CLAIMS
 

1) A dental device for isolating a portion of a patient's mandibular arch, comprising:

a prop stem having an elongated body with a top section at one end and a bottom section at another end, said prop stem being dimensioned to span the opening of the patient's mouth;

an upper maxillary support having a generally U-shaped body secured to the top section of said prop stem, the generally U-shaped body being releasably securable to the maxillary arch of the patient's mouth;

a buccal member having a pliable elongated body depending angularly downwardly from the bottom section of said prop stem and generally curved so as to follow an outer contour of said portion of the mandibular arch of the patient's mouth, said buccal member being adapted to displace the patient's cheek a distance from the mandibular arch of the patient; and

a lingual member having a pliable plate-like body extending angularly downwardly from the bottom section of said prop stem and generally curved to follow along an inner contour of said portion of the mandibular arch of the patient away from said buccal member, said lingual member being configured to corral a side of the patient's tongue and to deflect laterally said side of the patient's tongue a distance from an adjacent surface of the mandibular arch, said lingual member having a neck portion at a region where said lingual member extends from the bottom section of said prop stem, said neck portion being shaped to rest on the mandibular arch of the patient's mouth.

2) The dental device of claim 1, wherein said distal end of at least one of said buccal member and said lingual member has a projecting portion shaped for releasable attachment with a device for aspirating fluids from the patient's mouth.

3) The dental device of claim 2, further comprising an aspirating device disposed adjacent at least one of said buccal member and said lingual member, said aspirating device including releasable attaching means for releasably attaching said aspirating device to said projecting portion.

4) The dental device of claim 3, wherein said aspirating device includes a suction tube having a side wall defining a conduit therethrough and a plurality of apertures in said side wall in communication with said conduit.

5) The dental device of claim 4, wherein said releasable attaching means includes a ring connected to a distal end of said suction tube, said ring having an opening sized for receiving said projecting portion.

6) The dental device of claim 1, further comprising a resilient layer disposed on an outer surface of at least one of said buccal member and said lingual member.

7) The dental device of claim 1, further comprising movable adjusting means for securing said upper maxillary support to the top section of said prop stem for movement relative thereto for adjusting an axial distance between said upper maxillary support and said top section.

8) The dental device of claim 7, wherein said movable adjusting means includes a threaded stud extending from one of said top section of said prop stem and said upper maxillary support and a mating internally threaded sleeve extending from the other of said top section and said upper maxillary support such that said prop stem and said upper maxillary support are in threaded engagement, whereby relative rotation of said upper maxillary support and said prop stem adjusts the axial distance therebetween.

9) The dental device of 7, wherein said movable adjusting means includes a threaded stud extending from said top section of said prop stem and a mating internally threaded sleeve extending from said upper maxillary support such that said prop stem and said upper maxillary support are in threaded engagement, and further comprising means for rotatively coupling said upper maxillary support to said threaded sleeve, whereby relative rotation of said threaded sleeve and said threaded stud adjusts the axial distance between said upper maxillary support and said prop stem without relative rotation therebetween.

10) The dental device of claim 7, wherein said upper maxillary support comprises a U-shaped member for supporting the patient's maxillary arch.

11) The dental device of claim 1 , wherein said prop stem comprises a first sidewall defining a first conduit therethrough and a first aperture in said first sidewall in communication with said first conduit, and wherein said buccal member comprises a second sidewall defining a second conduit therethrough and a second aperture in said second sidewall in communication with said second conduit, said first and second conduits being in fluid communication such that fluids may be channeled through a fluid circuit comprising said first and second conduits and said first and second apertures.

12) The dental device of claim 1, wherein said prop stem comprises a first sidewall defining a first conduit therethrough and a first aperture in said first sidewall in communication with said first conduit, and wherein said lingual member comprises a second sidewall defining a second conduit therethrough and a second aperture in said second sidewall in communication with said second conduit, said first and second conduits being in fluid communication such that fluids may be channeled through a fluid circuit comprising said first and second conduits and said first and second apertures.

13) The dental device of claim 12, wherein said lingual member comprises a third sidewall defining a third conduit therethrough and a third aperture in said third sidewall in communication with said third conduit, said first conduit being in fluid communication with said third conduit such that fluids may be channeled through another fluid circuit comprising said first and third conduits and said first and third apertures.