Patent ID: 8911232

Claim:
A dental mouthpiece composed of a bendable material, the dental mouthpiece formed in a curve and comprising: a main body portion at a central part of the curve and comprising a defined pocket having an anterior wall inside the curve, a posterior wall outside the curve, and a side wall in between the anterior wall and the posterior wall, wherein the anterior wall, the posterior wall, and the side wall define an interior portion of the defined pocket, wherein the posterior wall comprises a bridge structure protruding from an interior surface of the posterior wall in a wave shape, the protruding bridge structure comprising a plurality of spaced contact points that keep the anterior wall separated from the posterior wall during suction, wherein the spaced contact points are at crests of the wave shape, and wherein a plurality of troughs of the wave shape between the spaced contact points allow for suction through the bridge structure; a cheek retractor portion connected to the main body portion and having a surface that applies pressure when the dental mouthpiece is bent, wherein the pressure is based on resilience of the bendable material; and a suction connector portion for connecting the interior portion of the main body portion to a vacuum suction source, wherein the suction connector portion is connected to the main body portion on an end opposite the cheek retractor.