Protective dental shield

A protective dental shield made from a flexible and resilient material with a planar biting portion for placement between the occlusal surfaces of the upper and lower teeth of a patient and a pair of side walls projecting up and down from the spaced apart side edges of the biting portion to form a barrier between the side surfaces of the upper and lower teeth and the patient's soft tissue areas of the inner cheeks, tongue or lips. The protective dental shield is also provided with an extra-oral portion that extends beyond the patient's mouth when the shield is in place.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to devices used to protect against 
injuries to soft tissues such as cheeks, tongue and lips caused by 
accidental bites in anesthetized patients, and more particularly to a 
flexible dental shield for placement between the teeth so as to form a 
barrier around the teeth to isolate the teeth from the soft tissue areas. 
Dentists, medical doctors and care providers often administer anesthetics 
(e.g., Novocaine) to cause a complete or partial loss of physical 
sensation, muscle function and pain before beginning oral treatments or 
surgery on their patients. Because areas of the lips, cheeks and tongue 
are often numbed and anesthetized along with the teeth, patients can, and 
often do, accidentally bite these otherwise sensitive soft tissue areas 
causing discomfort, bleeding, swelling and painful sores that may take 
several weeks to heal. In some cases, scarring of the bitten tissue may 
also occur. These problems are of great concern to patients and doctors, 
especially in cases involving the treatment of children who generally have 
a lower tolerance for pain than adults and also may be more prone to 
accidental biting of the numbed tissues. 
In an attempt to prevent accidental bites and the resulting trauma in their 
patients, dentists or other medical practitioners often place a cotton 
roll or gauze padding inside the mouth on the side where the patient is 
numbed, and ask the patient to bite on the cotton or gauze and refrain 
from talking, chewing or engaging in other activities that may cause the 
patient to bite herself. The cotton roll or gauze padding is generally 
left inside the patient's mouth after the oral procedure until the 
numbness associated with the anesthetic wears off. While this method can 
provide some degree of prevention, it often provides an inadequate 
protection against accidental biting of soft tissue areas, and can be very 
uncomfortable for the patient. 
Other oral devices have been designed and attempted in an effort to prevent 
accidental bite trauma and injury in patients. Some of these devices are 
not directed to patients with temporary numbness in the mouth area, and 
are of a more permanent nature such as those using arch wires in 
combination with hard oral acrylic devices designed for comatose patients 
or those with a long-term disability. Others utilize hard rubber or 
plastic mouth pieces, or flexible or inflexible bite splints over the 
occlusal surfaces of the teeth. In addition to their relative high cost 
and not lending themselves to be used readily and quickly without the need 
for special fitting, the non-flexible nature of such devices may cause 
damage to the surfaces of the teeth, soft tissues or filling material used 
to restore the teeth, and the wire or rigid plastic components may break 
away or cause the filling material to break away and be accidentally 
swallowed by the patient. Still other devices have been attempted which 
use flexible materials. 
However, such devices have certain shortcomings in that some require the 
use of impressions or molds to fit the device for each patient, some 
require the wearer (typically an athlete) to place a device that covers 
the entire mouth area, and some only protect the occlusal surfaces of the 
teeth without providing a barrier around the side surfaces of the teeth, 
which increases the danger and possibility of accidental biting of soft 
tissue areas. Also, some of the existing designs are not particularly 
hygienic in that the portion of the device that is eventually placed 
inside the mouth must be touched or held prior to positioning it in the 
patient's mouth. 
Thus, there is a need for a dental protective shield that can be 
manufactured inexpensively, is flexible and resilient so as to be 
comfortable, safe and adaptable to fit the maximum number of patients with 
a minimum number of sizes and shapes, provides a barrier around the 
occlusal and side surfaces of the upper and lower teeth so as to provide 
an effective protection against accidental biting of soft tissue surfaces, 
allows the wearer to breath and talk with minimal disturbance, enables the 
placement and removal of the device into and out of the patient's mouth in 
a hygienic and simple manner, and is disposable so as to eliminate 
cross-contamination problems. The present invention fulfills these needs. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention resides in a dental protective shield made from a 
resilient and flexible material which forms a biting surface placed 
between the patient's upper and lower teeth with two side walls projecting 
from the two lateral side edges of the biting surface to form a barrier 
around the side surfaces of the patient's upper and lower teeth and an 
extra-oral portion. 
