Adjustable sleep apnea oral appliance

#Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes (typically lasting 20 to 40 seconds) and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Sleep apnea results from a partial-to-complete blockage of a subject's airway. Increased air speed through the airway causes an increase in dynamic pressure and a corresponding drop in static pressure. The decreased static pressure can in some instances draw back the lower jaw and tongue and thereby block the airway. This blockage can increase to the point of becoming complete, which at least temporarily interrupts breathing.

#Subjects are generally at greater risk for sleep apnea if they are overweight or have conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, or chronic nasal congestion. There are a variety of factors, however, which can lead to sleep apnea. One factor is the presence of a narrow maxilla and/or mandible in a subject. Maxillary constriction may increase nasal resistance and alter the tongue posture, leading to narrowing of the retroglossal airway. Constriction of the maxilla and/or the mandible generally reduces intraoral air volume and tends to force the tongue back into the posterior airway space, leading to obstructive sleep apnea during sleep.

#Orthodontics is a field of dentistry which focuses on the repositioning of a subject's teeth and jaws for aesthetic or other reasons, for example due to the “overcrowding” of a subject's teeth. Orthodontic methods typically require a subject to make continuous use of a dental appliance for a period of time in order to achieve results. The use of such appliances precludes the concurrent use of currently available oral appliances for treating sleep apnea. There remains a need therefore for improved devices and methods for treating sleep apnea in users of orthodontic appliances who experience sleep apnea.

#FIG. 1 is a left side, upper perspective view of the upper and lower portions of the present appliance, fitted together and ready for use.

#FIG. 2 is a left side, upper perspective view of the lower portion of the present appliance.

#FIG. 3 is a right side, lower perspective view of the lower portion of the present appliance.

#The present invention comprises an oral appliance (10) for treating snoring and/or sleep apnea in a subject and which also accomplishes orthodontic treatment, either by itself or in conjunction with orthodontic trays. The device generally comprises at least an upper dental tray, a lower dental tray, and a pair of mechanical inserts. The upper tray (100) has an anterior portion (16), a posterior portion (18), a right side (12), a left side (14), a buccal side (8), a lingual side (9), coronal surface (130), an interior surface (11), and an exterior surface (13). The upper tray (100) further includes a receptacle (20) bounded by the interior surface (11) of the upper tray (100) and a pair of lateral projections (80).

#On the right side of the upper tray, a right side lateral projection (87) is connected to the buccal side (8) of the right side of the upper tray (100) in a posterior portion (18) of the upper tray (100) and has an anterior end (81) having an engagement surface (84), a posterior end (83), an upper surface (88), a lower surface (91), and a lateral surface (85). The anterior end (81) of the right side lateral projection (87) is configured to be reversibly attached to the posterior end (310) of a right side insert (300) which further comprises a first lateral surface (304), a second lateral surface (306), and an anterior end (302).

#On the left side of the upper tray, a left side lateral projection is connected to the buccal surface (8) of the left side of the upper tray (100) in a posterior portion (18) of the upper tray (100) and includes an anterior end (81) having an engagement surface (84), a posterior end (83), an upper surface (88), a lower surface (91), and a lateral surface (85). The anterior end (81) of the left side lateral projection (87) is configured to be reversibly attached to the posterior end (310) of a left side insert (300) which further comprises a first lateral surface (304), a second lateral surface (306), and an anterior end (302).