Patent ID: 7178529

Claim:
A nocturnal oral airway dilator comprising a) a first mouthpiece element for engaging a wearer's teeth on an upper jaw, said first mouthpiece having an anterior portion and a pair of posterior portions; b) a second separate mouthpiece element for engaging a wearer's lower teeth on a mandible, said second mouthpiece having an anterior portion and a pair of posterior portions; c) a first pair of ramp surfaces, one on each of said posterior portions of said first mouthpiece element, said first ramp surfaces sloping from a minimum dimension toward said posterior portion and a maximum dimension toward said anterior portion; d) a second pair of ramp surfaces, one on each of said posterior portions of said second mouthpiece element for engaging said first pair of ramp surfaces, said second ramp surfaces sloping from a maximum dimension toward said posterior portion and a minimum dimension toward said anterior portion; whereby when said second mouthpiece element is adjusted so as to extend the wearer's mandible forward by an additional amount relative to the wearer's upper jaw, engagement between said first and second pair of ramp surfaces causes the mandible to be moved vertically away from the upper jaw by an additional amount.