SNORING AND OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA PREVENTION DEVICE
20220287871 · 2022-09-15
Inventors
- PRAKASH CRJ NAIDU (OTTAWA, CA)
- CANER KARACEPER (OTTAWA, CA)
- CEM KARACEPER (OTTAWA, CA)
- ANIDA DZAFIC (OTTAWA, CA)
Cpc classification
B33Y80/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
Abstract
An oral appliance (OA) made as add-on optional feature in a denture of a user with or without implants to facilitate adjustable mandibular advancement assisting in partially or fully reducing snoring and thus ameliorating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The mandibular advancement is realized by deployment of pins in the denture set, and a set of straps that may have optional features such as recess, reinforcement, and the OA may be made of bio-compatible materials using several manufacturing approaches including 3D printing, molding, or milling. An optional additional process comprises of economical production of a similar or alternatively simpler, lighter secondary unit that may be offered to a patient ordering a primary denture, at a discounted price that may serve the purpose of cosmetic function as well as anti-snoring function.
Claims
1. A system for preventing or assisting in reducing condition of snoring or obstructive sleep apnea comprising of means to hold a pair of dentures inside human oral cavity for enabling mandibular advancement.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one pair of two pins and a strap is deployed to enable holding of a mandibular part of a denture set in an advanced position relative to a maxillary part of the denture set.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein a set of straps of different lengths are deployed to vary the amount of mandibular advancement.
4. The system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the straps may have a slit or recess to allow relative movement between the mandibular and maxillary parts of the denture.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein denture set may be provided as denture without implants such as Removable Partial Dentures or Removable Full Dentures.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein retention of denture is enhanced by use of glue between denture and gum adequate to withstand mandibular advancement force.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein denture set may be provided as any of the Implant Supported Dentures, such as single tooth dental implant, multiple-tooth on implant-supported bridge, or multiple-tooth on implant-retained denture.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more constituent parts are made of bio-compatible Nylon.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one or more constituent parts are made by 3D printing or additive manufacturing process.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein all constituent parts are made by 3D printing or additive manufacturing process.
11. The system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the straps are made from blanking process.
12. The system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the straps are made of multi-layer hybrid construction wherein a stronger material such as Kevlar® cord is core to provide strength over which bio-compatible material such as Nylon-12 is coated allowing a combination of both strength as well as flexibility.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the combination of strength and flexibility facilitates relative movement between the mandibular and maxillary parts of the denture set in multiple directions of 3D space, specifically forward-backward, upward-downward, leftward-rightward, or other possible intermediate directions.
14. A process for increased use of anti-snoring or obstructive sleep apnea reducing means of claim 1 by providing the steps obtain intra-oral information necessary and adequate for manufacture of denture; manufacture and provide primary denture set; suggest and offer a secondary denture set; follow through consent of user to deploy earlier obtained intra-oral information for manufacture of a secondary denture set; provide secondary denture set.
15. The process of claim 14, wherein a secondary denture set is provided at discounted price for cosmetic or anti-snoring or both purposes.
16. The process of claim 15, wherein the secondary denture set is made of different design compared to primary denture set satisficing only cosmetic or anti-snoring or both purposes.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0051] An overall illustration of a conventional full denture set is presented in a photographic view of a typical set in
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[0053] The user is generally provided with options for increased levels of retention, for example, by inserting or applying between denture 20 and gum 10 bio-compatible human use safe glue materials claiming several characteristics such as being Zinc free, impervious to water, providing soft cushion, quality seal from food particles, ooze-control, use of natural ingredients like gum wax, beneficial herbs, and vitamins. Several glue products are available, for example, Effergrip® denture adhesive cream (manufacturer: Prestige Consumer Healthcare, Irvington, N.Y.; Source: Amazon® USA), Fixodent® Ultra Max Hold Dental Adhesive (Procter & Gamble®, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA), SECURE® Sensitive Adhesive (Cutting Edge International, LLC, Los Angeles, Calif., USA), Instant Smile™ Secure Fit Adhesive (Billy Bob Products Inc., Hardin, Ill., USA), Super Poligrip® Denture and Partials Adhesive Cream (Glaxo Smith Kline, Philadelphia, Pa., USA), Corega® Denture Adhesive Cream (Glaxo Smith Kline, Bulgaria, Source: Amazon®, USA), Y-Kelin Denture Adhesive Cream (Anhui Greenland Biotech Co. Ltd., Bengbu, Anhui, China), DenSureFit® Lower Denture Reline Kit (OTC Dental Inc., Vancouver, Wash., USA), and from many other manufacturers or sources.
