Granted Patent B2

US 12,636,123 · App. 18/983,258 · Granted May 26, 2026

Inventors: Thien Nguyen (Santa Ana, CA); Tam Thanh Pham (San Francisco, CA); Ethan Nguyen (Santa Ana, CA); Lauren Nguyen (Santa Ana, CA)

Assignee: Solmetex, LLC

A61C5/90A61B1/24A61C7/08A61C17/08

Abstract

Claims (52)

1 . A mouthpiece comprising:

a main body portion including a first end and second end, the main body portion comprising:

a first wall that includes two edges between the first end and the second end,

a second wall spaced away from the first wall, the first wall and the second wall define an interior space between the first wall and the second wall, and

a neck portion that extends from the second end of the main body portion, a width of the neck portion is less than a width of the main body portion at the first end;

a suction connector portion extending from the first end of the main body portion, wherein the suction connector portion includes an evacuation conduit opening into the interior space of the main body portion;

a cheek retractor portion connected to the neck portion, a width of the cheek retractor portion is greater than a width of the neck portion; and

a connector wall extending from cheek retractor portion, through the neck portion, and into the main body portion, the connector wall connects the first wall to the second wall within the interior space of the main body portion and is aligned along a longitudinal axis of the main body portion,

wherein the first wall is configured at the two edges to have a ridged configuration with alternating crests and troughs, the crests extending partially across a distance between the first wall and the second wall, the ridged configuration of the two edges of the first wall being unconnected to the second wall such that the first wall can be pulled away from the second wall, the alternating crests and troughs of the ridged configuration allow for suctioning of fluids from a patient's mouth at the two edges and into the interior space between the first and second walls.

2 . The mouthpiece of claim 1 , further including a plurality of perforations that open into the interior space, the plurality of perforations being located in the first wall along the two edges and in the neck portion.

3 . The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the alternating crests and troughs of the ridged configuration includes at least one flat crest.

4 . The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the alternating crests and troughs of the ridged configuration includes at least one semi-circular trough.

5 . The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the connector wall is a solid wall.

6 . The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the connector wall extends along only a portion of the interior space of the main body portion.

7 . The mouthpiece of claim 1 , further comprising a bridge structure that includes one or more protrusions protruding from an interior surface of one of the first wall or the second wall within the interior space, the connector wall terminating with the interior space at a location adjacent to the bridge structure.

8 . The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the suction connector portion includes an oval-shaped tube structure, the suction connector portion further comprises a bite block located on an outside surface of and partially surrounding the oval-shaped tube structure adjacent to the first end of the main body portion.

9 . The mouthpiece of claim 8 , wherein the suction connector portion further comprises a cutout in the outside surface in a shape corresponding to a shape of a protrusion of a vacuum adapter, the cutout configured to interlock with the protrusion of the vacuum adapter, the cutout being located adjacent to the bite block.

10 . The mouthpiece of claim 8 , wherein the first wall and the second wall of the main body portion are connected to the bite block.

11 . The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the ridged configuration of the first wall is defined by an intervening wall extending from the first wall toward the second wall.

12 . The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the first wall has a shape defined by the two edges that is different from a shape of the second wall.

13 . The mouthpiece of claim 1 , wherein the mouthpiece is formed of a material that includes silicone and is translucent.

14 . A mouthpiece comprising:

a main body portion including a first end and second end, the main body portion comprising:

a first wall that includes two edges between the first end and the second end,

a second wall spaced away from the first wall, the first wall and the second wall define an interior space between the first wall and the second wall, and

a neck portion that extends from the second end of the main body portion;

a suction connector portion extending from the first end of the main body portion, wherein the suction connector portion includes a tube-shaped structure that defines an evacuation conduit opening into the interior space of the main body portion, the suction connector portion further comprising a bite block located on an outside surface of and partially surrounding the tube-shaped structure adjacent to the first end of the main body portion, wherein the first wall and the second wall of the main body portion are connected to the bite block, and wherein the suction connector portion further comprises a cutout in the outside surface that is configured to interlock with a protrusion of a vacuum adapter, the cutout being adjacent to the bite block on the outside surface; and

