Oral/Dental appliances are designed to open the airway by suspending the tissues that are responsible for most of the obstruction; namely the tongue. Since the tongue is attached to the under surface of the jaw, moving the jaw forward restricts the tongue’s ability to fall back into the Oral Pharynx. This concept is not new. It is taught to you if you have ever take a CPR course (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or watched an anesthesiologist put someone to sleep. CPAP does the very same thing but instead of changing the jaw position it uses air pressure to support the tongue forward.
Dorsal wing oral appliances utilizes the wing to make contact with the opposing mouthpiece to position the lower jaw forward. Depending on how far forward the upper contact point is set, the more the lower jaw will protrude.
