Patent ID: 8591229
Filing Date: 2013-11-26
Classification: A61C,A61H

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for the treatment of an oral biofilm associated with periodontal disease comprising: a body configured to be fitted about all of the upper or lower teeth of a patient for enclosing the teeth, the body having walls that include an outer wall and an inner wall, each composed of resilient elastomeric material molded for substantially conforming to the enclosed teeth and gum tissue proximate to the teeth, one or more internal recesses defined between the inner wall and the outer wall and configured for receiving the enclosed teeth, and having a top outer surface positioned opposite to the one or more internal recesses and between an external surface of the outer wall and an external surface of the inner wall; a raised seal formed about an inner surface of the outer wall and an inner surface of the inner wall and surrounding the one or more recesses and corresponding to a location along a gum line of the gum tissue of the patient associated with the enclosed teeth, the raised seal being configured to extend about the gum tissue and spaced apart from the teeth, and configured to form a substantially air tight seal against the gum line; and a skirt positioned external to the outer wall and to the inner wall of the body having the raised seal formed thereon, the skirt reinforcing the outer wall and the inner wall and providing increased stiffness with respect to the body and a biasing force thereto and to the raised seal to the gum line after placement of the apparatus onto the gum tissue and about the teeth, wherein the skirt is composed as a bilaminar structure with a substantially airtight skirt chamber, the skirt increasing the reinforcement of the outer and inner walls and providing an increased biasing force against the outer and inner walls when the skirt chamber is filled with a filling composition and wherein the skirt chamber is filled with an acrylic adapted for variable stiffness responsive to applied heat energy.