AU782801B2

AU782801B2 - Anti-snoring appliance

Info

Publication number: AU782801B2
Application number: AU72440/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: David Rodwell; Hilton Wasilewsky
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Rodwell David
Priority date: 1999-12-20
Filing date: 2000-12-20
Publication date: 2005-09-01
Anticipated expiration: 2020-12-20
Also published as: AU7244000A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT DR IIILTOM WA L ,IWI DAVID RODWELL Invention Title: ANTI-SNORING APPLIANCE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 ANTI-SNORING APPLIANCE The present invention relates to appliances to hold a patient's mandible (jaw) from moving relatively rearwardly during sleep and thereby tending to reduce airway clearances and to reduce a tendency to snoring and sleep apnoea.

One known device of this type is a moulded product which is moulded to fit over the patient's upper set of teeth and gums to retain the device in position, a moulded depending skirt portion engaging behind the patient's front teeth to hold the mandible in a forward position.

Problems with this type of device include discomfort for a patient with a tendency towards salivation and involuntary spitting out of the device even during sleep.

Another published device is described in international patent specification W095/19746 (A A Lowe) and Australian equivalent specification 679316. That ""-device comprises upper and lower bite blocks interconnected with a connector with an adjustable interconnection to vary the forward position of the lower bite block.

The prior art summarised above is that found on searching and is not admitted to be generally known or common general knowledge.

According to the present invention, there is provided a device having upper and lower bite blocks for a patient S"each adapted to be held when in use on the upper and lower teeth sets and/or gums of a patient, a connector located in the palatal region and linking the upper and lower bite blocks and adapted to hold the lower bite block in a relatively forward position to resist the patient's mandible moving rearwardly during sleep, the connector permitting limited relative motion between the upper and 40543.DOC -3 lower bite blocks including permitting articulation of the mandible.

Preferably, the connector includes an adjustment element to permit the position of the lower bite block to be set relative to the upper bite block and adjustable in the forward and rearward direction. Most preferably, this adjustment is provided by a screw connector having first and second elements which are displaced relative to one and another by adjustment of a screw which in normal use is retained in a fixed position.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are those in which the connector has an upper mounting arm connected to a posterior portion of the upper bite block and has a lower mounting arm connected to an anterior portion of the lower bite block.

An especially beneficial form of the invention is one in which the upper mounting arm comprises first and second elongate arm portions having respective tips which are pivotally mounted in respective sockets in the left and right inner faces of the upper bite block. Similarly, it is most preferable that the lower mounting arm comprises first and second forward arm portions which have respective tip portions pivotally mounted in sockets in the left and right inner faces of the lower bite block.

Advantageously, the appliance includes means for S. mounting biasing elements such as elastic bands which normally urged the upper and lower bite blocks towards one and another.

Embodiments of the invention can readily be fabricated using known techniques and materials.

In summary, a most advantageous and preferred embodiments of the invention is a device comprising upper and lower bite blocks for a patient each adapted to be 40543.DOC 4 held when in use on the upper and lower teeth sets and/or gums of a patient, a screw adjustable connector having upper and lower arms for pivotal connection respectively to a posterior portion of the upper bite block and an anterior portion of the lower bite block, the pivotal connections being through tips of arm portions and wherein the tips extend outwardly from the centre line of the device into receiving sockets in the inner side walls respectively of the upper and lower bite blocks, screw adjustment permitting the position of the lower bite block in the forward direction to be adjusted relative to the upper bite block.

Experiments have determined that the device can be economically constructed by a dental laboratory using upper and lower set impressions of a patient and using a commercially available stainless steel adjuster as is used in orthodontic work. The dental laboratory fabricates the *connecting arms to suit the particular patient's dimensions and geometry. Thus, the upper and lower bite 20 blocks are essentially of the nature of light weight, thin plastic splints as are used in dental procedures and a high degree of comfort can be provided for the patient.

Particularly where the preferred embodiment is employed with free pivotal connections at both bite blocks, a very light weight wire framework can provide the connector and the mounting arms thereby providing maximum S"airway clearance and comfort for the patient.

