Dental Sleep Medicine Intraoral Snoring-Therapy-Appliance IST®-Appliance Snoring is not only a widespreaded acoustical phenomenon, but it can also indicate a serious and potentially life-threatening health problem. A considerable part of the population suffers from breathing problems during sleep, e.g. obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which can be the reason for different heart diseases. An appropriate diagnosis is necessary to distinguish ordinary snoring from OSA. The diagnosis is made by sleep physicians, pulmonologists, ear, nose and throat specialists, sleep disorder centres and dental professionals. A parameter may be the ApnoeHypopnoe-Index (AHI) as well as the measuring of oxygen saturation of the blood by a pulse oxymetry, the CO2 concentration of the blood and the vigilance of the patient. Thanks to interdisciplinary cooperation with dentists many cases of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea can be treated successfully with the Intraoral Snoring Therapy Appliance (IST® appliance). The IST® appliance suppresses snoring by moving the lower jaw forward. This measurably reduces the obstruction in the pharyngeal area. The forward position of the mandible is achieved using vestibular guided telescopes. This construction allows a controlled protrusion of the lower jaw without impairing the tongue space, to maximize patient acceptance. The unique construction of the telescopes offers very important advantages: The protrusion of the lower jaw can be modified up to 3 - 5 mm by means of a thread. An end stop in the guiding sleeve prevents the telescope from disengaging, so that problems associated with loose intraoral hardware can be reduced. The mounting of the telescopes on the fastening parts is made by special O-rings (or optionally by secured hexagon socket screws) to exclude the danger of swallowing or aspirating parts which might come off. The telescopes are available in three different lengths (HF 5 / HF 9 / HF 15). The choice of the length is subject to the distance between the fixing points to be determined between lower canine and upper molar. The necessary fastening elements are polymerized into 2 mm hardelastic DURAN® pressure moulded splints. Advantages of this construction: Perfect breathing through the mouth. Increased compliance of the patient by small size. Controlled lateral and vertical tolerances help to minimize negative effects on the temporomandibular joints

Minimum length maximum total length activation length Maximum length A bite registration in protrusion is mandatory for the fabrication of an IST® device. Information on the fabrication can be found here. The positioning aid for the IST® fastening elements guarantees the greatest possible lateral movements. It provides the exact angle position in accordance to the 12° angulation of the upper jaw telescopes. The teflon bushes avoid at the same time impurities on the axes of the fixing elements when polymerizing. The safety key enables the controlled adjustment of the guiding telescopes directly...