Mouth guard

Abstract

Mouth guards of varying designs. The mouth guard is generally moldable and has non-planar biting surfaces. In other embodiments, the mouth guard has base members or flanges that have means for retaining medicaments and the like. Other versions have thermochromic elements selected to allow color changes at desired temperatures.

1 - 110 . (canceled) 
     
     
         111 . A mouth guard, comprising:
 a moldable base member having first and second biting surfaces for positioning between occlusal surfaces of a user's upper and lower teeth;   the moldable base member having an anterior portion, a posterior portion, a labial-buccal side and a lingual side;   the moldable base member having a moldable flange extending in at least one of a superior or inferior direction from the moldable base member, and the moldable flange extending from one of the labial-buccal side or the lingual side of the moldable base member; and   the moldable flange shaped to form a barrier between the teeth and the soft oral tissue of a user, and wherein the moldable flange comprises a frenal notch structured to conform to at least one frenum in the user's mouth.   
     
     
         112 . The mouth guard of  claim 111 , wherein the frenal notch conforms to a frenum selected from the frenae consisting of: a lingual frenum, a buccal frenum, a maxillary frenum, and a mandibular frenum. 
     
     
         113 . The mouth guard of  claim 111 , wherein the moldable flange further comprises a plurality of frenal notches structured to conform to a plurality of frenae in the user's mouth. 
     
     
         114 . The mouth guard of  claim 113 , wherein the moldable flange comprises a maximum width from an inferior most point to a superior most point that is between 18 mm and 30 mm. 
     
     
         115 . The mouth guard of  claim 114 , wherein the moldable flange comprises a labial frenal notch comprising a minimum width from an inferior most point to a superior most point that is between 6 mm and 18 mm. 
     
     
         116 . The mouth guard of  claim 113 , wherein the moldable flange comprises a buccal frenal notch comprising a minimum width from an inferior most point to a superior most point that is between 12 mm and 25 mm. 
     
     
         117 . The mouth guard of  claim 111 , wherein the moldable base member comprises a semi-arcuate shape. 
     
     
         118 . The mouth guard of  claim 117 , wherein the moldable base member is structured to receive not more than half of the user's upper and lower teeth. 
     
     
         119 . The mouth guard of  claim 117 , wherein the moldable base member is structured to receive the user's upper and lower teeth from only one side of the user's jaw. 
     
     
         120 . The mouth guard of  claim 111 , further comprising an externally visible alignment feature. 
     
     
         121 . (canceled) 
     
     
         122 . The mouth guard of  claim 111 , further comprising a handle at the front of the mouth guard, wherein the handle further comprises a hole sized between 8 mm to 12 mm, wherein the hole and the handle are positioned such that, when the hole aligns with a philtrum of the user, the mouth guard is properly positioned in the mouth of the user. 
     
     
         123 . The mouth guard of  claim 111 , further comprising a handle at the front of the mouth guard, wherein the handle further comprises a hole sized to a width of an average sized philtrum, wherein the hole and the handle are positioned such that, when the hole aligns with a philtrum of the user, the mouth guard is properly positioned in the mouth of the user. 
     
     
         124 . (canceled) 
     
     
         125 . The mouth guard of  claim 111 , wherein the moldable flange comprises a labial-buccal flange, and wherein the labial-buccal flange comprises visual markings structured to allow for proper alignment and positioning of the mouth guard in the user's mouth. 
     
     
         126 . The mouth guard of  claim 111 , wherein the moldable base member comprises at least one cross-sectional shape selected from the shapes consisting of: a sinusoidal cross-section, a wave-like cross-section, a generally circular solid elevational cross-section, and a plurality of cross-sectional shapes. 
     
     
         127 . (canceled) 
     
     
         128 . The mouth guard of  claim 111 , wherein the moldable base member comprises a first biting surface and a second biting surface, wherein the first biting surface and the second biting surface are both non-planar. 
     
