US2250373A - Dental plate - Google Patents

Description

Jill 22, 1941. R; s. HAGERMAN 2,250,373

DENTAL PLATE Filed Feb. 25, 1940 will /////I// 3mm I jy? 5177731 Patented July 22, 1941 ENETED STATES FATENTI QFFICE 2,250,373 DENTAI -PLATE Royal- SkHa'german, Vilas, 0010.

Application February 23, 1940, Serial No; 320,505

7 Claims. (Cl. 32-2) upper plates without departing from the spirit This invention pertains to artificial dental construction and especially to dental plates.

The users or the wearers. of artificial dental constructions are frequently troubled with the dentures accidentally falling or being blown out of the mouth. This is especially true in the case of plates in which event the wearer lacks natural teeth which can be used as a foundation for the artificial dentures. It. is, furthermore, especially true in the case of lower plates because'the upper 1:0,-

plates under conventional practice can be constructed to adhere to the palate of the mouth. The tongue structure prevents such adhesive holding of lower plates.

In the practical application of my invention h'r I make use of the side surfaces of the jaw bone of the wearer as a gripping surface for the dental construction, and I provide the base member in which the artificial teeth are mounted with areas which overlap the side surfaces of the jaw bone.

I constructed the plate in such a manner that these overlapping areas are yieldingly pressed toward the side surfaces of the jaw bone.

The entire plate is made of uni-structure of yielding and non-yielding material and I mold the structure to space the side portions a different distance apart than the distance between the side portions of the jaw bone of the wearer. The structure must be distorted to insert the plate in the mouth, the yielding portion permitting such distortion. I also render the yielding portion resilient in a manner to cause the overlapped portions to press against the jaw bone of the wearer,

The position of the yielding portion. in the dental structure may be varied without" departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having stated the invention generally, attention is now directed to the drawing in'wh'icht Figure 1 is a perspective View of one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the embodiment of Figure 1, with parts broken away;

of the invention.

As illustrated most clearly in Figures 1 and 4,

the lower plate consists of artificial dentures I mounted in the supporting base 8. The supporting base comprises a front portion shown generally at 9 and two side portions l0 and H extending rearwardly therefrom on both sides of the lower jaw.

The supporting base 8 as in'conventionalpractice is preferably made of rubber although other materials have been and may be used. In the practice of the invention it consists of nonyielding portions I2' with portions M- of yielding material in the nature of inserts. The portions [4 are not inserts in the strictest sense of the term because they are molded unitary with the portions [2 to provide an integral uni-structure.

In practice the non-yielding and yielding pore tions I2 and Hi comprise hard and soft rubber respectively in the preferred embodiment of the invention.

The dental plate constructed as described is molded to fit the top and side surfaces of the gums wherever it is in engagement therewith, but is molded to provide a distance between the side members It) and H which is diiferent than the distance between the side members of the jaw bone of the wearer. In the instant case since the pressure is to be applied to the inside surfaces ofthe jaw bone the members l0 and H are spaced a greater distance apart than the sides of the jaw bone. Projecting downwardly from the side portions l0 and H are the overlapped areas l5 and they extend far enough to be juxtapositioned to the inside surfaces of the side portions of the jaw bone. Usually, this portion of the jaw bone is undercut and affords a good holding surface for lower plates. Thus, the

0 overlaps 15 are shaped in a manner shown in Figure 3 is a horizontal cross section of a modi- 5 The'inventionmay also be applied to Figure 6.

In the case where the yielding material I4 is soft rubber, it is also resilient and tends to maintain the plate to the shape to which it is molded. Thus, when the plate is distorted to be inserted in the mouth of the wearer pressure will be exerted outwardly laterally to compress'the over-- laps l5 against the side surfaces of the jawbone. If greater resiliency is desired or required the modification of Figure 3 can be used. This comprises a spring member l5 embedded in the yielding material It and entirely embedded in" the tooth supporting structures of the plate. The spring member It extends into the non-yielding material preferably in both directions as at H.

This modification permits the plate to be used in the manner hereinbefore described.

In the second embodiment of my invention disclosed in Figures 4, 5 and 6, I make the overlaps I5 of yielding material molded uni-structure with the non-yielding material. In this embodiment, preferably, the non-yielding material extends throughout the front and side portions 9, l, H to the supporting base 8'.

In this embodiment the overlaps are molded to be a greater distance apart than the distance between the side portions of the jaw bone so that when the plate is inserted in the mouth, they exert a lateral pressure against the side surfaces of the jaw bone. They thus accomplish a result similar to that described with reference to the embodiment of Figure 1.

In the modification of this embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6, I provide the spring member [6' which is embedded in the yielding material at 8 and extends into the non-yielding material as at H. The spring member gives resiliency to the overlaps [5 which function in the manner hereinbefore described.

