US-20260124497-A1 - THERAPEUTIC DEVICE

US20260124497A1US 20260124497 A1US20260124497 A1US 20260124497A1US-20260124497-A1

Abstract

A therapeutic device may include an upper section and a lower section. The upper section may include a hyperboloid having a top end and a bottom end. The lower section may have a tubular configuration and the lower section may be connected to the bottom end of the hyperboloid. The tubular lower section may extend longitudinally from the upper section. A first aperture may may be disposed in the upper section and/or the tubular lower section. A measurement scale may be included on the tubular lower section. One or more textured sections may be disposed on the tubular lower section.

Inventors

Cynthia Peterson

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251031

Claims (20)

1 . A therapeutic device, comprising: an upper section including a hyperboloid having a top end and a bottom end; a tubular lower section connected to the bottom end of the hyperboloid, the tubular lower section extending longitudinally from the upper section; and a first aperture at least partially disposed in the upper section and/or the tubular lower section.
2 . The therapeutic device of claim 1 , wherein the tubular lower section includes one or more textured sections.
3 . The therapeutic device of claim 1 , wherein the tubular lower section includes a measurement scale.
4 . The therapeutic device of claim 2 , wherein the one or more textured sections include at least one of: bristles, a cuboid, a parallelepiped, or a bump.
5 . The therapeutic device of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the one or more textured sections include projections and the projections form at least a portion of a shaped channel.
6 . The therapeutic device of claim 1 , wherein the hyperboloid includes a second aperture at least partially defined by an inner portion of the hyperboloid.
7 . The therapeutic device of claim 6 , wherein the second aperture is in communication with the first aperture.
8 . The therapeutic device of claim 6 , wherein the inner portion of the hyperboloid includes ridges.
9 . The therapeutic device of claim 1 , further comprising a second aperture extending through a width of the bottom end of the hyperboloid.
10 . The therapeutic device of claim 9 , further comprising a strap extending through the second aperture.
11 . The therapeutic device of claim 1 , wherein the upper section includes one or more textured sections.
12 . The therapeutic device of claim 1 , wherein the tubular lower section is at least about inches in length.
13 . The therapeutic device of claim 1 , wherein the upper section and the tubular lower section are made from a material with a hardness greater than or equal to about 30 on a Shore A scale.
14 . A method of therapy comprising: providing a therapeutic device, wherein the therapeutic device includes: an upper section including a hyperboloid, the hyperboloid having a top end and a bottom end; and a tubular lower section connected to the bottom end of the hyperboloid, the tubular lower section extending longitudinally from the upper section; and determining, with the therapeutic device, at least one of a cranial, cervical, or orofacial characteristic.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one of the cranial, cervical, or orofacial characteristic includes at least one of: facial height, facial width, facial height-ratios, maxillary and/or mandibular width, depth, and/or height, maxillary tilt/cant, maxillary arch width, overbite, overjet, tongue length, tongue width, tongue height, lower anterior facial height, molar-vertical distance, inter-labial gap, philtrum length, hyoid-to-mentum distance, indicator line, vertical opening, canine-to-canine, molar-to-incisor, incisor-to-incisor, incisor show, open bite, intermolar distance, intercanine distances, retrusion, interpupillary distance, lateral protrusion, jaw protrusion, jaw retrusion, tongue range of motion, a nasal measurement, an oral measurement, an ocular measurement, anterior arch length, palatal depth, or palatal length..
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the determination of the cranial, cervical, or orofacial characteristic is made using a measurement scale on the tubular lower section.
17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising: performing an oral facial exercise with the therapeutic device.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the oral facial exercise includes inserting at least a portion of a tongue into an aperture in the top end of the hyperboloid.
19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the oral facial exercise includes biting down on at least a portion of the hyperboloid or the tubular lower section; wherein at least one bottom molar, bottom bicuspid, bottom cuspid, or bottom incisor contacts one side of the hyperboloid or the tubular lower section; and wherein at least one top molar, top bicuspid, top cuspid, or top incisor contacts an opposite side of the hyperboloid or the tubular lower section.
20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the oral facial exercise includes moving at least one of the hyperboloid or the lower tubular section within a mouth of an individual.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This patent application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/715,469, entitled THERAPEUTIC AND MEASUREMENT TOOL FOR CRANIOFACIAL AND MANDIBULAR DEVELOPMENT, filed Nov. 1, 2024, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to a therapeutic device. BACKGROUND Chronic mouth breathing during active cranial, cervical, and/or orofacial development of a child may result in anatomical, functional, physiological, and/or neuroplastic changes directly affecting the airway. Lack of use of the nasal airway may lead to an underdeveloped airway neuroplasticity and underdeveloped supporting structures. For example, mouth breathing may cause dysfunctional growth and development, cranial, cervical, and/or orofacial abnormalities including nasal disuse, malocclusions, underdeveloped jaws, and an elongated facial profile. The anatomical and/or neuroplastic changes caused by mouth breathing may result in greater airway instability and collapsibility that may lead to problems later in life such as sleep-disorder breathing, upper-airway resistance, under-ventilation of the nose, deviation of the septum, hypoxia, chronic dry mouth, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, and/or poor airway and skeletal development. Mouth breathing may also adversely impact behavioral health, mental health, metabolic health, cardiovascular health, oral systemic health, digestive health, respiratory health, and/or neuromuscular health. Establishing nasal-breathing at an early age may be beneficial for growth and development, particularly because, by six years of age, over half of the adult facial features are typically developed, and restoring nasal-breathing in adults may be difficult due to nasal disuse. Influencing nasal-breathing in children and adults may be performed by developing good breathing habits like closing the mouth, sealing the lips, and/or elevating the tongue. These practices may help influence neuroplasticity and/or reshape cranial, cervical, and/or orofacial features in children and adults. Techniques for developing these practices may include performing oral facial exercises, which may be used to promote proper cranial, cervical, and/or orofacial growth and development, influence proper breathing practices, and to correct jaw alignment or muscle imbalances. Conventional techniques often use small tools and these tools may be a choking hazard for children. Additionally, known tools may be difficult to use and burdensome to treat some patients, such as those with TMJ disorder. Moreover, the exercises that may be performed with conventional tools may be limited based on the size, shape, and/or configuration of the tools. Cranial, cervical, and/or orofacial development may be monitored in a variety of ways, including measuring cranial-orofacial features. These measurements may be performed by utilizing rulers, goniometers, and/or Boley gauges. However, these instruments typically are not designed for use in the mouth and may have sharp corners or parts that are uncomfortable and may even injure the user. Furthermore, some of the instruments may be difficult to employ with young children. In addition, measurements may not be performed simultaneously with oral facial and/or other therapeutic exercises. The subject matter claimed is not necessarily limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one example technology area where some embodiments described in the present disclosure may be practiced. SUMMARY This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential characteristics of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Mouth breathing may have adverse impacts in many different health areas. Thus, developing nasal-breathing may have profound health benefits. Current tools to develop nasal-breathing are often limited in the scope and may allow only a limited number of oral facial and/or other therapeutic exercises to be performed. Additionally, current tools are not designed to measure cranial-orofacial features, not designed for intraoral use, and/or not safe for intraoral use. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved therapeutic device for cranial, cervical, and/or orofacial therapy that may be safe for children, that may be capable of performing a broader range of oral facial and/or other therapeutic exercises, and/or that may allow for cranial, cervical, and/or orofacial feature measurement during assessment and/or treatment such as in conjunction with oral facial exercises and/or other therapeutic exercises. Exemplary embodiments of the therape