Awe jaw mouth guard

Abstract

A dental guard has a first portion which is molded or shaped to conform to the teeth of either one of the upper or lower jaw, a second portion which is a resilient material having passages therethrough to permit passage of air, and a third portion adapted for contact with the other one of the upper or lower jaw. The dental guard provides enhanced TMJ stability, protects teeth, allows air flow for breathing, protects the airway from foreign objects, and allows compression in case of impact or necessity of swallowing.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mouth guard device for use in protecting teeth and jaws of a user, comprising:
 a first portion which is adapted to receive teeth of an upper jaw of the user,   a second portion which is a resilient material having passages therethrough to permit passage of air to facilitate breathing by the user during use, and   a third portion adapted to receive teeth of a lower jaw of the user.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said second portion is composed of closely packed hollow tubular members adapted to permit passage of air therethrough. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein said hollow tubular members have walls with a hexagonal shape. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the first portion and the third portion is reinforced by use of titanium wire. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the first portion and the third portion is reinforced by use of titanium wire, and at least one of the first portion and the third portion includes is internally tensioned. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said second portion has a honeycomb structure with hexagonal walls bounding air passages to permit flow of air. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said second portion comprises a thin curved member. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7 , where in said thin curved member has a curved shape having a longitudinal extend and a transverse extent which represents a height, and wherein said thin curved member includes opposed end portions and a mid-portion, wherein the mid-portion has a greater height than that of the opposed end portions. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said second portion comprises a wedge-shaped body formed of a plurality of tubular elements having hexagonal shaped wall portions respectively bounding central air passages to permit the passage of air.