JPH0428381A - Mouthpiece - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Background of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a mouthpiece with good cushioning properties and excellent wearability.

<Prior art> As sports have been promoted in recent years, sports that involve gritting one's teeth, such as American football, golf, rugby, soccer, ice skating, volleyball, basketball, baseball, and softball, have become increasingly popular. An increasing number of athletes are wearing mouthpieces to avoid damaging their teeth and inflaming their gums due to clenching and clenching.

The mouthpieces currently used in such sports are generally made of a horseshoe-shaped resin plate that has been softened by applying heat in advance, and is pressed against the individual's dentition, and then pressed by hand. After being deformed and molded to fit the shape of each individual's dentition, they were left to solidify.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in such known mouthpieces, the horseshoe-shaped resin plate has a thick wall thickness of usually 50 to 1.50 mm, making it difficult to mold and making it difficult to fit the dentition area. Difficult and also
It was not possible to obtain a mouthpiece that was comfortable to wear and perfectly matched the tooth shape of each individual.

Furthermore, because the mouthpiece does not fit well, it tends to fall off when talking or shouting, making it impossible to speak while wearing the mouthpiece, and keeping the upper and lower teeth in contact during sports. I had to. As a result, they were unable to shout out loud and felt too uncomfortable while wearing them, causing considerable pain to athletes who wore them for long periods of time.

In addition, since such mouthpieces are relatively expensive, they are washed and used many times after use, but there are many bacteria in the oral cavity, and as the number of times they are used increases, a bad odor develops. Therefore, this kind of thing hindered the spread of mouthpieces.

[Summary of the invention]

Summary> As a result of intensive research in view of the above problems, the present inventor has discovered that
The mouthpiece, which is molded using a thermoplastic polymer with specific properties, is easy to wear, has excellent compatibility when worn, has little discomfort, and allows you to speak even while wearing it, and is a reproduction product. The present invention was completed based on the knowledge that it is easy to manufacture, can be manufactured at low cost, is disposable, does not easily generate bad odor due to bacteria, and can be made sanitary.

That is, the mouthpiece of the present invention has a wall thickness of 0.2 to 3
m, MFR (JIS-6760) is 0.05~
It is characterized by being formed from a thin film of a thermoplastic polymer having a bending elasticity of 50 g/10 minutes and a flexural modulus (ASTM-D747) of 3,000 kg/cJ or less.

Effect> The mouthpiece using the thermoplastic polymer with specific properties of the present invention has appropriate thermoformability, mechanical strength, and flexibility, so it can be adapted to each individual's dentition. The fit is good, there is little discomfort, and it does not fall off even if you talk or shout while wearing it, so it is comfortable to wear. Since the mouthpiece can be easily manufactured,
Because copies can be produced in large quantities at low cost,
It is also disposable and hygienic.

[Detailed description of the invention]

[T) Mouthpiece (1) Material The mouthpiece of the present invention is attached to the upper and lower dental arches in the oral cavity, and is made of materials with appropriate properties, such as heat moldability,
It is important that a thermoplastic polymer of mechanical strength and flexibility is used as the material.

Specifically, a thermoplastic polymer having such properties has an MFR (JIS-6760) of 0.05 to 5.
0 g/ ]-00 minutes Preferably 0.1 to 30 g/:
1.0 min, particularly preferably 0.1 to 5 g/10 min, and has a flexural modulus (ASTMD747) of 3,000
Below, the MFR is preferably 50 to 800 kg/cJ, particularly preferably 50 to 500 kg/Cll1i, and those with the MFR less than the above range have poor moldability and strength, are uncomfortable to wear, and are expensive. . Moreover, if the content exceeds the above range, the strength will be reduced.

Further, those having a bending elastic modulus exceeding the above range have poor flexibility, poor adaptability to dental arches, and poor shock absorption properties.