Having thus described my invention in detail, I do not wish to be limited to the specific structure shown and described but the scope of the invention as measured by the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. An artificial dental construction comprising dentures and a supporting base for the dentures, the supporting base consisting of uni-structure, non-yielding and yielding material molded to fit the surface of the gums, the base comprising a front portion and two side portions extending rearwardly therefrom on both sides of the jaw, each with an overlapping area alongside the jaw bone, the base being molded to space the overlapping areas a different distance apart than the spacing between side portions of the aw bone of the wearer, the yielding material being resilient to press the overlapping areas toward the side surfaces of the jaw bone when distorted from the shape to which they are molded to the position they occupy in the mouth.

2. An artificial dental construction comprising dentures and a supporting base for the dentures, the supporting base consisting of unistructure, non-yielding and yielding material molded to fit the surface of the gums, the base comprising a front portion and two side portions extending rearwardly therefrom on both sides of the jaw, each with an overlapping area alongside the jaw bone, the base being molded to space the side portion a different distance apart than the spacing of the side portions of the jaw bone of the wearer, the yielding material tending to maintain the base to the shape to which it is molded and being resilient to press the side portions laterally with the overlapping areas urged toward the side surfaces of the jaw bone when th base is distorted from the shape to which it is molded to the position it occupies in the mouth.

3. An artificial dental construction comprising dentures and a supporting base for the dentures, the supporting base consisting of uni-structure, non-yielding and yielding material molded to fit the surface of the gums, the base comprising a front portion and two side portions, the front portion including the yielding material, the side portions extending rearwardly from the front portion on both sides of the jaw each with an overlapping area alongside the jaw bone, the

base being molded to space the side portions a different distance apart than the spacing between side portions of the jaw bone of the wearer, the yielding material being resilient tending to maintain the plate to the shape to which it is molded to press the side portions laterally with the overlapping areas urged toward the side surfaces of the jaw bone when the plate is distorted from the shape to which it is molded to the position it occupies in the mouth.

4. An artificial dental construction comprising dentures and a supporting base for the dentures, the supporting base consisting of unistructure, non-yielding and yielding material molded to fit the surface of the gums, the base comprising a front portion and two side portions extending rearwardly therefrom on both sides of the jaw bone, each with an overlap area of yielding material alongside the jaw bone, the base being molded with the overlaps spaced 2. different distance apart than the spacing between the side portions of the jaw bone of the wearer, the yielding material of the overlaps being resilient to press them laterally toward the side surfaces of the jaw bone when they are distorted from the shape to which they are molded to the positions they occupy in the mouth.

5. An artificial dental construction comprising dentures and a supporting base for the dentures, the supporting base consisting of unistructure, non-yielding and yielding material molded to fit the surface of the gums, the base comprising a front portion and two side portions extending rearwardly therefrom on both sides of the jaw, each with an overlapping area alongside the jaw bone, the base being molded to space the'side portions a different distance apart than the spacing between side portions of the jaw bone of the wearer, a spring member embedded in the material of the base and extending into both the yielding and non-yielding material to supply resilience to the yielding material tending to maintain the base to the shape to which it is molded to press the side portions laterally with overlapping areas urged toward the side surfaces of the jaw bone when the base is distorted from the shape to which it is molded to the position it occupies in the mouth.

6. An artificial dental construction comprising dentures and a supporting base for the dentures, the supporting base consisting of unistrutures, non-yielding and yielding material molded to fit the surface-of the gums, the base comprising a front portion and two side por- .tions, the front portion including the yielding material, the side portions extending rearwardly from the front portion on both sides of the jaw each with an overlapping area alongside the jaw bone, the base being molded to space the side portions a different distanceapart than the spacing between side portions of the jaw bone of the wearer, a spring member embedded in the yielding material and extending into the nonyielding material in opposite directions to supply resilience to the base tending to maintain it to the shape to which it is molded to press the side portions laterally with the overlapping areas urged toward the side surfaces of the jaw bone when the plate is distorted from the shape to which it is molded to the position it occupies in the mouth.

7. An artificial dental construction comprising dentures and a supporting base for the dentures, the supporting base consisting of unistructure, non-yielding and yielding material molded to fit the surface of the gums, the base comprising a front portion and two side portions extending rearwardly therefrom on both sides of the jaw bone, each with an overlap area of yielding material alongside the jaw bone, the base being molded with the overlaps spaced a different distance apart than the spacing between the side portions of the jaw bone of the wearer, a spring member embedded in the yielding material and extending into the non-yielding material to give resilience to the overlaps to press them laterally toward the side surfaces of the jaw bone when they are distorted from the shape to which they are molded to the positions they occupy in the mouth.

ROYAL S. HAGERMAN.

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