the attachment loop.
  • 30-34. (canceled)
  • 35. A pressure chamber manufactured with the method according to one of the claim 1.
  • 36. (canceled)
  • 37. A mouthpiece for simultaneously treating a plurality of dental positions by increasing and decreasing pressure in one or more pressure chambers, comprising at least one pressure chamber manufactured with the method according to one of the claim 1 .
  • 38-40. (canceled)
  • 41. The mouthpiece according to one of the claim 37, wherein the wall part is provided with bristles projecting from the wall part in a direction away from the frame part.
  • 42. The mouthpiece according to one of the claim 37, wherein the mouthpiece is provided with a pressure medium connector in fluid connection with the pressure chamber(s).
  • 43. (canceled)
  • 44. A system comprising a mouthpiece according to one of the claim 37, and a handle configured for detachable attachment to the mouthpiece, such as to the handle connector of the mouthpiece, wherein the handle comprises a drive configured for alternatingly pressurizing and depressurizing the pressure chamber or pressure chambers to move the bristles to-and-fro.
  • 45. (canceled)
  • 46. A method of manufacturing a mouthpiece with a trough system for simultaneously treating a plurality of dental positions by increasing and decreasing a pressure in one or more pressure chambers, wherein the method comprises: a frame part providing step, in which a plate-shaped frame part is provided, the plate shaped frame part being defined by an elongate member having, at two or more spaced trough areas, a set of side members projecting transverse from the elongate member;a pressure chamber manufacturing step, which comprises, whilst the plate-shaped frame part is in a sheet condition: providing, on one face of the plate-shaped frame part at the trough areas, a flexible wall part, andattaching the flexible wall part, in the trough areas, along one or more attachment loops to the plate-shaped frame part to provide the trough areas with one or more pressure chambers bounded between each attachment loop, the frame part and wall part;a folding step, in which the plate-shaped frame part provided with the one or more pressure chambers is folded to a folded condition in which, at each trough area, the associated set of side members is folded around folding axes, which are about parallel to a length direction of the elongate member, to a trough section with the one or more pressure chambers on the hollow side of the trough section and with the trough sections aligned to define a trough system.
  • 47-109. (canceled)
Priority Claims (3)
Number Date Country Kind
2025996 Jul 2020 NL national
2025997 Jul 2020 NL national
2025998 Jul 2020 NL national
PCT Information
Filing Document Filing Date Country Kind
PCT/EP2021/068160 7/1/2021 WO