Patent ID: 7434582

Claim:
An oral appliance for maintaining long-term stability of one or more aspects of a user's masticatory system over an extended therapeutic period spanning numerous uses of the oral appliance, comprising: an upper arch adapted to receive at least some of a user's upper teeth, the upper arch comprising a single anterior substantially planar region, which is located substantially proximate a center of the upper arch and comprises an exposed substantially horizontal downward-facing surface; and a lower arch adapted to receive at least some of the user's lower teeth including the cuspids, the lower arch comprising a single anterior bearing point, which is located substantially proximate a center of the lower arch and comprises an exposed upward-facing surface, excepting the single anterior bearing point and any deformities associated with molds of the user's lower teeth the lower arch comprising a substantially uniform upward-facing surface, the lower arch being uncoupled from the upper arch, only a single point on the exposed upward-facing surface of the single anterior bearing point of the lower arch contacting and applying a force substantially vertically upward against the exposed substantially horizontal downward-facing surface of the single anterior substantially planar region of the upper arch, this single point on the exposed upward-facing surface of the single anterior bearing point being the only point of contact between the upper and lower arches; the single anterior bearing point and single anterior substantially planar region collectively maintaining the user's temporomandibular joint in its proper natural bite position during each of the numerous uses over the extended therapeutic period; the single anterior bearing point and single anterior substantially planar region collectively adapted to maintain long-term stability of one or more aspects of the user's masticatory system over the extended therapeutic period spanning the numerous uses of the oral appliance.