Oral motion preservation device

Abstract

A device for the treatment of bruxism may include an articulation plate worn on one of the upper or lower jaw and coupled to a bite plate worn on the other of the upper or lower jaw. Posts extending from one of the bite plate or articulation plate into housings in the other of the bite plate or articulation plate may couple the bite plate and articulation plate. The posts may include a solid, flexible material to allow for relative movement of the coupled bite plate and articulation plate. First articulating components on one of the bite plate or articulation plate may engage second articulating components on the other of the bite plate or articulation plate to allow for 360 degree articulating motion between the bite plate and articulation plate. A damper may adjust a distance between teeth received in the bite plate and teeth received in the articulation plate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An oral device, comprising:
 a first plate;   a second plate;   a coupling device configured to couple the first plate and the second plate, the coupling device including at least one post having a first end portion coupled to the first plate and a second end portion coupled to the second plate, wherein the at least one post has a solid cross section, with a longitudinal length of the at least one solid post extending substantially linearly between the first plate and the second plate; and   an articulating coupler configured to allow for articulation between the first plate and the second plate coupled by the coupling device.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the solid cross section of the at least one post extends continuously, in a transverse direction across the at least one post, from a first peripheral edge portion to a second peripheral edge portion of the at least one post. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one post includes:
 a first post having a solid cross section, the first post having a first end portion fixedly coupled to the first plate, and a second end portion fixedly coupled to a first housing defined as by a first recess in the second plate; and   a second post having a solid cross section, the second post having a first end portion fixedly coupled to the first plate or the second plate, and a second end portion fixedly coupled to a second housing defined by a second recess in the second plate.   
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein
 a cross sectional shape of the solid cross section of the first post corresponds to a cross sectional shape of the first housing,   a cross sectional shape of the solid cross section of the second post corresponds to a cross sectional shape of the second housing, and   the first post and the second post are each made of a flexible material so as to allow for six degree of freedom movement between the first and second plates within a range of motion of the first post and the second post.   
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the articulating coupler includes:
 a plurality of first articulating components included on one of the first plate or the second plate, each of the first articulating components including a protrusion having a substantially semispherical shape extending outward from a mating surface of the first plate toward a mating surface of the second plate in the coupled state of the first and second plates; and   a plurality of second articulating components included on the other of the first plate or the second plate, each of the second articulating components including a receiving surface having a concave curved contour so as to interact with the semispherical shape of the first articulating component so as to respectively engage with the plurality of first articulating components and guide a relative motion of the first and second plates.   
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising an articulating damper included in one of the first plate or the second plate, wherein the articulating damper includes:
 a cam provided in an anterior portion of the one of the first plate or the second plate; and   a riser operably coupled to the cam,   wherein the riser is configured to impart a separating force on one of the first plate or the second plate in response to an external actuation force applied to the cam, the separating force adjusting a distance between at least one tooth received in the one of the first plate or the second plate and at least one tooth received in the other of the first plate or the second plate.   
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the riser is configured to extend out through an opening in the one of the first plate or the second plate in response to the external actuation force to impart the separating force on the other of the first plate or the second plate. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the riser is configured to contact an interior lining of the one of the first plate or the second plate and impart the separating force on the interior lining of the first plate or the second plate in response to the external actuation force. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a locking wafer selectively positioned between mating surfaces of the first plate and the second plate to set a prescribed distance between the mating surfaces of the first plate and the second plate, the locking wafer including:
 a wafer body; and   at least one channel extending longitudinally along the wafer body, at a position corresponding to the at least one post such that the at least one post is slidably received in the at least one channel.   
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of locking pins that extend through the first plate and into the second plate at a corresponding plurality of different positions to fix the first plate and the second plate in a selected position, the selected position including at least one of a fixed lateral position of the first plate relative to the second plate, a fixed transverse position of the first plate relative to the second plate, or a fixed vertical position of the first plate relative to the second plate to fix a vertical separation distance between the first plate and the second plate. 
     