[0054] The use of glue between denture and gum is found to achieve good average retention force in compliance with reported research, for example, in the range of 16.66±7.32 lbs for milled denture bases and in the range of 12.19±6.15 lbs for the conventional heat polymerized denture bases (AlHelal, Abdulaziz Abdullah, “Comparison of Retention between Milled and Conventional Denture Bases: A Clinical Study” (2016), Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects, 323). Our experimental tests have shown that 3D printed dentures provide better or at least comparable retention force relative to milled denture bases. We have found that this retention force is adequate to withstand the mandibular advancement force reported in the art as approximately 1 to 1.2 Newtons per millimeter of mandibular advancement (for example, 1.18 Newtons per millimeters as per J Cohen-Levy, B PeteIle, J Pinguet, E Limerat, B Fleury, Sleep Breath, 2013 May; 17(2):781-9. doi: 10.1007/s11325-012-0765-4. Epub 2012 Sep. 11).
[0055] The mandibular denture 20 comprises of an exterior wall or flange 21, an exterior ridge or border 22, and an interior ridge or border 23. A cavity known in the art as trough is formed between the exterior and interior walls that fits over the lower gum 10. A set of teeth 25 that substitute natural teeth known in the art with nomenclature (starting from back or TMJ side, a set of teeth—one on left and one on right sides) Second Molar, First Molar, Second Premolar, First Premolar, Canine or Cuspid, Lateral Incisor, and Central Incisor (front most teeth set) are embedded symmetrically in the mandibular denture in a U-shaped configuration. This is considering the prevailing trend of not having Third Molar or Wisdom teeth at the back most location, like the natural teeth set where their extraction is recommended by dentist profession, resulting in a total fourteen teeth in the mandibular denture.
[0056] Analogous to the mandibular denture 20, the maxillary denture 30 comprises of an exterior wall or flange 31, an exterior ridge or border 32, and an interior ridge or border 33. A cavity known in the art as trough is formed between the exterior and interior walls that fits over the upper gum 16. Generally, an impression of upper palate of user's oral cavity is obtained to provide a bridge between the left and right sides of interior walls in the maxillary denture. This bridge part known as Palate 34 generally is in close contact with the user's upper palate helping in improved retention of the maxillary denture. The maxillary denture 30 is placed over the upper gum 16 in a reasonably tight but comfortable fit and remains retained during day-to-day activities of the user such as speaking, chewing, etc. In a standard denture that does not use any implants to secure the denture to the maxilla, the shape and fit between the maxilla and the maxillary denture along with palatal contact serve the purpose of retention. The user is generally provided with options for increased levels of retention, for example, by inserting or applying between denture 30 and gum 16 bio-compatible human use safe glue materials claiming several characteristics as mentioned earlier in the context of mandibular denture. A set of teeth 35 that substitute natural teeth known in the art with nomenclature (starting from back or TMJ side, a set of teeth—one on left and one on right sides) Second Molar, First Molar, Second Premolar, First Premolar, Canine or Cuspid, Lateral Incisor, and Central Incisor (front most teeth set) are embedded symmetrically in the maxillary denture in a U-shaped configuration. This is considering the prevailing trend of not having Third Molar or Wisdom teeth at the back most location, like the natural teeth set where their extraction is recommended by dentist profession, resulting in a total fourteen teeth in the maxillary denture.
[0057] A location 51 on the user's right-side wall 31 of the maxillary denture 30, and location 52 on the user's right-side wall 21 of the mandibular denture 20 exemplify the locations of connection of pins 45 illustrated in
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[0061] Optionally, and in addition to the configurations described so far,
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[0063] An optional but additional configuration of the strap has a stronger reinforcement cord embedded inside a relatively weaker strap material to solve a problem that was encountered during trials, namely tearing off or severance of the strap. This is of particular relevance and advantage of this disclosure where the strap is made of flexible material, for example, made of one of the acceptable bio-compatible elastomers (Saliterman, Steven S., “Introductory Medical Device Prototyping: Medical Device Polymers”, Presentation, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, USA); whereas the reinforcement cord may be made of a stronger material such as Kevlar® (DuPont®, headquartered at Wilmington, Del., USA, manufactured by Advanced Fibre Systems, VA, USA).
[0064] Mass production of straps deploying economy of manufacture scale may be an optional yet another additional method deployed as an alternative to a stronger reinforced strap configuration.
[0065] While the figures and description in this disclosure has presented in detail full maxillary and mandibular dentures, we have developed several additional and optional embodiments that are covered by the scope and spirit of the overall invention. For example, an embodiment of the invention has a typical RPD set comprising of a maxillary part, a mandibular part, an embrasure clasp, a pair of multiple circlet clasps, and a pair of straps connecting the maxillary and mandibular parts to enable desired mandibular advancement. Clasps are means to secure partial dentures with the help of surviving natural teeth in a person's jaws. The terminology of different types of clasps are well known in the denture related art, but to our knowledge not gainfully deployed or used in oral appliances for obstructive sleep apnea or anti-snoring devices. We have experienced and found the forces that can be withstood by unique designs and arrangements of different types of retainers/clasp assemblies, without glue, to have enough retention force to withstand mandibular advancement force that is in fact quite small. This is found to be valid for several clasp designs, for example, Circumferential (Circle or Akers) clasp, Ring clasp, Embrasure (Double Akers) Clasp, “C” clasp (Hair-pin or Reverse action), etc.
