Snoring and sleep apnea prevention device and methods

A mouth appliance for maintaining effective airflow in a user's airway, comprising:

• a frame adapted to engage the user's teeth to retain the frame in a selected position in the user's mouth in accord with the user's natural bite, the frame having left and right portions thereof;
• a flexible pivoting bar mounted to the frame;
• a tongue depressor pivotally connected to and disposed beneath the pivoting bar and adapted to extend downwardly from and below the frame to a rear portion of the user's throat and to pivot on the pivoting bar to exert forward pressure directly on the user's tongue in the area of the user's soft palate, thereby facilitating comfort and ease in occasional swallowing, while providing airflow effectiveness to prevent the user from snoring and experiencing sleep apnea symptoms;
• a clamp bracket, the clamp bracket comprising channels for receiving distal portions of the flexible pivoting bar therein and a fastener for securing the clamp bracket to the tongue depressor, to thereby secure the distal portions of the flexible pivoting bar to the tongue depressor;
• wherein first and second portions of the flexible pivoting bar extend along and from corresponding ones of the left and right portions of the frame, the first and second portions of the flexible pivoting bar each extending from the frame and being secured to the tongue depressor, and further wherein the distal portions of the flexible pivoting bar comprise a plurality of notches, the plurality of notches being configured to engage with a plurality of notches disposed on a cover plate comprising a portion of the clamp bracket.

A mouth appliance for maintaining effective airflow in a user's airway, comprising:

• a frame adapted to engage the user's teeth to retain the frame in a selected position in the user's mouth in accord with the user's natural bite, the frame having left and right portions thereof;
• a flexible pivoting/tension bar mounted to the frame;
• a tongue depressor pivotally connected to and disposed beneath the pivoting/tension bar and adapted to extend downwardly from and below the frame to a rear portion of the user's throat and to pivot on the pivoting/tension bar to exert forward pressure directly on the user's tongue in the area of the user's soft palate, thereby facilitating comfort and ease in occasional swallowing, while providing airflow effectiveness to prevent the user from snoring and experiencing sleep apnea symptoms;
• wherein first and second portions of the flexible pivoting/tension bar extend along and from corresponding ones of the left and right portions of the frame, the first and second portions of the flexible pivoting/tension bar each extending from the frame and being secured to the tongue depressor;
• and further wherein the flexible pivoting/tension bar comprises a single continuous piece,
• and the first and second portions of the flexible pivoting/tension bar which extend along each of the left and right portions of the frame-comprise opposed ends of the flexible pivoting/tension bar.