More specifically, the dental protective shield of the present invention 
includes a biting portion formed from a planar piece of resilient 
material. Two side walls made from the same resilient material project 
from the two laterally spaced side edges of the biting portion above and 
below the planar surface of the biting segment. The outer extremities of 
the side walls are slightly angled or curved so as to provide space for 
the placement of the side walls against the gum tissue for a comfortable 
and secure fit. The biting segment and the side walls are shaped to follow 
the general contour and curvature of the teeth in the specific area of the 
mouth that has been anesthetized. 
When the patient places the protective shield between the upper and lower 
teeth, the biting portion forms a barrier between the occlusal surfaces of 
the teeth, and the side walls form barriers between the side surfaces of 
the upper and lower teeth and the soft tissue areas of the patient's mouth 
such as the cheeks, lips and the tongue. In this manner, the protective 
shield of the invention essentially surrounds the occlusal and side 
surfaces of the upper and lower teeth to prevent accidental bites caused 
by contact between the teeth and the soft tissue areas. 
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an extra-oral portion 
is provided to allow the dental protective shield to be placed inside the 
patient's mouth in a hygienic fashion and to prevent accidental swallowing 
of the protective shield. The extra-oral portion is made from the same 
resilient material as the biting portion and the side walls. In the 
youth/adult version of the invention, the extra-oral portion extends from 
the biting portion, and is long enough to slightly protrude from the 
patient's mouth when the protective shield in place. Also, in the 
youth/adult version, the extra-oral portion may be provided with a hole to 
accept dental floss or other similar material therethrough so that in case 
the protective shield is accidentally swallowed by the patient, the dental 
floss can be used to retrieve and pull the protective shield from the 
patient's mouth. In the child version of the protective dental shield of 
the invention, the extra-oral portion extends from one of the side walls 
so as to take the form of a side flap outside the child's mouth to prevent 
accidental swallowing of the dental shield. The side flap can be flossed 
at the corner to further help prevent accidental swallowing of the dental 
shield. 
Once the protective shield is placed inside the patient's mouth in the 
correct position and side, the patient bites on the biting portion and 
keeps the protective shield in his or her mouth until the numbness is gone 
or there is a need to temporarily remove the protective shield at which 
time the extra-oral portion is grasped to remove the shield from the 
patient's mouth. 
The protective shield of the invention can be economically manufactured in 
a few sizes and shapes so as to follow the contour and size of typical 
molar and premolar teeth in most youths, adults and children. Since the 
shape and contour of the teeth on the left and rights sides of the mouth 
are symmetric, the protective shield of the invention can be easily 
flipped around and used for the molar and premolar teeth on both sides of 
the mouth. 
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent 
from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the 
accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles 
of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
As shown in the exemplary drawings, the protective dental shield of the 
present invention is illustrated generally at 10. The protective shield 10 
is comprised of a generally elongated and planar biting portion 12 made of 
a resilient and flexible material such as plastic. The biting portion 12 
has an appropriate size and shape so as to be capable of being easily 
placed in the mouth 14 of a patient 16 between a portion of the upper and 
lower teeth 18. The resiliency and flexibility of the material provides a 
safe and relatively soft surface for the patient to bite on, and allows 
the biting portion to maintain its shape even after being compressed under 
the pressure applied by the teeth. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the 
biting portion 12 is trapezoidal in shape with its rear side being 
slightly wider than its front side to follow the natural contour of the 
set of teeth in the side of the mouth that are to be shielded. 
A pair of side walls 20 also made of the same material as the biting 
portion project equal distances in upward and downward directions from the 
laterally spaced apart side edges 22 of the biting portion 12. As can be 
seen in FIG. 5, the side walls 20 are preferably substantially 
perpendicular to the biting portion 12, but other angles may also be used 
without interfering with the function of the side walls. Each side wall 20 
includes a pair of legs 24 that extend away from the biting portion 12, 
which may engage adjacent gingival tissue 26. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 
and 4, each side wall has somewhat of an oval shape positioned 
symmetrically with respect to the biting portion with the rear portion 20a 
of the side wall being wider than its tapered front portion 20b to provide 
a comfortable fit inside the mouth. 
