A tongue advancer system is for use in a tongue manipulation device, comprising a tissue anchor having a set of retractable fingers having a retracted configuration in which the tissue anchor is adapted to be loaded into a delivery tube and a deployed configuration in which the fingers are adapted for extending into tongue tissue in forward and lateral directions. The system further comprises a spacer which extends beyond the maximum forward extent of the retractable fingers. The spacer ensures that the fingers do not puncture the tongue surface.

One or more oral devices having interdental anchors configured to elastically deform and engage with an interdental gap between adjacent teeth. One or more medical devices can then be secured to the oral device via a securing portion, allowing the medical device to be secured relative to the patient.

A new innovative and unique solution to minimize the problems of mouth leakage using a CPAP machine is disclosed. A mouthpiece module is specifically designed to solve the problem of mouth leakage which compromises the therapeutic effect of CPAP treatment. The mouthpiece module comprises a flexible absorbent material which partially wraps around the lips and is secured to the back of the head by straps or an elastic band. In one embodiment, the mouthpiece is detachable from a securement strap.

Plural tongue gripping projections coupled to upper and lower supports grip and hold the tongue during sleep and minimize the risk of the tongue slipping back and blocking the throat. One or both of the upper and lower supports are biased together. A tongue depressor extends rearwardly and downwardly from a cross member portion of a jaw coupler. A soft palate engager extends rearwardly from the cross member. The tongue grasping device, tongue depressor and soft palate engager cooperatively resist closing of the user's pharyngeal airway. The tongue depressor and soft palate engager are desirably biased apart and supported by flexible supports to permit movement of the rear of the tongue to close the pharyngeal airway during swallowing.

A saliva collector comprises a reservoir, a bubble barrier, and a membrane, where the bubble barrier and membrane are arranged in tandem on a flow path from an inlet to an outlet on the reservoir. Air aspirated from a patient's oral cavity enters the reservoir through the inlet, passes through the bubble barrier to remove foam and bubbles, passes through the membrane to remove entrained liquid saliva, and passes out through the outlet.

An adjustable dental appliance having an upper tray and a lower tray is provided. The upper tray includes an upper dentition-interfacing layer and an upper support layer. The upper support layer has indentation tracks oriented in a mediolateral direction when an arch shape of the upper tray is aligned with an upper dental arch. The lower tray includes a lower dentition-interfacing layer and a lower support layer. The lower support layer has rails attached to an upper surface thereof and oriented in a mediolateral direction when an arch shape of the lower tray is aligned with a lower dental arch. The rails of the lower tray fit securely into the indentation tracks of the upper tray and thereby interlock the upper tray and lower tray.

Devices and methods for improving the coupling between the soft palate and the genioglossus. This may be accomplished, for example, but shortening or stiffening the palatoglossal arch. Improved coupling between the soft palate and the genioglossus may be beneficial to a patient suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as a stand-alone procedure, or in combination procedures and devices that cause anterior displacement of the tongue such as hypoglossal nerve stimulation, genioglossus advancement surgery, mandibular advancement surgery, mandibular advancement (oral) appliances, etc.

A lateral pharyngeal wall tractor comprises a bone fixer, a traction mechanism and a lateral pharyngeal wall fixer. The lateral pharyngeal wall fixer is fixed on an M. palatopharyngeus or other submucous tissues of a lateral pharyngeal wall. With the bone fixer fixed on a processus alveolaris or a hamulus pterygoideus or a processus pterygoideus as a supporting point, one end of the traction mechanism is connected to the bone fixer, the other end is connected to the lateral pharyngeal wall fixer, and as a result, the submucous tissue of the lateral pharyngeal wall is pulled outward. The elastic traction force produced by the traction mechanism is greater than the collapse force of the lateral pharyngeal wall which is produced by negative pressure during inspiration, but is less than the contraction force which is produced by the muscle of the lateral pharyngeal wall during deglutition.

An implanted tongue septum fascia retraction device includes a fascia fixer, a pull line and a mandible fixer. The fascia fixer is fixed to a tongue septum fascia by means of a fixing clamp, a fixing hook or a fixing ring, and the mandible fixer is fixed to a mandible. One end of the pull line is connected to the fascia fixer, and the other end of the pull line is fixed to the mandible fixer. By adjusting the tightness of a pull line, a tongue septum fascia may be retracted forwards, thus pulling a falling tongue base forwards, opening an obstructed upper airway, and fulfilling the aim of treating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSA) caused by glossoptosis.

Systems, methods, devices and apparatus for mandibular advancement or retraction via bone anchoring devices are described herein. In various aspects, an apparatus for treating a patient via mandibular advancement or retraction comprises a plurality of anchoring devices positioned in the patient's intraoral cavity. Each of the plurality of anchoring devices can be positioned in bone of the patient's upper jaw or bone of the patient's lower jaw. One or more connecting structures can be removably coupled to and extend between the plurality of anchoring devices in order to displace the lower jaw anteriorly or posteriorly relative to the upper jaw.