US-12616605-B2 - Mandibular repositioning device

US12616605B2US 12616605 B2US12616605 B2US 12616605B2US-12616605-B2

Abstract

A dental appliance to reduce or eliminate snoring is disclosed. The dental appliance includes an upper tray, a lower tray, one or more tray-removal features, and a connecting arm. The upper tray includes a first coupling post located on a buccal surface of the upper tray. The lower tray includes a second coupling post located on a buccal surface of the lower tray. Each of the coupling posts includes a flange configured to pivotably and slidably secure the connecting arm and to release the connecting arm when the upper tray is rotated to a predetermined angle with respect to a closed position of the upper and lower trays. The one or more tray-removal features are disposed on the buccal or lingual surface of each of the upper and lower trays.

Inventors

Randy C. Clare
Kenad Destanovic
Vaheh Golestanian Nemagrdi

Assignees

JAMES R. GLIDEWELL DENTAL CERAMICS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20201222

Claims (14)

1 . A dental appliance for snore reduction, the dental appliance comprising: an upper tray configured to engage a plurality of maxillary teeth, the upper tray comprises a first coupling post located on a buccal surface of the upper tray; a lower tray configured to engage a plurality of mandibular teeth, the lower tray comprises a second coupling post located on a buccal surface of the lower tray, wherein the first coupling post is closer to a midline of the upper tray than the second coupling post; one or more tray-removal features disposed on a buccal or lingual surface of each of the upper and lower trays, each of said one or more tray-removal features comprising a raised ridge having a top portion extending outward in a buccal direction from the buccal surface or a lingual direction from the lingual surface of the upper or lower tray, thereby defining an edge to be grasped by the patient; and a connecting arm configured to couple the upper and lower trays, the connecting arm comprises a first slot and a second slot, wherein one or more of the first and second coupling posts comprise a flange configured to pivotably and slidably secure the connecting arm and to release the connecting arm when it is rotated to a predetermined angle with respect to a closed position of the upper and lower trays, wherein the predetermined angle is larger than 45 degrees.
2 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the first and second slots are parallel to each other.
3 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein both of the first and second coupling posts comprise a flange.
4 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the flange comprises a width smaller than a width of each of the first and second slots and a length longer than the width of each of the first and second slots.
5 . The dental appliance of claim 4 , wherein each of the first and second coupling posts comprises a T-shape post.
6 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tray-removal features are disposed on the buccal surface of each of the upper and lower trays.
7 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tray-removal features are disposed on a lingual surface of each of the upper and lower trays.
8 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the upper tray comprises a flat-bottom surface, and wherein the lower tray comprises a flat-upper surface, wherein the flat-bottom and flat-upper surfaces are parallel to each other when the upper and lower trays are in the closed position.
9 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined angle is larger than 90 degrees.
10 . A dental appliance for adjusting a position of a lower jaw, the dental appliance comprising: an upper tray configured to engage a plurality of maxillary teeth, the upper tray comprises a first coupling post located on a buccal surface of the upper tray and a flat-bottom surface; a lower tray configured to engage a plurality of mandibular teeth, the lower tray comprises a second coupling post located on a buccal surface of the lower tray and a flat-upper surface, wherein the first coupling post is closer to a midline of the upper tray than the second coupling post, and wherein the flat-upper and flat-bottom surfaces are parallel to each other when the upper and lower tray are in a closed position; a one or more tray-removal features disposed on a buccal or lingual surface of each of the upper and lower trays, each of said one or more tray-removal features comprising a raised ridge having a top portion extending outward in a buccal direction from the buccal surface or a lingual direction from the lingual surface of the upper or lower tray, thereby defining an edge to be grasped by the patient; and a connecting arm configured to couple the upper and lower trays, the connecting arm comprises a first slot and a second slot parallel to each other.
11 . The dental appliance of claim 10 , wherein one or more of the first and second coupling posts comprise a flange configured to pivotably and slidably secure the connecting arm and to release the connecting arm when it is rotated to a predetermined degree with respect to a closed position of the upper and lower trays, wherein the predetermined degree is larger than 45 degrees.
12 . The dental appliance of claim 10 , wherein each of the first and second coupling posts comprises a T-shape post.
13 . The dental appliance of claim 12 , wherein the T-shape post comprises a flange having a width smaller than a width of each of the first and second slots and a length longer than the width of each of the first and second slots.
