It has long been the orthodontic practice to attach the orthodontic appliance to the labial side of the patient's teeth. However, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,107,844 and 4,386,908 which issued to the present inventor, describe orthodontic appliances which are attached to the lingual side of the patient's teeth to be hidden from view.
The orthodontic appliances in either instance can be a source of irritation and trauma to the patient, either to the lips and cheeks in the case of the labial appliance, or to the tongue in the case of the lingual appliance.
The purpose and objective of the present invention is to provide a plastic shield which may be fitted over the attachments, ligatures and arch wires of the aforesaid appliances to present a smooth outer surface and obviate irritation to the tongue in the case of the lingual appliances, and to obviate irritation to the inner tissue of the cheeks and lips in the case of the labial appliances.
In general, the principal objective of the present invention is to provide an orthodontic shield which serves to protect the labial or lingual oral tissue from irritation from a labial or lingual orthodontic appliance, when such an appliance has been fitted onto the teeth of a patient.