Patent ID: 7458810

Claim:
A dental appliance designed to be worn in a mouth of a user wherein the user has one or more types of teeth wherein one of the types of teeth is molars wherein a last molar is located furthest rearward into the mouth of the user, the dental appliance comprising: a generally U-shaped base having a top portion and a bottom portion wherein the generally U-shaped base has an occlusal surface wherein the occlusal surface contacts the teeth when the base is worn wherein the base has a thickness defined between a first end and a second end wherein the occlusal surface contacts each of the molars of the user when the base is worn to prevent the molar from achieving a malocclusion position wherein a socket is formed in the generally U-shaped base wherein the last molar is inserted into the socket and further wherein the first end and the second end extend beyond the last molar to a point further rearward into the mouth of the user than the last molar; and a hinge connecting the top portion to the bottom portion wherein the hinge has an upper plate that inserts into a top aperture in the top portion wherein the hinge has a lower plate that inserts into a bottom aperture in the bottom portion wherein the hinge may be removed and re-inserted into the upper aperture and the lower aperture to reversibly detach and re-attach the top portion to the bottom portion.