Oral device for mandibular advancement and medial tongue constraint
AssigneeApnicure, Inc.
InventorsMatthias Vaska, Jonathan L. Podmore, John Edwards Crowe, Sean Christopher Daniel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An oral device for temporary placement in a patient's oral cavity includes upper and lower jaw braces and a tongue-engaging member. The upper and lower jaw braces are connected so that the lower jaw brace is advanced in an anterior direction relative to the upper jaw brace when the upper and lower jaw braces are closed together. A partial vacuum is drawn in the oral cavity and the vacuum and lower jaw displacement together control the position of the tongue in order to clear the patient's airway to reduce sleep apnea or treat other conditions.
Claims28
An oral device for temporary placement in a patient's oral cavity, said device comprising:
- an upper jaw brace;
- a lower jaw brace;
- and
- a tongue-engaging member coupled to at least one of the upper jaw brace and the lower jaw brace, said tongue-engaging member being disposed to engage a medial region of the tongue when the upper jaw brace is positioned on the upper jaw;
- wherein the upper jaw brace and the lower jaw brace are configured so that the lower jaw brace is advanced in an anterior direction relative to the upper jaw brace.
A method for maintaining an open airway in a patient having an oral cavity, a tongue, and a palate, said method comprising:
- engaging a member against a medial region of the tongue to provide a clearance between the medial region and the palate;
- and
- applying a vacuum within the oral cavity to draw together the soft palate and a posterior region of the tongue;
- and
- advancing a lower jaw of the patient forward relative to an upper jaw while applying the vacuum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.