**For illustrative purposes only, a preferred :embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a side view of a device embodying the invention in a first embodiment; 40543.DOC 5 Figure 2 is a side view of a second embodiment having the additional feature of elastic band biasing for urging the bite block into contact; and Figure 3 is a diagram showing the embodiment of Figure 1 opened out with the upper bite block rotated backwardly through 1800 with the upper bite block having its rearward portions removed for ease of viewing.

The embodiment of Figures 1 and 3 comprises a lower bite block 10 and an upper bite block 11 moulded in a lightweight plastic material to form thin bite blocks or splints. Conventional laboratory techniques are used using impressions prepared by a dentist of the upper and lower teeth sets of the patient. Figure 1 schematically shows the cavities 12 in the bite blocks corresponding to the shape of the patient's teeth. Thus, the bite blocks slip into position and engage firmly and readily retain in the position due to the close fit provided.

An adjustable connector 13 interconnects the bite blocks is best shown in Figure 3 and comprises a pair of upper arms 15 and a pair of lower arms 16. The arms and 16 are of stainless steel wire having free tips which are pivotally mounted in metal sockets 17 which extend into the bite blocks from the inner surface thereof. The S"inner ends of the arms 15 and 16 are fixed into a screw 25 adjustable connector element 18. The connector element 18 has a rear body part 19 and a front body part 20 having respective central screw threaded bores for screwthreadedly engaging a screw element 21. The end of the screw can be engaged with an adjustment wrench and, upon rotation of the screw, relative motion of the front and rear parts 19 and 20 occurs to adjust and set the relative position.

40543.DOC 6 The inner ends of the arms 15 are welded to the exterior of the rear part 20 and the inner end portions of the arms 16 pass through bores 22 in the front block 20 in which the arms are soldered, the free tips extending rearwardly to engage the clearance bores 23 in the rear part 19.

As shown in Figure 2, this embodiment includes at each side of the appliance an upper pin 24 and lower pins in the lower bite block 10 whereby an elastic band 26 can be secured over the pins in order to bias the bite blocks towards one and another. Each of the pins 24 and has a shaft portion secured in the bite block and a small head for retaining the elastic band.

o* oo* o oo oe 40543. DOC

Claims

1. A device having upper and lower bite blocks for a patient each adapted to be held when in use on the upper and lower teeth sets and/or gums of a patient, a connector located in the palatal region and linking the upper and lower bite blocks and adapted to hold the lower bite block in a relatively forward position to resist the patient's mandible moving rearwardly during sleep, the connector permitting limited relative motion between the upper and lower bite blocks including permitting articulation of the mandible.

2. A device as defined in Claim 1, wherein the connector includes an adjustment element to permit the position of the lower bite block to be set relative to the upper bite block and adjustable in the forward and rearward direction.

3. A device as defined in Claim 2, wherein the adjustment is provided by a screw connector having first and second elements which are displayed relative to one and another by adjustment of a screw which in normal use is retained in a fixed position. A device as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector has an upper mounting arm connected to a posterior portion of the upper bite block :and has a lower mounting arm connected to an anterior 30 portion of the lower bite block. A device as defined in Claim 4, wherein the upper mounting arm comprises first and second elongated eeo* 8 arm portions having respective tips which are pivotally mounted in respective sockets in the left and right inner faces of the upper bite block.

6. A device as defined in Claim 5, wherein the lower mounting arm comprises first and second forward arm portions which have respective tip portions pivotally mounted in sockets in the left and right inner faces of the lower bite block.

7. A device as defined in any one of the above claims, wherein the appliance includes means for mounting biasing elements which normally urge the upper and lower bite blocks towards one and another.

8. A device as defined in Claim 7, and in combination with elastic bands to provide the biasing elements.

9. A device having upper and lower bite blocks for a patient each adapted to be held when in use on the upper and lower teeth sets and/or gums of a patient, a screw adjustable connector having upper and lower arms for pivotal connection respectively to a posterior portion of 25 the upper bite block and an anterior portion of the lower block, the pivotal connections being through tips of arm portions and wherein the tips extend outwardly from the centre line of the device into receiving sockets in the inner side walls respectively of the upper and lower ooo 30 bite blocks, to permit articulation of the mandible, and screw adjustment permitting the position of the lower bite block in the forward direction to be adjusted relative to .the upper bite block. ooo* 9 A device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 1 st Day of June 2005 DAVID RODWELL By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK 0 *0 o• o ee• e• ••go