Mouthpiece for athletic performance enhancement

Abstract

A bio-facilitation mouthpiece correlates a custom made mouthpiece with nervous system channeling to facilitate optimal physiologic activity. The mouthpiece may be a single, unitary part made from a flexible, resilient material, and the mouthpiece includes a base member, and a right and left flange member coupled to the base member. The base member is adapted to receive portions of a user's upper and lower teeth, and the base member includes an elongated right lateral engagement portion, an elongated left lateral engagement portion, and an arch-shaped forward portion disposed between the right and left lateral engagement portions. The base member additionally includes a skirt portion downwardly extending from the forward portion and the right and left lateral engagement portions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A bio-facilitation mouthpiece adapted to facilitate optimal neurological function, the bio-facilitation mouthpiece comprising:
 a base member adapted to receive portions of a user's upper and lower teeth, the base member comprising:
 an elongated right lateral engagement portion having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the right lateral engagement portion having a top portion and a bottom portion, the top portion including a plurality of surface impressions that correspond to the size and shape of a bottom portion of one or more of the user's upper right posterior teeth and the bottom portion including a plurality of surface impressions that correspond to the size and shape of a top portion of one or more of the user's lower right posterior teeth; 
 an elongated left lateral engagement portion having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the left lateral engagement portion having a top portion and a bottom portion, the top portion including a plurality of surface impressions that correspond to the size and shape of a bottom portion of one or more of the user's upper left posterior teeth and the bottom portion including a plurality of surface impressions that correspond to the size and shape of a top portion of one or more of the user's lower left posterior teeth; 
 an arch-shaped forward portion having a first end disposed adjacent to the first end of the right lateral engagement portion and a second end disposed adjacent to the first end of the left lateral engagement portion such that the forward portion, the right lateral engagement portion, and the left lateral engagement portion has a U-shape when viewed along a vertical axis, wherein the forward portion includes a top surface disposed adjacent to a top edge of one or more of the user's lower anterior teeth such that a vertical gap exists between the top surface and a bottom edge of each of the user's upper central incisors, with the vertical gap adapted to facilitate breathing and talking; and 
 a skirt portion downwardly extending from each of the forward portion, the right lateral engagement portion, and the left lateral engagement portion, the skirt portion having an inside surface and an outside surface, and the outside surface generally conforms in shape to an inside surface of a plurality of lower teeth of the user and an upper portion of the lower gum line of the user, 
 wherein the surface impressions of the top portion of each of the right lateral engagement portion and the left lateral engagement portion are vertically spaced from the surface impressions of the bottom portion of the right lateral engagement portion and the left lateral engagement portion by a distance of at least 3 mm to absorb an upward impact force on the user's mandible in a manner that prevents concussions; 
   a right flange member coupled to the base member adjacent to the right lateral engagement portion; and   a left flange member coupled to the base member adjacent to the left lateral engagement portion.   
     
     
         2 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 1 , wherein a forward edge of the forward portion is contoured to correspond to the shape of the interior surface of a user's lower posterior teeth. 
     
     
         3 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 1 , wherein the right flange member includes an upper flange portion and a lower flange portion, and the left flange member includes an upper flange portion and a lower flange portion. 
     
     
         4 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 3 , wherein the upper flange portion of the right flange member upwardly extends in a vertical direction from an outer edge of the right lateral engagement portion and the upper flange portion of the left flange member upwardly extends in a vertical direction from an outer edge of the left lateral engagement portion. 
     
     
         5 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 4 , wherein the upper flange portion of the right flange member has an upper edge extending along the gum line of the user's upper right posterior teeth and the upper flange portion of the left flange member has an upper edge extending along the gum line of the user' s upper left posterior teeth. 
     
     
         6 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 4 , wherein the upper flange portion of the right flange member has a forward edge that upwardly extends from a point adjacent to the first end of the right lateral engagement portion, and wherein the upper flange portion of the left flange member has a forward edge that upwardly extends from a point adjacent to the first end of the left lateral engagement portion. 
     
     
         7 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 6 , wherein the forward edge of the right flange member is disposed adjacent to the a rearmost portion of the user's right upper canine tooth or the frontmost portion of the user's right upper first premolar tooth, and wherein the forward edge of the left flange member is disposed adjacent to the a rearmost portion of the user's left upper canine tooth or the frontmost portion of the user's left upper first premolar tooth. 
     
     
         8 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 3 , wherein the upper flange portion of each of the right flange member and the left flange member has the shape of a contoured, rounded plate. 
     
     
         9 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 8 , wherein the upper flange portion of each of the right flange member and the left flange member has an inside surface and an outside surface, the inside surface including surface impressions that each correspond to a portion of an outer surface of a corresponding upper posterior tooth. 
     
     
         10 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 3 , wherein the lower flange portion of the right flange member downwardly extends in a vertical direction from an outer edge of the right lateral engagement portion and the lower flange portion of the left flange member downwardly extends in a vertical direction from an outer edge of the left lateral engagement portion. 
     
     
         11 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 3 , wherein the lower flange portion of each of the right flange member and the left flange member has a bottom edge that extends along the gum line of the user's lower posterior teeth. 
     
     
         12 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 10 , wherein an inside surface of the lower flange portion of the right flange member cooperates with the bottom portion of the right lateral engagement portion and the outside surface of the skirt to form a channel adapted to receive one or more of the user's lower right posterior teeth, and wherein an inside surface of the lower flange portion of the left flange member cooperates with the bottom portion of the left lateral engagement portion and the outside surface of the skirt to form a channel adapted to receive one or more of the user's lower left posterior teeth. 
     
     
         13 . The bio-facilitation mouthpiece of  claim 1 , further comprising a separate upper component configured to be received on a user's upper teeth.