Patent classifications
A61F5/566
Oral Appliance
An oral appliance that is placed in a user's mouth. An upper tray is designed to engage with a user's maxillary teeth, and a lower tray is designed to engage with a user's mandibular teeth. Thermal impression material may be designed into at least one of the trays to engage the upper and lower dentition. Two side straps mechanisms are designed to connect the upper and lower trays, and may provide forward positioning of the lower jaw relative to the upper jaw. A ramped lingual shelf may be included on the inside portion of the lower tray, to position a user's tongue forward and upward. The upper tray has an open section in its anterior portion which provides additional space for a forward-positioned tongue. Upper and lower trays may be constructed out of rigid polypropylene or similar materials.
Dental appliances and methods for their fabrication
The invention consists of a rapidly crosslinkable, two-component silicone elastomer together with a specially designed tray that serves as a form for the silicone resin and forms an integral portion of a dental appliance.
SINGLE TRAY SLEEP APNEA ORAL APPLIANCE
A single tray sleep apnea oral appliance which includes a hard plastic dental tray, a soft material in the tray for receiving a subject's teeth, a rigid transpalatal bar extending between the left and right sides of the dental tray, and a tongue restrainer having at least two spaced-apart wires extending from the posterior side of the transpalatal bar and a hard plastic tongue-contacting portion attached at the distal end of the wires. The tongue-contacting portion has smooth edges, a rounded posterior end, and a width between its right side and left side greater than the space between the wires, providing greater comfort and user safety, while the wires provide flexibility to vertically position the tongue restrainer and mechanical strength to maintain the tongue restrainer in place once positioned so that a subject's tongue can be prevented from blocking the subject's airway.
Impression tray with integral handle for an oral jaw advancement appliance
Disclosed herein is an impression tray to be removably attached to an oral jaw advancement appliance that is worn over the teeth of a user during sleep to reduce the effects of snoring and sleep apnea. The impression tray has a handle with a first end affixed to a curved rear impression forming stop and an opposite free end that is pushed through the oral appliance so as to extend outwardly from the front thereof. The curved rear impression forming stop of the handle is held flush against the rear of the appliance, and a curved front impression forming stop is detachably connected to the opposite free end of the handle and slidable therealong to lie flush against the front of the appliance. The handle of the impression tray permits the oral appliance to be lowered into and lifted out of boiled water so that an accurate impression of the user's teeth can be made therein.
REMOVABLE MANDIBULAR MYO-STIMULATOR
An oral appliance for the treatment of sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, in a user is presented. The oral appliance may include a mouthpiece configured to receive a user's dentition. The mouthpiece may include an oxygen sensor, a pressure sensor, an airflow sensor, an actigraphy sensor, a noise detector, and at least one stimulator for providing stimulation to a user's tongue in the event of decreased oxygen saturation levels, increased pressure applied to occlusal surfaces of the user's dentition, decreased actual airflow levels and/or increased noise levels. The mouthpiece may further include a microprocessor that receives data from the oxygen sensor, pressure sensor, airflow sensor, actigraphy sensor and noise detector, and activates the at least one stimulator.
Lingual repositioning devices, controller station, and methods of treating and/or diagnosing medical disorders
Lingual repositioning devices have a mandibular piece having a teeth covering and a first housing proximate either a left molar portion or a right molar portion of the teeth covering. The first housing includes a stimulator protrusion extending therefrom at a position to extend toward a tongue of a user and to contact a lingual muscle of the tongue or includes a sensor portion extending therefrom at a position to extend toward a tongue of a user and to be positioned under the tongue. The stimulator protrusion encloses a stimulator and the first housing encloses a power source electrically connected to a circuit board and electrically connected to an electrode of a stimulator. A second housing at the other of the left or right molar portions has a stimulator protrusion or a sensor portion. The first and second housings may be removably attachable to the teeth covering.
Maxillary devices, controller station, and methods of treating and/or diagnosing medical disorders
Maxillary devices and Mandibular devices each have a first housing connectable to a tooth of a user or connectable or integral with a teeth covering, wherein the housing encloses an on-board circuit board and a power source. The first housing of the maxillary devices has a tooth connecting portion, a palate housing portion and/or a buccal housing portion. The first housing of the mandibular devices has a tooth connecting portion and a sublingual portion. Each of the palate housing portion and the buccal housing portion enclose a stimulator having an electrode electrically connected to the on-board circuit board and the power source, and can enclose a sensor and/or a medicament dispenser. The sublingual portion encloses a sensor and a medicament dispenser each of which are in electrical communication with the microprocessor of the on-board circuit board.
APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR TREATMENT OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA UTILIZING CRYOLYSIS OF ADIPOSE TISSUES
A heat exchanger is disclosed for causing cryolysis of adipose tissue of a human tongue. The heat exchanger includes a body having cooling channels for circulating fluids therein. The body forms a contact surface that contacts a portion of the dorsal surface of the tongue and a portion of the base of the tongue. The heat exchanger includes a pair of side walls extending from the body and forming a pair of side contact surfaces that are dimensioned so that they contact the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the tongue in a manner so as to constrict the tongue when the contact surface is in contact with the tongue. A method of treatment for apnea using the heat exchanger and/or administering a chemical adipolysis formulation/vasoconstriction agent is also disclosed.
Snoring prevention device
A snoring prevention device is provided to be mounted in the mouth to prevent snoring during sleep, to reduce a volume of the device, and to improve a wearing feeling. The snoring prevention device includes an upper jaw mounting frame having an upper tooth insertion groove into which the upper teeth are inserted, and configured to be mounted on the upper jaw, a lower jaw mounting frame having a lower tooth insertion groove into which the lower teeth are inserted, and configured to be mounted on the lower jaw, and a lower jaw advance unit including a push rod provided at the upper jaw mounting frame at a portion of a center of the upper jaw corresponding to the front tooth side such that the lower jaw is advanced by pushing the lower jaw mounting frame forward when the upper jaw and the lower jaw are closed.
Mouthpiece
A mouthpiece includes a first body configured to be secured over one or more teeth of a user. The first body comprises a frame for location about at least one of a molar or a premolar of user, as a first bite pad between upper teeth and lower teeth. The first bite pad is molded in the frame while in situ in the mouth of the user and the first bite pad is formed by a PVS material. The first bite pad is in contact with at least one of a molar or a premolar of user, and the first bite pad defines an exterior shape of at least a portion of the teeth of a user. There is a similar second body with a connector between the first body and the second body and together these form the appliance for the user.