An oral appliance (100) comprising a sensing arrangement (101) disposed in proximity to at least one part of a facial muscle complex of a user. A method of controlling the oral appliance (100) comprising sensing, with the sensing arrangement (101), the at least one part of the facial muscle complex being brought towards the sensing arrangement; and in response to sensing the at least one part of the facial muscle complex being brought towards the sensing arrangement (101), controlling the oral appliance (100) to perform an action. An external processing unit (200) is arranged to interact with the oral appliance (100) in response to the oral appliance (100) performing the action.

An illustrative system includes two wearable devices configured to be worn near a jaw on opposite sides of a user's head, each device comprising: at least one microphone, at least two accelerometers, at least one loudspeaker, wherein the system is configured to process data acquired by the accelerometers and by the microphones to: detect chewing, and output an audible notification via the loudspeakers to notify the user to brush the user's teeth after chewing is no longer detected.

The present disclosure relates to devices that aid a user in ceasing bruxism. The devices may be placed between a user's teeth, such as during sleep, and alert the user when the user clenches his/her teeth. In an aspect, a device includes a housing containing a battery power source, a vibration device, and an electrical contact mechanism having a movable element which closes a circuit to actuate the vibration device. A disk-shaped portion adapted to be emplaced in a person's mouth between a cheek and adjacent teeth is disposed around the housing. A resilient bite portion extends from the housing and is adapted to be emplaced between upper and lower teeth. A compressible element is disposed in the bite portion and causes the movable element of the electrical contact to close to actuate the vibration device in response to compression of the bite portion.

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 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 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.

Methods for estimating and predicting tooth wear based upon a single 3D digital model of teeth. The 3D digital model is segmented to identify individual teeth within the model. A digital model of a tooth is selected from the segmented model, and its original shape is predicted. The digital model is compared with the predicted original shape to estimate wear areas. A mapping function based upon values relating to tooth wear can also be applied to the selected digital model to predict wear of the tooth.

A bruxism detection system is provided that includes a chin-mounted acceleration sensor for detection of teeth grinding and teeth tapping. The system generally includes an acceleration sensor that is adapted to be removably and externally mounted with respect to an individual's chin, a bruxism recording and processing system operable on a local processor, and bruxism analysis software that is operable on the local processor or an adjoint processor (or a combination thereof). The system is designed to be used in any convenient location, including an individual's home, and is generally reusable by multiple people, thus reducing the cost of bruxism diagnosis and bringing a reliable and effective diagnosis tool to the general public.

An oral appliance for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea includes a mouthpiece configured for being received in an oral cavity of a user. The mouthpiece may include a pulse oximeter, 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. A microprocessor receives data from the oxygen sensor, pressure sensor, airflow sensor, actigraphy sensor and noise detector, and activates the at least one stimulator.

The present invention is a small device containing at least the following elements: a MEMS microphone, an amplifier, a microprocessor with audio frequency filters, a wireless transmitter, and a battery. The device may be placed behind the ear of the user on a bony protrusion of the skull and may be held in place by a variety of known methods, including adhesives such as spirit gum, adhesive tape, and a small circular adhesive bandage. The MEMS microphone detects sounds transmitted through the skull by bone conductance and the microprocessor analyzes the sounds to determine whether they are associated with a bruxism event. If so, data associated with the sounds are sent via the wireless transmitter to an external device. The data may be stored for later review by the user or medical professional, or may trigger a response such as an auditory or vibratory alarm.