UPDATE: Oventus have successfully completed clinical trials on the sleep apnoea mouthguard. The device is now available through clinicians in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, the Gold Coast and Cairns. To find out more visit the Oventus website: http://oventus.com.au/
Our 3D printing experts have been on the grind with dental company Oventus to help over a million Aussies suffering from sleep apnoea breathe easy and stop snoring—their bed buddies might just thank us too.
The team have created the first 3D printed mouth piece, which allows air to flow through to the back of the throat, avoiding obstructions from the nose, the back of the mouth and tongue. Is there anything 3D printing can’t do?
Up close and personalised: The 3D printed mouthguard.
This is how it works: A patient’s mouth is scanned to create a mini ‘road map’ of the mouth. This scan is then transformed into a CAD file and can be fed through our 3D printer.
Eight hours later, ta-da! A perfectly fitting, titanium mouthguard.
Sounds super comfortable right? It actually is. The device is coated in medical grade plastic, making it easy to wear and leaving not a metal mouth in sight.
Sleep apnoea occurs when the air passage in the throat becomes blocked during sleep and causes people to stop breathing. In severe cases, people can suffer hundreds of events per night and one of the biggest symptoms? Snoring.
The breakthrough mouthguard has a ‘duckbill’ which extends from the mouth like a whistle and the sides of the guard divide into two separate airways.
Since it is used only on the top teeth it is more compact than treatments on the market, which include devices that push the lower jaw forward to open up the airway or in more severe cases; a face mask which creates a continuous flow of air.
Our 3D printing expert, John Barnes, said the technology is opening new doors for treatments of a range of medical issues globally.
“When Oventus came to us with this idea, we were really excited. The possibilities of 3D printing are endless and the fact that we can now design and print a completely customised mouthpiece for patients is revolutionary.
“We can print up to ten of these in a print run, which takes about 8 hours. It’s an exciting prospect for people suffering from the debilitating disorder and the design offers significant benefits which cannot be achieved with more traditional manufacturing techniques.”
Time to say goodbye to snoring. Image: Flickr/wolfhunter
The device is undergoing further trials and is expected to be available to patients next year.
Thanks to 3D printing, we can say goodnight to sleep apnoea.
And goodbye to snoring.
* * *
CSIRO’s additive manufacturing facility, Lab 22, is currently being used to manufacture a range of prototype products including biomedical implants, automotive, aerospace and defence parts for Australian industry.
Media: Angela Beggs | angela.beggs@csiro.au | 03 9545 2977 | 0477 337 920
11th February 2015 at 11:39 pm
i have been diagnosed with severe sleep apnoea.
I saw an article on Channel 9 News some time ago and have been trying to establish the dental clinic which provides this titanium appliance. Any help would be appreciated. For several years I have been using a CPAP mask and pump. This has reduced the frequency of events but my count is still twice normal acceptance.
How do I get one of these appliances?
I live in Mulgrave Victoria.
Robert Jones
12th February 2015 at 10:09 am
Hi Robert,
Thanks for getting in touch with us. Unfortunately these 3D printed mouth pieces are in the trial phase at the moment, though we are hoping that they will be available for patients soon. In the meantime, we recommend that you keep an eye on the Oventus website for updates – http://www.oventus.com.au/.
We also have some additional information on the device from a recent blog – https://blog.csiro.au/2014/12/18/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-good-nights-sleep/ – the information you are interested is at the bottom of the article.
Regards,
Adam
Social media team
5th January 2015 at 5:40 pm
I live in country wa and i would like to known how to get 1 of your mouth guards . it sounds just awesome . cheers
6th January 2015 at 1:41 pm
Hi Robbie,
Thank you for your interest. We have an article with more up to date information here: https://blog.csiro.au/2014/12/18/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-good-nights-sleep/
The pertinent information is at the bottom of the article.
Regards,
Jesse Hawley
Social Media Team
5th January 2015 at 10:13 am
Hi,
My 63 year old husband suffered a mild stroke or TIA in September 2014.
He is one of the lucky ones & is on the road to complete recovery – thanks to great after care – diet – exercise – changing his lifestyle.
Unfortunately he has always snored & slept fitfully.
Since the mild stroke, this has worsened & a sleep study was recommended & undertaken.
He was found to stop breathing 49 times in an hour during the study.
Sleep apnea was his diagnosed condition.
Explaining his extreme fatigue & lethargy. Falls asleep whenever he sits down.
A CPAP machine was recommended, but is very costly.
We would be very interested in being part of any trials for your new mouth piece.
We are signing up for your newsletter & will follow your progress with great interest.
Thank you
Jan
5th January 2015 at 2:10 pm
Hi Janice
Thank you for your comment. We have an update on this story that you can see here – https://blog.csiro.au/2014/12/18/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-good-nights-sleep/
In particular, there is some information at the bottom of the post for interested patients.
We hope things work out for you and your husband.
best
Carol Saab
Social media team
5th January 2015 at 1:53 am
I would really like to give this a go. For some reason the machines are very uncomfortable for me so there for I stru to use it. This may help me with my problem and getting a good night sleep.
5th January 2015 at 2:11 pm
Hi Suzanne
We’ve had an update to this story that you can see here – https://blog.csiro.au/2014/12/18/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-good-nights-sleep/
In particular, there is some information at the bottom of the post for interested patients.
All the best with it.
Carol Saab
Social media team
4th January 2015 at 11:31 pm
With regards to price I see no reason for it to be so high. If priced right say $100 to $150 dollars each with 1 million Australians needing one you got AUD$150 mil. You cannot tell me that this would not be enough to cover all research for your life time and decent profit.
I do not see need for such greed. What about the rest of the world. Your could charge them USD$ 350.00 and it will still be generously prices. This can earn you billions at this low price your device can be sold over the internet. Dentists can be authorised to scan and send info in and they can charge normal dental fees that are claimable for this.
All current masks and devices are about this ridiculous price of $1500 which stops people from buying it and greed will continue to make millions world wide suffer unnecessarily. This is where we as humans fail to do things for fellow human and still make money.
Always remember story of Nikola Tesla and Mr Westinghouse, where Tesla tears up the royalty agreement worth billions in 1906 to help him swim out of financial trouble. Do you think Mr Westinghouse remembered this when Tesla was old and with no income. Of course not, green my friend greed.
5th January 2015 at 2:16 pm
Hi Kosta,
Thank you for your comment. We do not produce this product ourselves – our commercial partner Oventus do.
6th January 2015 at 2:57 pm
Hi Carol, Thanks for your response, I guess you need to assess whether your partner is taking to large a share. Very often middle man end up making all the money, inventor gets very little about 10% and public/consumer gets screwed. I am not privileged to know what your are making out of this deal but I think my pricing is right on the money as it will give you volumes that can be than produced for much less than currently is.