Materials that satisfy these conditions include low-density polyethylene: ethylene/vinyl ester copolymers such as ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers; ethylene/acrylic ester copolymers, and ethylene/methacrylic ester copolymers. , ethylene/α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid or its ester copolymer such as ethylene/acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene/methacrylic acid copolymer: ethylene/propylene copolymer, ethylene/butene-1 copolymer In addition to ethylene resins such as Nato's ethylene/α-olefin copolymers, soft vinyl chloride, ethylene/propylene elastomers, ethylene/propylene/diene compound elastomers, ethylene/butene-1 elastomers, and styrene/butadiene elastomers. (including hydrogenated substances) elastomers, polyester elastomers, polyurethane elastomers,
Examples include polybutadiene.

Among these, it is preferable to use ethylene resins (especially ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene/α-olefin copolymers, and low density polyethylene) and styrene/butadiene elastomers.

The selection of these polymeric materials is determined by the intensity of the sport and its strength and elasticity.

These may be used alone, mixed with other polymers, laminated, or with various additives added thereto.

Such additives include pigments, anti-aging agents, molding improvers, stabilizers, ultraviolet inhibitors, antioxidants, wear modifiers, and the like.

(2) Shape As shown in FIG. 1, the mouthpiece 1 of the present invention is made up of a mouthpiece 1a formed to match the dental arch of the upper jaw and a mouth screw 1b formed to match the dental arch of the lower jaw. A concave part 2 made of either one is formed in an arch shape, and a convex part (wall) 3 is formed around it, and a thin film of thermoplastic resin of the above material is used to connect the surface part of the tooth row. The thin film is formed to cover a part of the gingival surface (4, 5), and the thickness of the thin film is 0.2 to 3 mm, preferably 0.2 mm.
], mms is particularly preferably 0.2 to 0.4 mE.

The thickness of the mouthpiece should be as thin as possible in order to improve wearability, but the above-mentioned thickness is necessary from the viewpoint of shape retention and strength. Therefore, if the thickness is less than the above range, the shape retention and strength will be insufficient, and if it exceeds the above range, the wearability will deteriorate.

Furthermore, the mouthpiece of the present invention has an upper dental arch and a lower dental arch formed separately, so that the mouthpiece can speak or make loud noises even while the mouthpiece is being worn.

The mouth screw of the present invention manufactured in this way is easy to attach to each individual's dental arch, and there is no fear of it falling off.
You can talk easily and you won't get tired even if you use it for a long time.

In addition, since replicas can be easily made, they are inexpensive and can be disposable.

[■] Manufacture of mouthpiece (1) Manufacture of plaster model of dental row In manufacturing the mouthpiece of the present invention, first, a concave dental model is made from the dental arch of the palate of a sportsman using an impression material. A convex plaster model of an athlete's accurate dentition is produced by pouring plaster into this concave model of the dentition.

At this time, the impression material used to create the concave dentition model can be one commonly used in the dental field, such as silicone impression material, agar impression material, alginate impression material, etc. Further, as the plaster used when forming the convex dental row plaster model, it is preferable to use hard plaster or ultra-hard plaster.

(2) Thermoplastic polymer sheet thermoforming A sheet-like thermoplastic polymer softened by heating is adhered to the dental plaster model of a sportsman produced by the above process, and the thermoplastic polymer sheet is further adhered by thermoforming. To accurately transfer the dentition of a dentition plaster model.

The thermoplastic polymer used here needs to have excellent elastomer properties and strength, and is also comfortable to wear, so a thermoplastic polymer sheet with the above-mentioned properties is used.

As a specific method for thermoforming, vacuum forming or pressure forming is preferably performed, but blow molding or slush molding may also be used.

In the aged form, it is necessary to soften the thermoplastic polymer sheet to make it easier to mold, so it is heated to a temperature above the Vicat softening point (JIS-7206) and below the melting point of the material constituting the sheet. be done.

The thermoplastic polymer sheet may be heated by any method capable of raising the polymer to a target temperature. For example, a method using a heating device such as an electric heater, a high frequency heater, or a hot wire heater can be mentioned.

