A61F2005/563

Intelligent fitness and sports mouthguard

Various examples are provided for intelligent mouthguards that can be used in fitness and sport activities. In one example, an intelligent mouthguard system includes a mouthguard including sensors and an internal module in communication with the sensors. The sensors can include a nine-axis inertial sensor comprising a three-axis magnetometer, a three-axis accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope. The three-axis magnetometer can provide a reference plane in relation to the earth's magnetic field for the three-axis accelerometer and the three-axis gyroscope. The internal module can provide sensor data to an external processing unit when located in an oral cavity.

Method and oral appliance for improving air intake and reducing bruxism

Provided is a soft flexible oral appliance having protuberances that mimic naturally occurring dental Tori. An upper, palatial appliance and a lower, mandibular appliance may be used in conjunction or separately to alleviate a variety of disorders, improve facial tone, and increase physical performance. The appliances are lightweight, thin, and do not prohibit normal speech patterns when in use Small protuberances are strategically molded along key surfaces of each appliance to stimulate nerves in the tongue and affect forward protrusion. Forward positioning of the tongue dilates the airways of the throat improving breathing while the use is sleeping, playing sports, or talking. It also reduces bruxing or grinding of the teeth. A method is further provided, for adding protuberances to other types of oral appliances, thereby conferring some of the benefits listed above on appliances originally intended for other dental uses.

Computerized Sensor System and Mouthguard Device
20210259627 · 2021-08-26 · ·

Disclosed herein are system, method and/or device embodiments for using a wireless mouthguard with pressure sensors for measuring bite compression forces generated by a bruxism patient during sleep. A system comprises a mouthguard and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) coupled to a portion of the mouthguard covering an axial plane of a tooth. The MEMS comprises an antenna, a capacitive sensor, a microcontroller, and a power supply. The sensor generates sensor signals corresponding to a force generated by a mouthguard wearer's bite. The MEMS may then transmit data describing the wearer's bite force over a period of time to an external computing device for display and analysis.

CUSTOM-FORMABLE NIGHT GRINDING APPLIANCE AND METHOD OF USE
20210236325 · 2021-08-05 ·

Disclosed is a dental appliance composed of a thermo-plastic polymer with low compressibility, high toughness, and high tensile strength, with a low softening point. The appliance has perforations that enable it to be easily custom-fitted by the user or a health professional. The appliance begins as an unformed dental tray that is significantly thinner than existing dental appliances. Once fitted, the dental appliance provides superior protection against damage to the enamel of the teeth and abrasion of the teeth due to bruxism or other mechanism leading to biomechanical wear of dental surfaces. The perforations facilitate the custom-fitting process by allowing the user to suck air through the perforations, thus applying a negative pressure between the material and the teeth while the material is still soft and pliable. This enables a user or health professional to within minutes create a final product that rivals the quality and fit of an appliance made by dental laboratories using dentist made impressions.

System and Method for Producing Dental Solutions Incorporating a Guidance Package
20210245444 · 2021-08-12 ·

A method of producing a retention piece having a guidance package configured to provide a desired movement profile including: obtaining data descriptive of mandibular and maxillary arches, an index position of the mandibular arch at a maximum closure position, and a temporomandibular joint of a recipient; specifying an appropriate guidance package based on the desired movement profile; positioning a retention piece comprising at least a portion of the specified guidance package about virtual representations of at least one of the mandibular and maxillary arches within a virtual articulator; modeling relative movement of the virtual representations of the mandibular and maxillary arches within the virtual articulator; and generating data that can be used by a computer aided machining (CAM) process to create at least one physical retention piece comprising the specified guidance package configured to provide the desired movement profile.

Systems and methods for producing anterior guidance package (AGP) equipped splint
11071642 · 2021-07-27 · ·

An Anterior Guidance Package (AGP) equipped splint may be produced for a patient with bruxism, temporo mandibular disorder (TMD), or sleep apnea. The AGP equipped splint has maxillary and mandibular guidance components attached to respective retentive pieces to provide superior anterior guidance. Using the disclosed systems and methods for producing the AGP equipped splint, a patient with or without a severe malocclusion can receive a customized AGP equipped splint without visiting the dentist repeatedly.

DYNAMIC ANATOMIC DATA COLLECTION AND MODELING DURING SLEEP
20210236050 · 2021-08-05 ·

A system, method and appliance provides sleep-related disorder data collection, assessment, and visual representation. The appliance may be configured to be worn during a sleep cycle of an individual and may include or be operatively connected to various sensors that collect physiological data of the individual during the sleep cycle. Aspects of the system are configured to correlate data obtained from various sensors/data sources during an individual's sleep cycle, determine relevant events associated with sleep-related disorders based on the obtained data, provide summaries and information about the determined relevant events, and generate and provide dynamic visualizations of the individual's anatomy corresponding to the determined relevant events. A dynamic visualization may include a 3D model of the individual's airway and mandibular anatomy that, when played back, morphs to represent dynamics of the individual's anatomy during the relevant event.

Mouth appliance and a method to improve breathing during sleep and exercise
11123219 · 2021-09-21 ·

A mouth appliance to promote nasal breathing and reduce or eliminate snoring and to help improve breathing during exercise. The mouth appliance includes upper and lower pieces that are hinged in the rear and conformed to fit the mouth and teeth of a wearer. The upper and lower mouth pieces come together to create a seal and promote nasal breathing. The frame of the mouth appliance may be formed from a hard or semi-hard material, and may be form-fitted to the mouth of a wearer to ensure both comfortable and effective use. The upper and lower pieces include a latching mechanism that allows for the mouth to be opened, closed, or semi-opened during wear and use of the appliance, and also allows for talking and drinking without removing the mouth appliance. The mouth piece can be worn at any time and provide protection of the teeth.

Apparatus for mandibular advancement of an oral appliance

An apparatus for mandibular advancement of an oral appliance for use in the treatment of sleep apnea, snoring, and other conditions. The apparatus for mandibular advancement of an oral appliance generally includes a first appliance portion comprising a gear assembly having a drive gear, wherein rotation of the drive gear linearly displaces links. The appliance also has a second appliance portion with a link-engaging members, wherein the links exert a force on the link-engaging members when they are linearly displaced, and wherein the force causes the second appliance portion to be displaced relative to the first appliance portion.

MANDIBULAR ADVANCEMENT DEVICE
20210169679 · 2021-06-10 ·

A customizable mandibular advancement device for use in treating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea is provided. The device comprises upper and lower trays adapted to be fitted to a person's maxillary and mandibular arches. The upper tray comprises a stop member, which when engaged with a fin located on the lower tray, inhibits the posterior movement of the user's mandible thereby maintaining the mandible in an advanced position. Both the upper and lower trays comprise a core that is overmolded by a thermoplastic material that has a much lower softening temperature than the core.