| 主权项 |
1. A one-piece molded bruxism treatment device which in upright orientation has top and bottom parts, comprising:
a. an elongated flexible band having top and bottom edges and having a generally U-shape defining a closed front end part and legs extending rearward along a front-to-rear direction, and adapted to be positioned around the outer surfaces of a person's upper gums and teeth, said front end and legs having top and bottom edges, each of said legs terminating as a foot having a bottom edge below the bottom edges of said front end and legs, b. said front end top edge having a downward extending recess adapted to provide clearance for a person's frenulum when said device is positioned in the person's mouth with said band between said person's upper lip and upper teeth, and c. two generally planar bite pads oriented generally horizontally, each molded with the band to extend contiguously from one of said feet of said band medially toward the other, each of said bite pads having top and bottom surfaces and adapted to be positioned on one side of the person's jaw between the facing surfaces of a person's upper and lower teeth, and d. each said bite pads being, at least in part, resiliently deformable, thus adapted to absorb forces when said bite pad is clenched between the person's upper and lower teeth, wherein each of said pads has a medially outer edge where it extends form one of said feet and an opposite medially inner edge spaced from and generally parallel to said medially outer edge and a top surface, each of said pads further comprising a stabilizing rib along said medially inner edge and extending selectively, upward, downward or upward and downward from said pad, each of said stabilizing ribs when said device is positioned in said person's mouth, adapted to be situated medially inward of the inward sides of said person's upper and lower teeth when they clench said bite pad. |
