Combined orthodontic movement of teeth with airway development therapy

Abstract

Systems, devices and methods are disclosed for reshaping airways concurrently with dental and / or orthodontic treatment. The systems can have a series of two or more oral appliances configured to progressively reposition the maxillary and mandibular teeth in two or more successive steps. Each oral appliance in the series can have one or more maxillary blocks, one or more mandibular blocks, a maxillary oral tray, and a mandibular oral tray. One or more maxillary blocks can be attached to or integrated with the maxillary oral tray. One or more mandibular blocks can be attached to or integrated with the mandibular oral tray. The maxillary and mandibular oral trays can be configured to move one or more teeth from a tooth first position to a tooth second position. The maxillary and mandibular blocks can be configured to interact with one another to treat sleep breathing disorders.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 710,604 filed Sep. 20, 2017, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 397,749 filed Sep. 21, 2016, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.BACKGROUND1. Technical Field[0002]Systems, devices and methods for reshaping airways are disclosed. More specifically, systems, devices and methods are disclosed for reshaping airways concurrently with dental and / or orthodontic treatment.2. Background of the Art[0003]Airway disorders affect a large portion of the population and are regarded as multifactorial conditions with a multitude of etiologies and treatment modalities. Orthodontic treatment can aid in the development of the airway a treatment modality for airway disorders, the current invention allows for the combined use of orthodontic and airway treatment modalities.[0004]Airway...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent is about a system and method for treating sleep breathing disorders by combining orthodontic movement and dental treatment. The system includes oral appliances that can move teeth, advance the mandible, increase interocclusal separation, and expand the palate. The appliances can have maxillary and mandibular blocks that guide the movement of teeth. The system can also have dental trays and oral aligner trays. The technical effects of this patent include improved treatment for sleep breathing disorders that can simultaneously move teeth and reshape the airway.

Problems solved by technology

In children, physical and cognitive development can be delayed or stunted.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a major health risk that various oral and dental appliances have been addressing for years.

However, these appliances merely address the symptoms associated with OSA—they are not therapeutic in nature.

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