14 . A dental appliance for adjusting a position of a lower jaw of a patient, the dental appliance comprising: an upper tray configured to engage a plurality of maxillary teeth, the upper tray comprises a first coupling post located on a buccal surface of the upper tray; a lower tray configured to engage a plurality of mandibular teeth, the lower tray comprises a second coupling post located on a buccal surface of the lower tray, wherein each of the first and second coupling posts comprises a flange configured to pivotably and slidably secure a connecting arm and to release the connecting arm when the upper tray is rotated to a predetermined angle with respect to a closed position of the upper and lower trays; one or more tray-removal features disposed on a buccal or lingual surface of each of the upper and lower trays, each of said one or more tray-removal features comprising a raised ridge having a top portion extending outward in a buccal direction from the buccal surface or a lingual direction from the lingual surface of the upper or lower tray, thereby defining an edge to be grasped by the patient; and wherein the connecting arm is configured to couple the upper and lower trays, the connecting arm comprises a first slot and a second slot parallel to each other.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure generally relates to the field of dental appliances, specifically and not by way of limitation, some embodiments are related to a dental appliance that reduces snoring and/or helps treat sleep apnea. BACKGROUND Snoring affects a very large group of people, the prevalence of habitual snoring is 8.9% in females and 29.5% in males, and presents a significant public health issue. People with chronic snoring can have serious health problems such as sleep apnea, which is a condition characterized by the cessation of breathing for 10 seconds or longer. Patients with untreated sleep apnea are at increased risk of hypertension, stroke, heart failure, diabetes, car accidents and depression. Snoring, also referred to as stertor by medical professionals, is caused by partially blocked airways, which occur when muscles along the airways (e.g., jaw, throat) relax during sleep and partially collapse into the airway and start to vibrate as the person breathes. Certain physiological conditions are prone to having partially obstructing the upper airways such as an abnormally large tonsil (uvula) or tongue, a small upper airway, a recessed chin, large overbite or a narrow maxillary arch with a high palatal vault. Two of the most common treatments for snoring or sleep apnea are continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices and dental devices that adjust the position of the lower jaw forward during sleep. These dental devices are better known as mandibular repositioning or mandibular advancement devices (MA devices), which are designed to position the lower jaw forward to activate the muscles and ligaments of the upper airway providing the tone necessary to avoid the collapse of flaccid tissues during sleep. CPAP devices are considered the gold standard of therapy for obstructive sleep apnea, however 50% of patients abandon therapy within 3 months of receiving the device due to discomfort and side effects associated with the therapy. MA devices are available to the public for the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea. However, currently available (conventional) mandibular advancement devices have deficiencies such as connectors that are inaccurate or stretch over time between upper and lower trays of the mandibular advancement device, connectors that can be damaged when changed or adjusted or upper and lower trays that have soft tissue contact which can lead to hotspots and inflammation. These design flaws can discourage users from continuously using the MA device or worse can cause users to discontinue treatment altogether. Accordingly, what is needed is a MA device that is more comfortable, secure, yet easy for the clinician to install, adjust chairside and titrate as treatment progresses, This device should fit into modern design and manufacturing workflows such that it is easy to manufacture (which increases the device's quality and reduces manufacturing cost delivering more value to the clinician). SUMMARY Disclosed are example embodiments of a manufacture to reduce snoring. In one example embodiment, the manufacture includes an upper tray, a lower tray, and a connecting arm. The upper tray is configured to engage a plurality of maxillary teeth and includes a first coupling post located on a buccal surface of the upper tray. The lower tray is configured to engage a plurality of mandibular teeth and includes a second coupling post located on a buccal surface of the lower tray. The first coupling post is closer to a midline of the upper tray than the second coupling post. The connecting arm is configured to slidably and pivotably couple the upper and lower trays to each other. The connecting arm can include a first slot and a second slot. One or more of the first and second coupling posts can include a flange that is configured to pivotably and slidably secure the connecting arm and to release the connecting arm when it is rotated to a predetermined angle with respect to a closed position of the upper and lower trays. The predetermined angle can be any angle greater than 45 degrees, which is greater than the maximum angle a human mouth can be opened. The first and second slots of the connecting arm can be parallel to each other. In some embodiments, the first and second slots are not arranged parallel to each other. Both of first and second coupling posts can also include a flange, which can have a width smaller than a width of each slot and a length longer than the width of each slot. This enables the flange to fit into the slot when rotated at a certain angle. The coupling post can be a T-shape post. The first and second slots can be independent from each other. Alternatively, the first and second slots can be one continuous slot. In some embodiments, the continuous slot can be a Z-shape slot. Each of the upper and lower trays can also include one or more tray-removal features. The one or more tray-removal features can be disposed on the buccal surface of each of the upper and lower trays