Abstract:
An oral protection device including a dental wedge to be positioned between the dental arches of one side of the mouth, and a protection blade having a first portion which pushes against the tongue, and a second portion which engages with the other side of the mouth within the vestibule and having a blade extended by a turned-back section which forms a hook positioned at the labial commissure of the mouth.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a device for protecting the mouth during work on the teeth. 
     During work on teeth, the patient must keep his mouth open. The surgeon can then access the teeth in order to work on them, taking care not to injure the inside of the cheek and/or the tongue. 
     Therefore, in order to access the teeth, the patient must keep his mouth open, which he does. However, if the surgery is lengthy, the jaws gradually close since keeping the mouth open for a long period is not easy. 
     The first problem is therefore keeping the mouth open. 
     The second problem is avoiding injuring the tongue and/or the inside of the cheek. 
     One old technique, still used, consists of separating the cheek and tongue with cylindrical cotton pads that are placed on either side of the working area and/or between the dental arches. 
     This technique has been improved by devices that push the tongue towards the rear and hold the mouth open. 
     To keep the mouth open, there therefore exist devices comprising a thick wedge that is positioned between the interdental arches on the side opposite to the one where the tooth to be treated is located. 
     In order to protect the mouth, using a blade that is attached to the aforementioned thick wedge and positioned so as to push the tongue behind the blade is known (US 2003/134253 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,599). 
     This blade comprises a part that pushes the tongue, which is connected to a side flap that bears on the other side of the mouth, being positioned between the cheek and the teeth in the vestibule. The blade, deployed flat, forms in front view a kind of eight on its side. 
     So that this blade is positioned correctly and remains in place, the connection between the dental wedge and the blade is rigid so that it is the positioning of the wedge that orients the blade. The rigidity of the connection is constraining in the design of the device and in the positioning since each mouth is particular whereas the device is of a standard type. 
     The invention aims to do a solution to the problems mentioned above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To this end, the subject matter of the invention is an oral protection device comprising a dental wedge intended to be positioned between the dental arches on one side of the mouth, a protective blade comprising a first part pushing the tongue and a second part coming into abutment on the other side of the mouth, this device being characterised in that the second part of the blade is extended by a return in order to form a hook positioned at the corner of the lips. 
     For example, embodiments of such an oral-protection device can include a dental wedge adapted to be positioned between dental arches on one side of a user&#39;s mouth, and a protective blade having a first part constructed to exert a force against the user&#39;s tongue and a second part connected at a first side to said first part and constructed to contact another side of the user&#39;s mouth between the user&#39;s cheek and teeth when the oral-protection device is disposed in a fully-installed position within the user&#39;s mouth. The second part of the protective blade extends adjacently to the first part along internal surfaces of the user&#39;s cheek and the second part is extended by a return section constructed to engagingly contact with the user&#39;s outer cheek when the oral-protection device is disposed in a fully-installed position within the user&#39;s mouth. The return section forms, with the second part of the protective blade, a hook positioned at a corner of the user&#39;s lips when the oral-protection device is disposed in a fully-installed position within the user&#39;s mouth, and the hook wraps around an external portion of the user&#39;s cheek at the corner of the user&#39;s lips and has a tip end which extends in a backward direction toward the back of the user&#39;s head when the oral-protection device is disposed in a fully-installed position within the user&#39;s mouth. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be clearly understood by means of the description given below by way of non-limitative example, with regard to the drawing, which shows: 
         FIG. 1 : the protective device seen in perspective 
         FIG. 2 : the device of  FIG. 1  seen in front view 
         FIG. 3 : the device of  FIG. 1  seen from above 
         FIG. 4 : the blade of the device of  FIG. 1  alone 
         FIG. 5 : the blade of  FIG. 4  seen in front view 
         FIG. 6 : the wedge alone in perspective 
         FIG. 7 : the wedge of  FIG. 6  in side view 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the drawing, a oral-protection device  1  can be seen, which is used for dental work. This device is intended to keep the mouth of the patient open and for this purpose a wedge  2  is used the height of which and the position of which at the dental arches determines the opening of the mouth. 
     With this wedge there is associated a protective blade  3  comprising a first part  3 A and second part  3 B coming into abutment on the other side of the mouth, this device being characterised in that the second part  3 B of the blade is extended by a return  3 C intended to bear on the outer cheek in order to form a hook positioned at the corner of the lips. 
