Abstract: Method of making a customized orthodontic bracket. A bracket receiving area is determined on a three-dimensional tooth model of a patient's tooth, and a bracket base is provided with a tooth-facing surface that is shaped according to the shape of the bracket receiving area. An outline of a bracket head is determined on the tooth model, and the bracket head is provided with a bracket head surface that is shaped according to the shape within the bracket head outline. The bracket has an outer surface with a shape corresponding to the natural shape of the patient's tooth, which helps to minimize discomfort during orthodontic treatment with the brackets.

Abstract: An orthodontic bracket attachment system featuring brackets for orthodontic braces. The system features a wing located on a bracket facial side. The system features an adhesive indention located on a bracket lingual side. The orthodontic bracket is designed to be affixed to a surface of a tooth. Adhesive is applied to the bracket lingual side flowing into the adhesive indention. The bracket is affixed to the surface of the tooth via the adhesive.

Abstract: Methods of using a dental composition having a photobleachable dye and an acidic component with a pKa of less than 4.5 are disclosed. The photobleachable dye is selected from the group consisting of aminoanthraquinone dyes, azo dyes, and combinations thereof. The aged color of the dental composition is substantially the same as the color of the dental composition immediately after hardening.

Abstract: A method for treating a subject's teeth. A target configuration for the subject's teeth is determined. Receiving features are produced on a dental base in response to the target configuration, the receiving features being configured to receive physical tooth models. The physical tooth models are assembled on the dental base to form a physical arch model. A dental aligner is produced using the physical arch model to move the subject's teeth to the target configuration.

Abstract: An implant overdenture system is used to fix an implant overdenture onto alveolar ridge by the support of implants. The implant overdenture has artificial teeth, a denture base, and magnetic assemblies. The implants each have an implant body and a keeper. A largest circumscribed circle diameter d1 in an outer shape of a surface-to-be-attracted of the keeper is equal to or larger than ?1.8 mm, and a largest diameter d2 of the implant body is equal to or larger than ?1.2 mm and equal to or less than ?3.5 mm, and these largest diameters have a relationship expressed by d1/d2?1.5.

Abstract: An appliance fabricated to improve the appearance of a patient's smile includes a plurality of simulated teeth. The interior surfaces of each of the teeth closely fits and conforms to the surface of a patient's real teeth while the outer surfaces of each of the simulated teeth has an ideal surface configuration. The dental appliance provides the patient with the appearance of a perfect set of teeth and an ideal smile without a need to alter the dental structure of the patient's teeth.

Abstract: Casting jigs, methods, and kits that may be used in manufacture of anatomical healing caps. A casting jig may include a body having one or more wells within the body, each well being open at a proximal end thereof and having a negative shape corresponding to an anatomical healing cuff body of a given tooth position. The casting jig includes an opening through the bottom surface through which an elongate handle may be inserted, allowing a temporary abutment to be coupled into the distal end of the elongate handle, so that the abutment is disposed in the well, held in place by the handle, as it is used as a core about which the anatomical healing cuff body is formed. A crown forming jig for forming an inexpensive, chair-side prepared bis-acrylic temporary crown that may be easily and quickly installed over the anatomical healing cuff body is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a membrane for guided regeneration of bone and tissue comprising an organic base material and a new bone formation guide layer on one or both sides of the organic base material, the new bone formation guide layer containing a hydrophilic polymer and calcium phosphate.

Abstract: The orthodontic hand instrument includes a handle portion having a first end and an opposing second end, as well as a first shaft extending outward from the first end and a second shaft extending outward from the second end, each shaft having a working end. The working end of each shaft includes a stoop having a gingival head and an occlusal head, and a vertical slot extending between the gingival head and the occlusal head. Both the gingival head and the occlusal head of the stoop of each working end have a rectangular shape. The handle portion may have a knurled surface or other suitable griping surface for preventing the hand instrument from slipping out of the orthodontist's hand. Further, each shaft can include a tapered portion adjacent to the corresponding working end.

Abstract: In an endodontic procedure, after the working of a root canal by instruments to remove material and shape the walls of the canal, irrigant is supplied via a microcannula. A vacuum is applied via a tube which is inserted partway down the root canal. The irrigant is supplied in a manner sufficient to ensure delivery to a side vent of the microcannula. The vacuum at the end of tube draws the irrigant and debris up from the apex of the root canal into the tube. The side vent may have a plurality of more round holes, a diagonal slit, or a U shaped slit, or any other shape. The vent opening should not extend more than approximately 0.75 mm from the closed spherical tip of the microcannula, it must be burr free and the opening must be smaller than the internal diameter of the microcannula.