[0066] Another optional variant of the embodiment described above is the one wherein an improvised embrasure clasp is deployed to enable facilitation of resting the tongue of wearer constraining it so that it does not slide backwards contributing to airway blockage.
[0067] In yet another optional and additional variant of the embodiment discussed so far, a combination of multiple improvised clasps is deployed to enable facilitation of adjustable mandibular advancement with or without the need for straps.
[0068] Furthermore, in another optional variant of the embodiment presented above, a combination of multiple improvised clasps is deployed to enable facilitation of adjustable mandibular advancement without the need for straps, additionally providing for resting the tongue of wearer constraining it so that it does not slide backwards contributing to airway blockage.
[0069] Furthermore, another optional embodiment of the invention has a typical ISD set comprising of a maxillary part, a mandibular part, and a pair of straps connecting the maxillary and mandibular parts to enable desired mandibular advancement.
[0070] Furthermore, in another optional but additional variant of the embodiment described above, an improvised embrasure clasp is deployed to enable facilitation of resting the tongue of wearer constraining it so that it does not slide backwards contributing to airway blockage.
[0071] Furthermore, in yet another optional but additional variant of the embodiment described above, a combination of multiple improvised clasps is deployed to enable facilitation of adjustable mandibular advancement with or without the need for straps.
[0072] Furthermore, in yet another optional but additional variant of the embodiment described above, a combination of multiple improvised clasps is deployed to enable facilitation of adjustable mandibular advancement without the need for straps, additionally providing for resting the tongue of wearer constraining it so that it does not slide backwards contributing to airway blockage.
[0073] Additionally, but optionally, a universal version of the invention utilizing a compliant clasp approach is also invented that may be worn over either denture or natural teeth due to its lightweight and ease of attachment-detachment configuration to facilitate anti-snoring provisions.
[0074] Furthermore, in yet another optional but additional variant of the embodiment described above, another universal version of the invention utilizes a compliant clasp approach enabling stepless mandibular adjustment that may be worn over either denture or natural teeth due to its lightweight and ease of attachment-detachment configuration to facilitate anti-snoring provisions.
[0075] Furthermore, yet another optional but additional universal version of the invention utilizes a compliant clasp approach that may also be elastic enabling stepless mandibular adjustment with spring characteristic that may be worn over either denture or natural teeth due to its lightweight and ease of attachment-detachment configuration to facilitate anti-snoring provisions with enhanced comfort for the wearer allowing jaw movement.
[0076] Furthermore, yet another optional but additional universal version of the invention utilizes a reactive latch mechanism that realizes a mandibular advancement only after the user has gone on sleep causing excessive relaxation of the mandible relative to the maxilla, to facilitate anti-snoring provisions with enhanced comfort for the wearer allowing natural or moderate relaxed jaw positions during onset of sleep.
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[0078] While delivering the primary denture ordered by the user, or before the ordering process, or during the ordering process, or subsequently, an optional sleep study 1550 may be offered to the user. The sleep study may comprise of any of the different levels of sleep studies (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4) either at a sleep lab or at home. With or without this optional sleep study, the user of denture may be offered a secondary denture at a discounted price. This offer process step 1560 involves suggestion and counselling 1570 about the advantages of a secondary set of dentures to be worn at night during sleep time that may be either an exact duplicate of the primary denture, or alternatively and preferably; a simpler, lighter, version with provisions such as increased exposure of gums to air as the purpose of this secondary denture is not chewing of food. While serving cosmetic purposes avoiding any embarrassing situations where the user may be exposed to known or new acquaintances by getting caught off-guard without any denture, the secondary denture also serves the important purpose as an anti-snoring device. Even if the user is not aware or not formally diagnosed for sleep disorders knowingly or un-knowingly, the secondary denture serves an important function of prevention is better than cure motto 1580. Once the user is convinced of the advantages of acquiring a secondary denture at discounted price, the necessary information 1520 for production that was available earlier for primary denture production may be advantageously re-used for manufacture process 1530 to produce the secondary denture 1590. While sleep study 1550 is just optional, in case the same is preferred by a user, furthermore optionally, related additional appliances such as a variety of biosensors 1551, sleep application 1552, and a kit 1553 comprising of one or more of a sleep mask, ear plugs, cleaning kit, bite re-positioner, jaw position measuring tool, and chewing gum may be offered and deployed for the sleep study. The biosensors 1551 deployed may be one or more biosensors configured to measure one or more sleep parameters, wherein the one or more sleep parameters are selected from heart rate, breathing rate, head movement, body movement, bite force, body temperature, blood glucose levels, actigraphy, oximetry, apnea hypopnea index (AHI), peripheral arterial tone (PAT), cardiac data, chest expansion, respiratory air flow, sleeping position, patient compliance and snoring.