a cheek retractor portion connected to the neck portion, a width of the cheek retractor portion is greater than a width of the neck portion,

wherein the first wall is configured at the two edges to have a ridged configuration with alternating crests and troughs, the crests extending partially across a distance between the first wall and the second wall and including flat crests, the troughs including curved-shaped troughs, the ridged configuration of the two edges of the first wall being unconnected to the second wall such that the first wall can be pulled away from the second wall, the alternating crests and troughs of the ridged configuration allow for suctioning of fluids from a patient's mouth at the two edges through the troughs and into the interior space between the first wall and the second wall.

15 . The mouthpiece of claim 14 , wherein the curved-shaped troughs include at least one semi-circular trough.

16 . The mouthpiece of claim 14 , further including a plurality of perforations that open into the interior space, the plurality of perforations being located in the first wall along the two edges and in the neck portion.

17 . The mouthpiece of claim 16 , wherein there are at least five of the plurality of perforations located in the first wall along the two edges.

18 . The mouthpiece of claim 14 , further including a connector wall extending from the cheek retractor portion, through the neck portion, and into the main body portion, the connector wall connects the first wall to the second wall within the interior space of the main body portion and is aligned along a longitudinal axis of the main body portion.

19 . The mouthpiece of claim 18 , wherein the connector wall is a solid wall.

20 . The mouthpiece of claim 14 , wherein a proximal end of the tube-shaped structure of the suction connector portion merges into the second wall of the main body portion at a location between the first end and the second end of the main body.

21 . A mouthpiece comprising:

a main body portion including a longitudinal axis, a first end, and a second end, the main body portion comprising:

a first wall having a defined shape that extends from the first end to the second end,

a second wall that opposes the first wall and that includes two edges extending between the first end and the second end, the second wall spaced from the first wall so as to define an interior space therebetween, wherein the two edges have a ridged configuration with a plurality of alternating crests and troughs that are unconnected to the first wall such that the two edges of the second wall can be pulled away from the first wall, and wherein the plurality of troughs of the ridged configuration includes troughs that extend different lengths inward toward the longitudinal axis of the main body portion, and

a neck portion that extends from the second end of the main body portion;

a suction connector portion extending from the first end of the main body portion, wherein the suction connector portion includes an evacuation conduit opening into the interior space of the main body portion;

a cheek retractor portion connected to the neck portion, a width of the cheek retractor portion is greater than a width of the neck portion; and

a connector wall extending from cheek retractor portion, through the neck portion, and into the main body portion, the connector wall connects the first wall to the second wall within the interior space of the main body portion and is aligned along a longitudinal axis of the main body portion.

22 . The mouthpiece of claim 21 , wherein a first one of the troughs of the ridged configuration at the first end extends a first length from the edge of the second wall toward the longitudinal axis and a second one of the troughs at the second end extends a second length from the edge of the second wall at the second end toward the longitudinal axis.

23 . The mouthpiece of claim 22 , wherein the different lengths of the troughs increase from the first end to the second end.

24 . The mouthpiece of claim 21 , wherein the crests of the ridged configuration include flat crests.

25 . The mouthpiece of claim 24 , wherein the troughs of the ridged configuration define curved openings between the flat crests.

26 . The mouthpiece of claim 25 , wherein the curved openings of the troughs include openings of different sizes.

27 . The mouthpiece of claim 21 , wherein the first wall includes a smooth edge.

28 . The mouthpiece of claim 21 , wherein a proximal end of the suction connector portion merges into the second wall of the main body portion at a location between the first end and the second end of the main body.

29 . The mouthpiece of claim 21 , wherein the suction connector portion further comprising a bite block located on an outside surface of and partially surrounding an oval-shaped tube structure of the suction connector portion adjacent to the first end of the main body portion, wherein the first wall and the second wall of the main body portion are connected to the bite block.

30 . The mouthpiece of claim 21 , wherein the first wall and the second wall in the neck portion includes a plurality of perforations.

Assignments (3)

Continuity (4)

References Cited (400)