Abstract: A system and method for simultaneously (i) treating a patient's malocclusion by repositioning teeth from an initial tooth arrangement to a final tooth arrangement and (ii) treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea (“OSA”) by forcing the mandible forward comprises a plurality of (e.g., 10-30) sets of individual appliances. The appliances are configured to be placed successively on the patient's upper and lower dental arches and to incrementally reposition the teeth and forcing the jaw forward, during sleep. The system of appliances is preferably configured at the outset of treatment so that the patient may progress through treatment without the need to have the treating professional perform each successive step in the procedure.

Abstract: An implant fixture that is inserted into a bone tissue formed of a cortical bone and a cancellous bone while rotating on a central axis to thereby form an artificial tooth root, the implant fixture including a first portion that is inserted into the cortical bone and includes a first screw thread having first peaks and first roots alternating with one another on an outer surface of the first portion; and a second portion that is disposed below the first portion and inserted into the cancellous bone.

Abstract: A dental post removal device having a hollow tubular structure having a sidewall and distal and proximal open ends, an engaging feature positioned on insides of the sidewalls, and a fulcrum positioned on the hollow tubular structure adapted for pulling the hollow tubular structure and a dental post captured therein. The engaging features can be a series of openings formed through the sidewall of the hollow tubular structure, and/or the inner wall surfaces of the sidewall that is one of at least scored, textured, dimpled, coated with a high adhesion material or other type of surface preparation chemical, and/or internally threaded. The tubular structure is of generally constant outside diameter. The inner walls can either be of constant inner diameter, or can have an inner diameter that narrows from the distal end to the proximal end either continuously, or in discrete steps of increasingly smaller diameter.

Abstract: Provided is a system for endodontic treatment of a root canal. The system includes a handpiece containing a rotary motor adapted to rotate an endodontic file secured by the handpiece. A control unit executes a regime of motion of the motor to produce a regime of file motion in which episodes of oscillation of the file are separated by a rotation of the file. When the arc of a rotation is less than the arc of the oscillation that preceded the rotation, the arcs of the episodes of oscillation overlap and the formation of ridges in the root canal is avoided.

Abstract: Various features are provided for a custom orthodontic appliance manufacturing or designing system. These include features for inputting of data of patient anatomy and practitioner decisions, features for interactively or automatically manipulating data to arrive at applicant characteristics, and features for affecting design or manufacture of the appliance.

Abstract: A cannula for a multifunction dental syringe includes a fastener bushing that is defined by a circular opening, an end wall, and a side wall comprising a circular cylinder. The cannula also includes at least two channels enabling fluids to be conveyed separately or together from the end wall to fluid projection orifices, and beginning in the end wall beside each other. The cannula is arranged so that the circular cylinder presents a cutout in the thickness of its wall. The cutout comprises, going from the opening, at least one segment extending in a direction other than the axial direction of the cylinder; followed by a longitudinal segment extending towards the end wall.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an implant structure assuring that substances accelerating breeding of bacteria are hard to be induced. The implant structure comprises: an artificial tooth root including an artificial tooth root main body having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion and a thread being formed at least on the distal end portion side and an induction portion for inducing a soft tissue provided on an outer periphery of the proximal end portion of the artificial tooth root main body; and a support base having a covering portion at the proximal end portion side of the support base covering the whole surface of the proximal end portion side of the induction portion, wherein the support base is provided with a step portion along its outer periphery from the covering portion toward a distal end side of the support base.

Abstract: There is provided an applicator cartridge for delivery of a photoactivatable composition to a treatment site, having an applicator head and a reservoir adapted to receive the composition, which may be used with a photodynamic therapy device comprising an illuminating member. Methods of using the applicator cartridge and the device are also provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a dental drill that has a shank (1) and a work section. The shank contains a centrally arranged, continuous first channel (3). The work section contains one or more continuous, spiral-shaped further channels (4a, 4b). The first channel and the further channels open into a common chamber (5) connecting the shank and the work section. The shank is sintered with the work section in order to form a one-piece, sintered component that encloses the chamber connecting the shank and the work section.

Abstract: A denture is manufactured in a single visit using a pre-formed dental template chosen from a plurality of different sized dental templates, based on the size of a patient's alveolar edentulous ridge. The dental template includes a base acrylic with prosthetic teeth attached thereto. A viscous material such as an acrylic is added to the selected dental template and the dental template with the added viscous material is placed on the patient's alveolar edentulous ridge. The viscous material is then allowed to solidify to form a rigid or semi-rigid material with the template in proper position in three planes and properly border molded. After solidification a denture is formed that consists of a first base acrylic portion in conterminous relation with a second portion formed of the solidified material that had been added as a viscous material, and with teeth joined to the base acrylic portion.