A method of treating a soft palate in a patient to treat sleep apnea, snoring or both may involve advancing a treatment element of a treatment device through the patient's mouth, contacting a tissue-contact surface of the treatment element with the soft palate, delivering energy to the soft palate via one or more energy delivery members on the tissue-contact surface, and removing the treatment element from the mouth.

The inventive concept provides a mouthpiece for treating skin, in which a retaining ligament, a blood vessel, and a fiber tissue of a deep skin portion may be used as electrical passages, and which is manufactured in accordance with an oral cavity structure of a patient, and a skin treating apparatus including the mouthpiece for treating skin. The mouthpiece for treating skin includes an impression body disposed in an oral cavity of a user, and a first electrode unit disposed in the impression body, wherein the first electrode unit electrically interacts with a second electrode unit disposed outside the oral cavity of the user, and the impression body has a shape corresponding to a structure of the oral cavity of the user.

A microelectromechanical device utilizing one or more micropumps embedded in a mouthguard for treatment and detection of viruses in a person's mouth. The micropump pumps saliva through the device where it can, for example, be treated with heat to destroy viruses in the saliva. In another embodiment the device can be used to detect the presence of virus in the saliva utilizing DNA PCR or chronoamperometry.

A dental implant includes a post and an abutment extending from the post, the post and abutment being made from metal. A crown having a hollow cavity is attached onto the abutment, the crown being configured with a metallic insert that can be accessed and coupled to the abutment to enable electrical contact. In one version, the crown includes a metallic core and in another version, the crown can include a formed recess that receives a portion of the metal abutment. In each version, an exposed metallic area is provided, enabling electrical conduction to the abutment and post as part of a bacterial treatment of the dental implant.

Disclosed herein is a method for electrical nerve (510) stimulation, the method comprising: generating an electrical stimulation pattern (100) comprising a plurality of successive pulse trains (110), wherein each pulse train (110) has a pulse train amplitude (111); delivering the electrical stimulation pattern (100) to a subjects hypoglossal nerve (510) with a stimulator (300) having at least one electrode (310); modulating the electrical stimulation pattern (100), wherein modulation of the electrical stimulation pattern (100) comprises gradually increasing the pulse train amplitude (111) from one pulse train (110) to a successive pulse train (110) at stimulation onset (101) until a determined target stimulation amplitude (130) is reached; characterized in that modulation of the electrical stimulation pattern (100) further comprises decreasing the target stimulation amplitude (130) to a defined step-down amplitude (140) within each pulse train (110) after the target stimulation amplitude (130) was reached.

A method of implanting a lead includes inserting a needle through tissue near a chin of a patient and through a tongue of the patient, inserting an introducer through an opening created by the needle, and inserting the lead through the introducer, the lead comprising an elongated member and one or more electrodes in a distal portion of the elongated member such that the one or more electrodes are implantable proximate to one or more motor points of a protrusor muscle within the tongue of the patient, wherein inserting the lead comprises inserting the lead to have a shape of one of a helix, a compound helix, a wave shape, or saw-tooth shape, or to have a loop in the lead.

An intra-oral appliance to power and/or communicate with a neurostimulator is provided. The intra-oral appliance can include a teeth covering configured to fit over mandibular incisor, canine and/or premolar teeth of a human being and a remote controller in the form of a housing extending posteriorly from and operably connected to the teeth covering. The housing can include a power source, a coupling coil configured to transmit power to the neurostimulator and configured to receive power from an external charger, and electrical circuitry operably connected to the coupling coil and the power source.

A dental treatment apparatus is a dental treatment apparatus that energizes a dental treatment site such as a root canal with a high-frequency current. Included are a holder that holds an electrode placed at the dental treatment site, a power supply that energizes the electrode with the high-frequency current, and control circuitry that causes, during the energization operation, the power supply to provide stop period where the energization of the electrode with the high-frequency current is stopped between single energization period and next single energization period.

Electrical stimulation devices and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the electrical stimulation device comprises an elongated member configured to be orally or nasally inserted into a patient's pharynx. The device may further include a conductive element carried by a distal portion of the elongated member and configured to deliver stimulation energy to nearby tissue. The device can include a cover configured to move relative to the conductive elements to selectively cover or expose the conductive elements.

Systems and methods are provided for enhancing osseointegration performed in conjunction with placing a dental implant. A dental implant post can be used for applying current to the implant site as well as for anchoring an artificial tooth. Such a dual purpose implant can allow faster healing and osseointegration time as well as enabling the use of dental implants in a large segment of the population currently disqualified from such treatment due to poor bone quality.