(3) Assimilation The thermoplastic polymer thin-film transfer material onto which the shape of the dentition has been accurately transferred by the thermoforming is cooled as it is to a temperature around room temperature to solidify it, and if necessary, cut and remove it;
Furthermore, the concave mouthpiece of the present invention can be obtained by cutting along the periodontal region to adjust the shape.

The thermoplastic polymer thin-film transfer that accurately transfers the shape of the tooth row has rubber elasticity, so it does not damage the dental plaster model when removed, and it is easier to remove the tooth row plaster model than the same tooth row plaster model. Any number of mouthpieces of the present invention can be made.

The thin film-like transfer material of the thermoplastic polymer may be cut according to each individual, so that it does not touch the periodontal region, or it may be cut so that it slightly covers the periodontal region, so that it can be cut while it is being worn. It may also be made so that it does not easily come off.

[Experiment example]

In order to more specifically explain the mouthpiece of the present invention, experimental examples and comparative examples are shown below.

Example 1 (]) Production of plaster cast of teeth A dentist made an impression of the concave dental arches of the upper and lower jaws of a golf player using an alginate impression mill (Starmix, manufactured by Rohon Dental Research). A convex dental arch plaster model was created by pouring hard plaster (Diastone, manufactured by Mitsubishi Mining Cement) into the concave impression of the dental arch.

(2) Production of thermoplastic polymer sheet-like transfer material Low-density polyethylene (Yukalon Cell J X-1 manufactured by Mitsubishi Yuka)
42, MFRl, Og/10 min, Vicat softening point 73
°C, flexural modulus 610 kg/cJ.

Melting point 120'C) wall thickness 0.3mm, length 15cm, width 1
．． A 5 cm press sheet was placed on a suction precision press welder, ``Starpack'' (sold by Sankin Kogyo), and the temperature of the press sheet was raised to 110°C.

Then, a concave thermoplastic polymer thin film transfer was created using the convex dental plaster model.

(3) Solidification Next, the transferred material was cooled for 5 minutes with cold air from a dryer to solidify the thermoplastic polymer. This thin film transfer of thermoplastic polymer was easily removed from the dental plaster model.

Then, the thin film-like transfer material of this thermoplastic polymer was cut to fit the dentition and cut to a length about 2 mm from the periodontal region to prepare a mouthpiece. When this mouthpiece was attached to the teeth of a golf player, it fitted well and he was able to speak, and he wore it at times other than eating at the golf course.
Golf players did not feel fatigued.

Example 2 As a thermoplastic polymer sheet, an ethylene film with a wall thickness of 1 mm was used.
Vinyl acetate copolymer (manufactured by Mitsubishi Yuka ■, “Lavalon JM
J5301CXMFR1, Og/10 min, flexural modulus 8
A mouthpiece was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a rugby player's dental plaster PJ mold was manufactured using a 0kg/c♂) sheet.

However, the heating temperature during molding was 135°C.

This mouthpiece was well-suited to each person's teeth and had an excellent cushioning effect, and was popular as a mouthpiece used in sports where force is applied to the teeth, such as rugby.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a mouthpiece according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1... Mouthpiece, ]a..." Mouthpiece for the dentition of the 1st jaw, 1b... Mouthpiece for the dentition of the lower jaw, 2.
- Concave portion, 3...Convex portion, 4...Part covering the surface of the tooth row, 5...Part covering the surface of the gingiva.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The wall thickness is 0.2 to 3 mm, and the MFR (JIS-K67
60) is 0.05 to 50 g/10 min, flexural modulus (AS
TM-D747) is formed from a thin film of a thermoplastic polymer having a weight of 3,000 kg/cm^2 or less. 2. The mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer thin film has a flexural modulus of 800 kg/cm^2 or less. 3. Claim 1 or 2, wherein the wall thickness is 0.2 to 0.4 mm.
Mouthpiece described in.