| 摘要 |
<p>INVENTOR Norman R. Erickson 1215 Felicita Lane Escondido, California 92025 TITLE OF THE INVENTION Dental Appliance A dental appliance for evacuating debris and liquid from the mouth during dental operations having a collector member and a flexible collector membrane. The collector member has a semirigid bite block portion adapted to be gripped by the molars of the patient on one or the other side of the mouth with the bite block deforming upon the initial bite of the patient so as to form a mold thereon for secure placement within the patient's mouth and which bite block portion resists further deformation permitting the patient to exert substantial pressure on the bite block portion. The collector member also has a combination tongue guard and collector membrane holder formed integrally therewith. The combination tongue guard and collector membrane holder has a first groove located with its open surface facing laterally to one side and a second groove located with its open surface facing laterally to the opposite side for detachably securing predetermined lateral edge surfaces of the collector membrane. The collector membrane is made of a flat sheet of polyethylene foam having a predetermined peripheral contour. The material of the collector membrane is stretchable in both the longitudinal and lateral directions. The collector membrane has a first groove engaging surface a second groove engaging surface and a pair of tab members formed adjacent the opposite ends of the collector membrane. A pair of tab engaging slots are formed in the combination tongue guard and collector membrane holder for detachably engaging the tab members.</p> |
