Patent ID: 7954496

Claim:
A dental appliance for preventing grinding contact between upper and lower teeth of a wearer, the appliance comprising: a base member having a Vicat softening temperature that is higher than the temperature to which the appliance is raised during the fitting process comprising: a generally U-shaped horizontal portion having: opposing first and second posterior sections for positioning between upper and lower molars of the wearer, the first and second posterior sections each comprising a peripheral portion having a set of peripheral features therein and central adhesion-enhancement features having a Vicat softening temperature higher than the temperature to which the appliance is raised during the fitting process; an anterior section disposed between the first and second posterior sections, the anterior section having an arcuate curvature substantially matching the curvature of the dental arch of the wearer; and one or more notches for accommodating horizontal flexure of the base member; and a substantially vertical portion connected to a forward edge of the anterior section of the horizontal portion, the vertical portion having an arcuate curvature substantially following the curvature of the anterior section of the horizontal portion; one or more anterior occlusal pads attached to an upper surface of the anterior section of the horizontal portion of the base member, the one or more anterior occlusal pads disposed adjacent the one or more notches in the horizontal portion of the base member and formed from a thermoplastic material having a Vicat softening temperature below that of the base member; first and second molar pads, each attached to an upper surface of a corresponding one of the first and second posterior sections of the horizontal portion of the base member and surrounded by the peripheral portions of the first and second posterior sections, the first and second molar pads formed from a thermoplastic material having a Vicat softening temperature below that of the base member; and a substantially vertical anterior flange attached to the vertical portion of the base member, the anterior flange formed from a thermoplastic material having a Vicat softening temperature below that of the base member.