Bilateral tongue base repositioner

Abstract

A bilateral tongue base repositioner holds the lateral borders of the tongue base inferiorly and anteriorly by means of lateral tongue base contacting pads located at the posterior ends of a wire framework that rotates around and slides through slots at the posterior ends of the buccal walls of an upper oral appliance. The contour of the lateral tongue base contacting pads is flat transversely, with an inferior and anterior facing concavity. The inferiorly and anteriorly facing surfaces of the lateral tongue base contacting pads also have an intricately textured tongue gripping surface provided by transversely oriented grooves with anteriorly slanted walls that grip the tissue on top of the sides of the tongue base to prevent it from slipping posteriorly into the pharynx. The wire framework comprises two antero-posteriorly oriented arms that are connected posteriorly by a transverse member. Each arm has an anterior end that is bent sharply inward (medially) to engage an apertured positioning plate attached to the buccal wall of the upper oral appliance. The anterior ends of the arms can be forced laterally out of one set of apertures and shifted into a different set of apertures to adjust the position of the lateral tongue base contacting pads.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.