Expanding orthopedic pacifier
An orthopedic pacifier defining a shield adapted to remain outside of the mouth, a bulb adapted to be located in the mouth and on which the child sucks. The bulb is adapted to expand or move upward and outward as the child sucks on it, to counteract inward pressure of the cheeks and the lateral portion of the lips caused by the suction or sucking action.
1. An orthopedic pacifier that creates upward and outward forces on the maxillary palate laterally on each side of the arch midline as the child sucks on the pacifier, the pacifier comprising:
a shield adapted to remain outside of the mouth;
a bulb adapted to be located in the mouth and on which the child sucks, the bulb defining a base portion that is coupled to the shield, and a closed hollow flexible posterior bulbous portion defining a bulb wall upper section to be located proximate the palate; and
structures located at least partially inside the bulbous portion that as the result of a sucking action produce a force directly on the inside of the bulb wall upper section in at least two separate locations of the bulb wall upper section, one on each side of the arch midline, to push the bulb wall upper section against the palate and thereby create upward and outward forces on the maxillary palate laterally on each side of the arch midline as the child sucks on the pacifier, in which the structures comprise elongated pivoting members that are in contact with the inside of the bulb wall at the at least two separate locations.
2. The orthopedic pacifier of claim 1 in which the pivoting members comprise pivoting arms that define distal arm ends that are in contact with the inside of the bulb wall.
3. The orthopedic pacifier of claim 2 in which the structures further comprise a movable push rod to which the pivoting arms are pivotably coupled, wherein the push rod moves posteriorly within the bulbous portion during a sucking action, causing the distal ends of the pivoting arms to pivot outward and thus produce the outwardly-directed force on the inside of the bulb wall.
4. The orthopedic pacifier of claim 3 in which the structures further comprise a diaphragm that is located outside of the mouth and to which the push rod is coupled, and in which the push rod is driven posteriorly at least in part by the diaphragm.
5. The orthopedic pacifier of claim 4 in which the diaphragm is moved posteriorly at least in part by the pressure caused by the child's sucking action.
6. The orthopedic pacifier of claim 5 in which the bulb defines interior ribs to which the distal ends of the pivoting arms are pivotably coupled.
7. The orthopedic pacifier of claim 2 in which the structures further comprise a push lever that is moved by the tongue in an upward and anterior direction during a sucking action, in which the pivoting arms are pivotably coupled to the push lever such that when the push lever is moved by the tongue the distal ends of the pivoting arms pivot outward and thus produce the outwardly-directed force on the bulb wall.