Intra-oral appliance for treatment of sleep disorders

摘要

An intra-oral dental appliance for treatment of sleep disorders including snoring, sleep apnea and nocturnal bruxism. The appliance includes an upper member conforming to the patient's maxillary dentition; a lower member conforming to the patient's mandibular dentition; and a connecting assembly for adjustably coupling the upper and lower members together. The connecting assembly includes a first element mounted on the upper member, the first element having a cavity therein; a second element mounted on the lower member; and a connector having a first end captured within the cavity and a second end adjustably connectable to the second element. The connecting assembly maintains the lower member in a protruded position relative to the upper member to maintain the patency of the user's pharnygeal airway while permitting anterior and lateral movement of the lower member relative to the upper member in the protruded position.

主权项

1. A dental appliance comprising:
(a) an upper member conforming to a user's maxillary dentition; (b) a lower member conforming to a user's mandibular dentition; and (c) a connecting assembly for coupling said upper and lower members together, wherein said connecting assembly comprises:
(i) a first element mounted on said upper member, wherein said first element comprises a cavity defined within an interior of said first element, and wherein a lower surface of said first element has an aperture formed therein in communication with said cavity;(ii) a second element mounted on said lower member; and(iii) a connector having a first end having a size smaller than a size of said cavity such that said first end is loosely captured within said cavity, a second end adjustably connectable to said second element to precisely fix the vertical distance between said upper and lower members, and a shaft extending through said aperture between said first end and said second end, wherein said first end is freely movable relative to said upper member within said cavity when said dental appliance is worn during sleep by a user, wherein said connecting assembly: (1) maintains said lower member in an anteriorly protruded position relative to said upper member; and (2) permits anterior, posterior, and lateral excursion of said lower member relative to said upper member in said protruded position to accommodate a bruxing reflex of a user, wherein said aperture has a spacing between a rear edge and a front edge thereof which is substantially larger than the diameter of said shaft.