     The hook is turned towards the rear. 
     When the device is positioned, it is held at both ends. It is therefore immobilised on the one hand by the wedge between the jaws and on the other hand by the hook which, formed by the second part  3 B and the return  3 C, is engaged with the cheek. 
     There is therefore a secure positioning. 
     The first part  3 A pushes the tongue and protects it, while the second part  3 B protects the cheek by sliding between the cheek and the teeth, this region being referred to as the vestibule. 
     In addition, the first part  3 A of the blade has a height greater than the distance between the floor of the mouth and the palate, which forces the blade to bend when it is positioned, and therefore this “crushing” increases the holding. Between the various parts of the blade, there is a reduction in material in order to be able to orient parts with respect to one another. It should be noted that the reduction  30  between the first part  3 A of the blade and the second part  3 B makes it possible to be positioned behind the molars and to obtain wedging by gripping. 
     Putting into practice begin with the positioning of the hook and then the position of the wedge. 
     This return does not serve for protection but makes it possible to replace a rigid connection between the blade and the wedge with a flexible connection  100  of the rapid-fitting type with clearance facilitation the orientation of the blade with respect to the wedge. The connection is made on the front face of the wedge, that is to say the face of the wedge opposite to the bottom of the mouth. 
     The connection  100  between the wedge and the blade is as follows: 
     The blade  3  comprises a male piece  5  in the form of a C-shaped profile, the concavity  6  of the C being oriented towards the wedge, this profile coming to fit in a complementary cavity  7  with a deformable opening for the forcible passage of the C. The cavity  7  receiving the C-shaped profile is situated in front of the wedge. 
     When the blade is associated with the wedge, the concavity  6  of the profile covers a rim  8 . This C-shaped profile can move slightly angularly with respect to this rim and consequently enable the blade  3  to be oriented. The wedge therefore has an elasticity enabling the C-shaped profile to be mounted by elastic deformation of the wedge by opening the lips  9 , which reduce the entry of the cavity. Mounting this blade allows rotational and translation adjustments of the blade with respect to the wedge. Adjustment is facilitated since the other end of the blade is positioned at the corner of the lips. 
     The wedge is therefore elastically deformable in compression and has two opposite support regions for the teeth. 
     This elasticity (which remains low) of the wedge has another advantage for the patient, who can bite on the wedge without receiving an unpleasant sensation and, in biting this wedge, he grips the C-shaped profile, which locks. 
     The free end of this shape in a half-tube (C-shaped profile) has a stop  5 A that limits the axial movement of said profile in the open cavity  7  of the wedge. The half-tube shape can slide within the limit of the length thereof. 
     A rapid, adjustable and flexible fixing has therefore been achieved. 
     This half-tube (hollow semi-cylinder) shape located on the side of the blade in order to constitute one of the two complementary parts of a means of connection with the wedge is extended substantially as far as the end of the second part of the blade in front of the return, thus forming a longitudinal rib  10  that gives the blade a rigidity in its longitudinally corrugated form. 
     If the device is looked at, the first part  3 A is in the form of an elongate leaf which, after broadening, narrows as it moves away from the wedge in order to be extended by a transition region  30  that is curved and positions the second part  3 B in a direction of around 90° with respect to the first part and this second part is extended by a return  3 C in order to form a hook. 
     The blade has a curved face, the concavity of which is oriented forwards and therefore towards the entrance of the mouth. The choice of the variations in blade thicknesses and their locations confers greater or lesser flexibility on this blade. 
     The presence of notches  15  will be noted on the edge of the blade to enable fluids to flow, which will be aspirated by a means that is not shown. 
     As stated, the wedge is compressive and therefore not strictly rigid. Ribs  16  at the abutment regions prevent sliding along the longitudinal axis of the wedge. The abutment regions are also concave in the transverse axis in order to transversely limit the movement of the teeth and therefore to position said teeth. 
     The demountable connection between the wedge of the blade allows rapid removal and separate treatment of the elements constituting the device for better sterilisation. 
     The material of the wedge may be of a different nature from that of the blade so that each piece can be moulded individually, which avoids moulding stresses if bi-injection is carried out. 
     It makes it possible to choose one wedge from a set of wedges and one blade from a set of blades of different sizes. 
     Each piece is sterilisable.