604709 Disclosed is a contoured drinking mouthpiece (10) comprising a resilient body. Fluid flows through the body from a rear opening (19) to a front opening (18). The body has a contoured longitudinal upper profile (14) for lying against the palate of the mouth and a contoured longitudinal lower profile for lying against the tongue. A forward end of the mouthpiece near the front opening has a cross-sectional profile (16) that tapers to two opposing sides of the mouthpiece. The lower profile has a bulging area (20) that provides a reference point against which the tongue can lie. The contoured shape of the body, including the bulging area, enables the user to create an effective seal around the mouthpiece and minimises the upward force exerted by the tongue to maintain the mouthpiece in a sealed position, thereby freeing the tongue to move in a peristaltic sucking cycle to draw in fluids and swallow.
