Oral Appliance for Maintaining Stability of One or More Aspects of a User's Masticatory System

An oral appliance for maintaining long-term stability of one or more aspects of a user's masticatory system over an extended therapeutic period spanning numerous uses of the oral appliance, comprising:

• an arch adapted to receive at least some of the user's teeth, the arch being uncoupled from any opposing arch when the user bites down with the oral appliance inserted in the user's mouth during each of the numerous uses over the extended therapeutic period, the arch comprising an elongated anterior bearing platform centered approximately on a midline of the arch and contacting and applying a force substantially vertically against an opposing surface when the user bites down with the oral appliance inserted in the user's mouth and the user's temporomandibular joint in its proper natural position to help maintain stability of one or more aspects of the user's masticatory system during each of the numerous uses over the extended therapeutic period;
• the anterior bearing platform adapted to maintain long-term stability of one or more aspects of the user's masticatory system over the extended therapeutic period spanning the numerous uses of the oral appliance.