Thermosensitive Mouth Shield

US 12,357,900, assigned to G'burg Sports LLC, covers to an athletic mouth shield designed to prevent or reduce these injuries by providing a superior ability to absorbing impact than the typical over-the-counter, "boil-and -bite" mouth shields currently available in most stores and on-line, and is available for sale or license through IPApproach.

US Patents

1 granted

Assignee

G'burg Sports LLC

Availability

For Sale or License

Patents Included

• US 12,357,900↗

Technology Highlights

• The invention relates to safeguarding teeth and adjacent oral structures by providing an improved mechanism for absorbing impact energy during activities that cause head, dental, or mandibular trauma. By dissipating force, it is also helping reduce the likelihood and severity of concussions resulting from head impacts.
• The invention is configured to more efficiently absorb impact energy and subsequently return to its original shape. It is capable of managing higher force levels while maintaining a thinner profile than conventional mouthguards. Furthermore, many boil-and-bite guards fit poorly and are difficult to mold accurately to the dentition, whereas another aspect of the enhances fitting and forming characteristics to approximate those of a custom, dentist-fabricated guard.
• The invention incorporates LCR Hallcrest Thermobatch as a thermos-chromic additive. The outer layer transitions from an opaque coloration to a more transparent state, producing a visible color change and allowing the color of the underlying inner layer to be seen through it.
• The invention monitors and indicates the user's oral temperature to detect conditions associated with heat stress or elevated body temperature.
• The invention utilizes a digital thermometer to collect temperature data from individuals of different ages and genders at three intraoral locations, under the upper lip above the maxillary incisors, in the buccal vestibule adjacent to the molars, and at the standard sublingual site under the tongue. The measurements show that temperatures at the non-sublingual sites differ from the under tongue readings by approximately 2 °F.
• The invention employs an outer layer that is a solid, opaque color (for example, black) at lower temperatures. When the user's intraoral temperature reaches a predetermined threshold, this outer layer undergoes a color change and becomes sufficiently altered to reveal the color of the inner layer, thereby providing a visual warning to coaches, trainers, and players of potential heat-related injury.
• The invention employs a two-component polyurethane material (Elastopan) as a shock-absorbing foam. The insert layer has a thickness between 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm, preferably about 4 mm, and is formulated to be softer than both the outer and inner layers in order to enhance its impact-attenuating properties.
• The invention provides sufficient material thickness to allow for an accurate, deep dental impression. The minimum thickness of this layer prior to fitting to a user's dentition is 3.3 mm.
• The invention incorporates a thermo-indicator that alerts the athlete, coach, or trainer when the athlete's oral temperature rises above normal, providing a potential early indicator of heat stress.
• The invention demonstrates superior performance to all comparative examples at every tested drop height. The percentage differences in peak force at each impact condition were calculated for the competitor mouthguards relative to the test sample MR2.
• The invention includes a U shaped body corresponding to a user's maxillary dental arch and is configured to be fitted to the upper teeth using either a boil and bite technique or a catalyst-base impression system.

Overview

The technology disclosed provides the following advantages:

Listing updated August 21, 2026

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