     
         11 . An oral device, comprising:
 a first plate configured to be positioned on one of an upper jaw or a lower jaw;   a second plate configured to be positioned on the other of the upper jaw or the lower jaw;   a coupling device configured to movably couple the first plate and the second plate;   an articulating coupler configured to guide relative movement between the first plate and the second plate coupled by the coupling device; and   an articulating damper included in the first plate, wherein the articulating damper includes:
 a cam provided in an anterior portion of the first plate; and 
 a riser operably coupled to the cam, 
   wherein the riser is configured to impart a separating force on one of the first plate or the second plate in response to an external actuation force applied to the cam, the separating force adjusting a distance between at least one tooth received in the first plate and at least one tooth received in the second plate.   
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the riser is configured to selectively extend through an opening in the first plate and contact a mating surface of the second plate so as to adjust a separation distance between respective mating surfaces of the first plate and the second plate and adjust the distance between the at least one tooth received in the first plate and the at least one tooth received in the second plate. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the riser is configured to selectively contact an interior lining of the first plate to adjust a distance between the at least one tooth received in the first plate and a mating surface of the first plate, so as to adjust the distance between the at least one tooth received in the first plate and the at least one tooth received in the second plate. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the riser is configured to move in a first direction to increase the distance between at least one tooth received in the first plate and the at least one tooth received in the second plate when the external actuation force is applied to the cam in a first direction, and the riser is configured to move in a second direction to decrease the distance between the at least one tooth received in the first plate and at least one tooth received in the second when the external actuation force is applied to the cam in a second direction, the second direction being opposite the first direction. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the coupling device includes a plurality of posts, each of the plurality of posts including:
 a first end portion coupled to the first plate; and   a second end portion coupled to the second plate,   wherein each of the plurality of posts is defined by a solid protrusion made of a flexible material and having a solid cross section, each of the plurality of posts extending linearly between the first plate and the second plate, and   wherein the plurality of posts are configured to allow for six degree of freedom movement between the first plate and the second plate within a range of motion of the plurality of posts.   
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the articulating coupler includes:
 a plurality of first articulating components included on one of the first plate or the second plate, each of the first articulating components including a protrusion having a convex contour extending outward from a mating surface of the first plate toward a mating surface of the second plate; and   a plurality of second articulating components included on the other of the first plate or the second plate, each of the second articulating components including a concave receiving surface configured to engage the convex contour of a corresponding first articulating component so as to guide relative movement of the first and second plates.   
     
     
         17 . An oral device, comprising:
 a first plate configured to be positioned on one of an upper jaw or a lower jaw;   a second plate configured to be positioned on the other of the upper jaw or the lower jaw;   a coupling device including at least one post extending between the first plate and the second plate and configured to movably couple the first plate and the second plate;   an articulating coupler coupled to the first plate and the second plate and configured to guide relative movement between the first plate and the second plate coupled by the coupling device; and   a locking wafer selectively positioned between a mating surface of the first plate and a mating surface of the second plate, the locking wafer including:
 a wafer body; and 
 at least one channel extending longitudinally along the wafer body, at a position corresponding to the at least one post such that the at least one post is slidably received in the at least one channel. 
   
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein the first plate has a U-shaped contour and the second plate has a U-shaped contour corresponding to the contour of the first plate, and
 wherein the at least one post includes a plurality of posts positioned at varying intervals along the U-shaped contour of the first plate and the U-shaped contour of the second plate, and   wherein the at least one channel includes a plurality of channels defined in the wafer body, at positions corresponding to the plurality of posts.   
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the wafer body has a U-shaped contour corresponding to the U-shaped contour of the first plate and the U-shaped contour of the second plate, and
 wherein the plurality of posts includes at least one first post arranged on respective first lateral sections of the first plate and the second plate, and at least one second post arranged on respective second lateral sections of the first plate and the second plate, and   wherein the plurality of channels includes:
 a first channel defined in a first lateral section of the wafer and configured to slidably receive the at least one first post; and 
 a second channel defined in a second lateral section of the wafer and configured to slidably receive the at least one second post.