Patent Application
20170112593
The disclosure relates to protection devices and more particularly pertains to a new protection device for preventing teeth from being stained by a beverage.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a first guard that may be positioned on an upper row of teeth. The first guard is comprised of a fluid impermeable material. Thus, the first guard prevents the upper row of teeth from being stained while a beverage is consumed. A second guard is provided and the second guard may be positioned on a lower row of teeth. The second guard is comprised of a fluid impermeable material. Thus, the second guard prevents the lower row of teeth from is stained while the beverage is consumed.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The first guard 12 has a bottom wall 18 and a peripheral wall 20 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 18. The bottom wall 18 has an outer edge 22 and the peripheral wall 20 is coextensive with the outer edge 22. The peripheral wall 20 has a distal edge 24 with respect to the bottom wall 18 to define an opening 26 into the first guard 12. The opening 26 receives each of the upper row of teeth 14. The bottom wall 18 is curved such that the first guard 12 has a U-shape. Thus, the first guard 12 is coextensive with the upper row of teeth 14 when the first guard 12 is worn on the upper row of teeth 14.
The peripheral wall 20 has a front side 28 and a back side 30. Each of the front side 28 and the back side 30 has a plurality of prominences 32. The prominences 32 on each of the front side 28 and the back side 30 are distributed along the first guard 12. The prominences 32 on the front side 28 are aligned with an associated one of the prominences 32 on the back side 30 to define a plurality of tooth pockets 34. Each of the tooth pockets 34 surrounds one of the upper row of teeth 14 when the first guard 12 is worn on the upper row of teeth 14.
A second guard 36 is provided and the second guard 36 may be positioned on a lower row of teeth 38. The second guard 36 is comprised of a fluid impermeable material. Thus, the second guard 36 may prevent the lower row of teeth 38 from being stained while the beverage 16 is consumed. The second guard 36 has a top wall 40 and an exterior wall 42 extending downwardly from the top wall 40. The top wall 40 has an outer edge 44 and the exterior wall 42 is coextensive with the outer edge 44 of the top wall 40.
The exterior wall 42 has a distal edge 46 with respect to the top wall 40 to define an opening 48 into the second guard 36. The opening 48 receives each of the lower row of teeth 38. The top wall 40 is curved such that the second guard 36 has a U-shape. The second guard 36 may be coextensive with the lower row of teeth 38 when the second guard 36 is worn on the lower row of teeth 38.
The exterior wall 42 has a forward side 50 and a rear side 52. Each of the forward side 50 and the rear side 52 has a plurality of prominences 54. The prominences 54 on each of the forward side 50 and the rear side 52 are distributed along the second guard 36. The prominences 54 on the forward side 50 are aligned with an associated one of the prominences 54 on the rear side 52 to define a plurality of tooth pockets 56. Each of the tooth pockets 56 surrounds one of the lower row of teeth 38 when the second guard 36 is worn on the lower row of teeth 38.
In use, the first guard 12 is worn on the upper row of teeth 14 and the second guard 36 is worn on the lower row of teeth 38. The beverage 16 is consumed and the upper row of teeth 14 and the lower row of teeth 38 are protected from the beverage 16. The first guard 12 and the second guard 36 are removed after the beverage 16 has been consumed. Each of the first guard 12 and the second guard 36 are discarded after the beverage 16 has been consumed.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