With this arrangement, when the patient 16 closes his or her upper and 
lower teeth 18 on the protective shield 10, the biting portion 12 and the 
side walls 20 form a barrier around the occlusal and side surfaces of the 
upper and lower teeth, and thereby prevent the accidental biting of the 
patient's cheeks, lips and tongue. 
For purposes of illustration only and not by way of limitation, typically, 
in most youth/adult patients the width of the biting portion can be up to 
0.5 inches on its front side, 0.75 inches on its back side, its length can 
be up to 1.5 inches, and can have a thickness of 0.05 to 0.15 inches. 
Similarly, the side wall used to fit most youth/adult patients can have a 
length up to 1.5 inches, and has a thickness of 0.05 to 0.1 inches. Also, 
the width of the side wall in its rear portion 20a can be up to 0.75 
inches, and tapers down towards its front portion 20b with a width of up 
to 0.5 inches. For children, these dimensions can be reduced according to 
their age. To achieve economy in manufacturing the protective shield of 
the invention, it should be generally sufficient to offer the protective 
shield in two sizes to fit the vast majority of children, youths and 
adults. However, specific sizes and dimensions may be used to build 
protective shields to suit special needs of individual patients. 
Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, an extra-oral 
portion 28 is provided to enable the patient or other care provider to 
place the protective dental shield 10 inside the mouth of the patient 
while the numbness continues and to remove the shield after the numbness 
wears off or otherwise as needed. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, in one 
embodiment of the invention, the extra-oral portion 28 extends from the 
biting portion 12 so that when the protective shield is placed in the 
patient's mouth, the extra-oral portion protrudes a short distance from 
the mouth. The extra-oral portion 28 which is made of the same planar 
material as the biting portion is curved to follow the contour of the 
mouth with a rounded outer end 28a to provide safety. The extra-oral 
portion illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 is provided with a round hole 28b 
near its outer end 28a. The hole 28b is provided to allow dental floss or 
other similar means to be inserted and looped therethrough to enable the 
patient or care provider to grab the dental floss and pull the protective 
shield from the patient's mouth, should it be accidentally swallowed. 
In an alternative embodiment as illustrated in FIGS. 6-9, which is 
preferably used for children, the extra-oral portion 28 extends from one 
of the side walls 20 and curves away from the side wall so as to form a 
V-shaped side flap with the side wall. In this manner, the extra-oral 
portion 28 can remain against one side of the patient's cheek when the 
protective shield is placed inside the mouth and the corner of the side 
flap tied with floss, and cannot be accidentally swallowed. 
In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the extra-oral 
portion 28 is preferably integrally formed with the biting portion 12, but 
may alternatively be joined with the biting portion. Similarly, in the 
embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6-9, the extra-oral portion is preferably 
integrally formed with one of the side walls 20, but may alternatively be 
joined with the side wall. 
While the exemplary drawings illustrate a protective shield shaped for use 
in the sides of the patient's mouth, it is understood that the shape and 
measurements of the protective shield can be adjusted to fit the patient's 
front teeth should it be necessary to prevent accidental biting of soft 
tissue areas in the front area of the mouth. It is also understood that 
the specific shapes, sizes and thicknesses of the various portions of the 
protective shield of the invention can be modified and changed as long as 
it does not interfere with its effectiveness, safety and comfort to the 
patient. 
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the present invention 
provides a means by which a flexible and resilient protective shield can 
be placed inside the mouth of the patient in the particular area of the 
mouth experiencing numbness or loss of control of the teeth to present a 
barrier between the patient's soft tissue areas of the cheeks, tongue and 
lips and the patient's occlusal and side surfaces of the teeth. Moreover, 
the present invention is provided with a flexible portion that extends 
beyond the patient's mouth to enable an easy, safe and hygienic placement 
and withdrawal of the protective shield into and out of the patient's 
mouth. The protective dental shield of the invention is also relatively 
easy and inexpensive to manufacture, and can be offered in several colors 
and standard (or special) sizes that can be used in any size or shape of 
teeth in all individuals. 
While particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and 
described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made 
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.