     
         129 . The mouth guard of  claim 128 , wherein the first biting surface and the second biting surface are both one of convex and concave. 
     
     
         130 . The mouth guard  claim 128 , wherein the first biting surface is convex and the second biting surface is concave. 
     
     
         131 . A method, comprising:
 providing a mouth guard comprising a moldable base member having first and second biting surfaces for positioning between occlusal surfaces of a user's upper and lower teeth, the moldable base member having an anterior portion, a posterior portion, a labial-buccal side and a lingual side, the moldable base member having a moldable flange extending in at least one of a superior or inferior direction from the moldable base member, and the moldable flange extending from one of the labial-buccal side or the lingual side of the moldable base member, and the moldable flange shaped to form a barrier between the teeth and the soft oral tissue of a user, and wherein the moldable flange comprises a frenal notch structured to conform to at least one frenum in the user's mouth; and   positioning the mouth guard into the user's mouth.   
     
     
         132 . The method of  claim 131 , wherein the positioning is performed by a caretaker that is not the user. 
     
     
         133 . The method of  claim 132 , further comprising positioning the mouth guard with a handle at the front of the mouth guard, and checking a visual marking on the mouth guard to verify a position of the mouth guard. 
     
     
         134 . The method of  claim 133 , wherein the checking comprises checking that the visual marking is aligned with a philtrum of the user. 
     
     
         135 . The method of  claim 131 , further comprising filling a retaining chamber of the mouth guard with at least one of a flavoring and a medication before the positioning. 
     
     
         136 . The method of  claim 131 , wherein the moldable base member comprises a semi-arcuate shape. 
     
     
         137 . The method of  claim 136 , further comprising positioning the mouth guard to receive not more than half of the user's upper and lower teeth. 
     
     
         138 . The method of  claim 136 , further comprising positioning the mouth guard to receive the user's upper and lower teeth from only one side of the user's jaw. 
     
     
         139 . The method of  claim 131 , further comprising molding the mouth guard to a dental model of the user's teeth, and allowing the mouth guard to cool before the positioning. 
     
     
         140 . The method of  claim 139 , wherein the mouth guard further comprises a thermoplastic having a thermochromic element, the method further comprising displaying a first color in the mouth guard when the mouth guard is below 100 degrees Fahrenheit and displaying a second third color in the mouth guard when the mouth guard is above a glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic. 
     
     
         141 . The mouth guard of  claim 111 , wherein the frenal notch conforms to a frenum selected from the frenae consisting of: a lingual frenum, a buccal frenum, and a mandibular frenum. 
     
     
         142 . The mouth guard of  claim 111 , further comprising a retaining chamber structured to retain and release one of a flavoring substance and a medication. 
     
     
         143 . The method of  claim 132 , wherein the mouthguard further comprises a retaining chamber, the method further comprising positioning a flavoring substance in the retaining chamber before the positioning the mouth guard. 
     
     
         144 . The method of  claim 132 , wherein the mouthguard further comprises a retaining chamber, the method further comprising positioning a medication in the retaining chamber before the positioning the mouth guard. 
     
     
         145 . The method of  claim 132 , further comprising molding the mouth guard to a dental model of the user's teeth, and allowing the mouth guard to cool before the positioning. 
     
     
         146 . The method of  claim 145 , wherein the mouth guard further comprises a thermoplastic having a thermochromic element, the method further comprising displaying a first color in the mouth guard when the mouth guard is below 100 degrees Fahrenheit and displaying a second color in the mouth guard when the mouth guard is above a glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic. 
     
     
         147 . The method of  claim 131 , wherein the mouthguard further comprises a retaining chamber, the method further comprising positioning a flavoring substance in the retaining chamber before the positioning the mouth guard. 
     
     
         148 . The method of  claim 131 , wherein the mouthguard further comprises a retaining chamber, the method further comprising positioning a medication in the retaining chamber before the positioning the mouth guard.