Abstract: A dental hygiene product in the form of a packet having a front panel and a back panel containing a pre-cut length of dental floss thread stored as a coil. The packet is severable into first and second packet portions, and opposite ends of the thread are affixed to respective packet portions which, after being severed, form grip tabs to facilitate withdrawal and use of the floss thread. A perimeter slit helps start the tearing of the packet. A plurality of packets may be constructed in strip-wise and matrix array configurations, and the packets may be separable along perforations. When constructed as a packet set, a single thread may define coiled portions for respective packets, and cuts may be made to sever the thread into thread units. A layer of tacky material may be disposed on a portion of the interior surface of one of the front and back panels to initially adhere the dental floss thread in a selected configuration on the interior surface of one of the panels.

Abstract: A cassette sanitary kit is described. The kit includes a cassette comprising a base with locations for the placement of a toothbrush and a handle between stop plates on the base, and locations for a soapsuds container and a shaving cream container between a stop and a division plate on the base, for attachment of a razor holder to a protruding block on the base, for the placement of nail clippers in a trough, for the arrangement of a cologne water container in a round hole on the base, for receiving a set of razor connecting elements in a track, and for the insertion of a comb in a cavity on the underside of the base.

Abstract: To provide for essentially uniform ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of all the nails of all the fingers of a hand of a user, a radiation source of essentially horseshoe shape is placed within a housing. The plane, in which the radiation source is located, is inclined with respect to the bottom wall (2) of the housing, on which the hand of the user is supported. The radiation is directed to impinge on the nails at about 90.degree.. The nail of the thumb also has radiation impinging at about 90.degree.. The radiation source may be a single, bowed, UV-emitting lamp, or may be built-up of straight lamp sections (12,13), e.g., two lamps along the housing sides for irradiating the thumbs, and one or two lamps across the housing to irradiate the nails of the index finger through little finger.

Abstract: A hair clip includes a base plate, a spring board and a retainer, the base plate pivotally supporting the retainer at one end, wherein the spring board is placed between the base plate and the retainer such that the spring board is stopped from extending lengthwise at both ends, whereby, when the retainer is latched to the free end of the base plate, the spring board is compressed lengthwise thereby to bend toward the base plate while holding the user's hairs against it.

Abstract: A vanity case includes a receptacle member, a tray and a cover member all hinged together at the rear ends thereof, and latch members formed on the receptacle member and the cover member for maintaining the tray and the cover member in a closed position. A hole is formed through the marginal portion of the tray for permitting the latch members to engage each other therein, and a cutout is formed in the marginal portion of the receptacle member, the cutout being defined by an inner wall and side walls. A push piece includes an upper end and a body having a lower end, the upper end being secured to the tray in such a manner as to permit at least the body to move inwardly while the body extends downwardly to close the cutout with the lower end abutting the inner wall when the vanity case is in the closed position.

Abstract: A dental apparatus is provided which includes a handle having a hollow interior and an end portion which is slightly curved to facilitate insertion in the oral cavity of a dental patient. Within the hollow interior, an air heater system is provided consisting of an air vortex tube. Air is delivered to one end of the vortex tube in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube causing the air to rapidly spin within the tube. The spinning air impinges upon an air flow control member at the opposite end of the tube which causes a portion of the air to deflect rearward toward its point of entry. This air is cool in temperature, and expelled from the rear of the tube. The non-deflected air is warm and directed out of the curved end portion of the handle. The invention further includes an adjustment system to control the temperature of air leaving the vortex tube.

Abstract: A transparent safety guard for use by manicurists. The safety guard includes an elongate concave flaring transparent shield securable to the wrist or ankle of a customer so that fingernail and toenail clippings which would otherwise propel towards the eyes of the manicurist or customer are prevented from doing so.

Abstract: This is concerned with a dental flossing mechanism in the nature of a hand tool which enables the user to easily floss his teeth, to easily change the floss between flossing operations, to easily install a new spool of floss as each spool is exhausted and to maintain a taut section of floss between arms while flossing is taking place primarily due to a novel floating axle floss spool with a ratchet mechanism effect.

Abstract: An endosseous implant including at least an embedding portion to be embedded in a living tissue, the embedding portion comprising any of a platelike body itself and a desired shape of body obtained by working the platelike body, the platelike body having orderly or disorderly a plurality of substantially straight tubular channels passing through the thickness of the platelike body for permitting the ingrowth and penetration of the adjacent bone tissue therein, the tubular channels including at least two kinds of three different pore diameters of large, medium, and small pore diameters respectively for permitting the ingrowth and penetration of a bone tissue, osteoid tissue, and fibrous tissue, whereby a polycapillary structure is built by the ingrowth and penetration of the at least two of the three kinds of tissues which pass through the thickness of the platelike body after the implantation.

Abstract: The prefabricated dental pontic of the present invention comprises a metal body having a mesiodistal dimension shorter than the span between the abutment teeth separating an edentulous space to be filled with the pontic and an arm extending from each opposite end of the metal body with each arm having a trough-like channel. A pontic connector is preferably used to mount each arm to a retaining member mounted on each abutment tooth.

Abstract: A template and method of marking a person's face. A formable sheet of plastic is placed onto a person's face in a heated condition and forced against the face to assume the face shape. A plurality of small circles are marked onto the formed sheet to define the various facial contour features. The sheet is then removed from the face and openings are created in the sheet along the contour lines. The sheet has an elastic band mounted thereon for subsequent remounting to the person's face. A marker is extended through the various openings against the face marking the contour lines created in the template onto the face.

Abstract: Photocurable restorative materials for making dental restorations usually are highly filled with fillers such as amorphous silica, quartz or glass powder having limited translucency to curing radiation. Thus the underside of the restoration may not become adequately photocured. Better curing at the underside is achieved by applying a coating of fluorescent or reflective material beneath the restorative material. When exposing the restorative material to radiant curing energy, the resulting fluorescence or reflectance by the coating enhances the degree of cure of the underside of the restoration.

Abstract: A hair curler has a barrel with an exposed heating element and a clamping member which clamps hair to the heating element exposed on the barrel for providing tight curls. The heating element is in the form of a plurality of resistor segments extending lengthwise of the barrel and being spaced circumferentially around the barrel with the longitudinal ends thereof being connected. The resistor segments, which are mounted at one circumferential portion of the barrel in closely adjacent relation to the clamping member, are arranged to give off a greater amount of heat than the remaining resistor segments mounted at the other circumferential portion of the barrel located away from the clamping member.

Abstract: A dental tool for polishing teeth with an abrasive-laden air stream, surrounded by a water curtain, includes a pistol-grip handle and a nozzle connected to a manifold at an obtuse angle to one another. A canister, located atop the manifold and having a detachable lid, houses abrasive powder and is connected between the air input and output lines of the manifold. A thumb-actuated plunger regulates the amount of air entering the canister, and thus controls the volume of the abrasive-laden air stream exiting the nozzle. The nozzle includes a pinched orifice for the abrasive-laden air stream so that it fans out across the surface of the tooth to be cleaned.

Abstract: A dental floss cleansing device which includes a floss chamber connected by a neck to a bow frame spaced from the chamber. The bow frame includes a post projecting from a proximal end of an elongated shaft having a curved distal end. The shaft is centrally grooved for floss guiding purposes. A debris protective shield extends from opposite sides of the shaft over a major portion of its length. A floss strand extends from the floss chamber along the floss guiding groove in the shaft to the curved distal end of the shaft. The floss strand extends in a bight back to the post, and is there secured.