Mandibular advancement device
AssigneeBrown Innovation, LLC
InventorThomas W. Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A customizable mandibular advancement device for use in treating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea is provided. The device comprises upper and lower trays adapted to be fitted to a person's maxillary and mandibular arches. The upper tray comprises a stop member, which when engaged with a fin located on the lower tray, inhibits the posterior movement of the user's mandible thereby maintaining the mandible in an advanced position. Both the upper and lower trays comprise a core that is overmolded by a thermoplastic material that has a much lower softening temperature than the core.
Claims18
A mandibular advancement device comprising:
- an upper tray adapted to be fitted over a user's maxillary arch and comprising a pair of adjustable stop members, the upper tray comprising a pair of posts extending laterally from respective buccal sidewalls of the upper tray core, each post including a button disposed at an outboard end thereof, wherein each of the buccal sidewalls comprise a window section formed therein, wherein the window section comprises a sill that is disposed below an upper margin of the buccal sidewall, the pair of posts extending from the buccal sidewalls below the sill;
- and
- a lower tray adapted to be fitted over the user's mandibular arch and comprising a pair of fins extending from the lower tray, each of the fins being configured to engage a respective stop member to inhibit posterior movement of the lower tray when worn by the user, the pair of adjustable stop members being shiftable along the upper tray so as to set a desired degree of mandibular advancement when engaged with each of the fins,
- the upper tray comprising an upper tray core and the lower tray comprising a lower tray core having opposed maxilla and mandible-facing surfaces, the cores being formed from a first material having a first softening point temperature,
- each of the upper and lower trays further comprising an outer layer overmolded onto the core and covering the maxilla and mandible-facing surfaces, the outer layer being formed from a second material having a second softening point temperature that is less than the first softening point temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.