Patents Examined by Hao D Mai
  • Semi-adjustable, arcon-type articulator
    Patent number: 9888986
    Abstract: Articulator—semiadjustable, arcon with lower and upper parts that could be detached from one another or interconnected, with two mechanical joints. An upper horizontal shoulder (5) is fixed to an elevator (4), said elevator (4) is connected to an upper vertical body (11) and can move vertically to adjust the vertical position. A lower vertical body (10) is fixed to the base (1) and holds an axis with two joint heads (14). The upper vertical body (11) is pivotably connected to the lower vertical body (10) through the two joint heads (14), the distance between the joint heads can vary due to an elastic element (18), thus reproducing the lateral shift. The articulation between the vertical bodies (11 and 10) can be locked and unlocked via an elbow shaped piece (13). The articulator lower part has an incisive platform (8) with a position angle that could be adapted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: F ARTICULATOR DENT EOOD
    Inventor: Andon Dimitrov Filtchev
  • Intake device
    Patent number: 9888989
    Abstract: Due to the low suction strength or an unsuitable positional relationship or distance between the suction feed and the oral cavity, conventional extra-oral intake devices exhibit the problem of not being able to fully suck particulate matter and droplets from teeth, shavings from repair products, saliva, bacteria, blood, rinse water, tooth surface cleaning agents, etc., that are dispersed to outside the oral cavity during practice. In order to improve suction strength, the present invention provides an intake device that is equipped with a protruding airflow-regulating member, the top of which is oriented in the direction in which the fluid flows into the opening part of the suction feed, and that can efficiently suck dispersed particulate matter and droplets within a wide range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA SANGI, TOHOKU UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Tsutomu Ishizaki, Kazushi Ohta, Shuji Sakuma, Tsunemoto Kuriyagawa
  • Conversion abutment for dental implants
    Patent number: 9883926
    Abstract: A conversion abutment that cements onto one-piece dental implants that convert the one-piece implant use to a retrievable screw retained implant use in retaining complete dentures, hybrids, partial dentures, or fixed screw retained crowns or bridges, allowing the flexibility to retain and remove these restorative prostheses. These conversion abutments can be fabricated as angled conversion abutments to be used with single or multiple implants placed at various angulations. The conversion abutment system consists of three parts: a cementable conversion abutment (straight or angled), a coping (short or extended), and an occlusal screw. The bottom part (or apical portion) of the implant conversion abutment will cement over the one-piece implant in use, while the top (or coronal portion) will allow a screw to fit through a coping into the implant conversion abutment, screwing the prostheses into place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Inventors: Harry A. Haralampopoulos, Nikol H. Haralampopoulos
  • System and method for obtaining an objective dental health analysis
    Patent number: 9833198
    Abstract: Implementations for obtaining objective measurements related to a patient's dental condition and reporting a patient's dental health based on these objective measurements are described herein. One or more of implementations can be used to provide an objective standard by which a patient's dental health can be evaluated. In some implementations, one or more numerical scores can be generated for a patient, where each score describes a different aspect of the patient's dental health. In some cases, a single dental health score can be generated to represent the patient's overall dental health. In some cases, dentists can use these implementations to improve the consistency and impartiality of their medical opinions, and to communicate more efficiently and effectively with others (e.g., other dentists, administrators, and patients).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Inventor: Francis J. Stapleton
  • Removable veneers for teeth
    Patent number: 9820828
    Abstract: The removable veneer for teeth is a cosmetic accessory adapted to overlay the teeth. The accessory includes a veneer designed to simulate perfectly positioned human teeth. A fastener system is employed to removably attach the veneer to the existing natural teeth of a user. Various teeth adornments may be attached to the veneer, if desired, when the wearer wants to assume a more modern look.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Inventor: Ibtesam M. Y. Mustafa
  • Paired templates for placing dental implants and enhancing registration for denture prosthetics attached to the implants
    Patent number: 9801699
    Abstract: A denture is registered and secured to implants with the help of paired surgical-prosthetic implants fabricated based on 3D imaging of the patient's mouth and the denture. The surgical template has guide holes that are located and oriented to guide dental instrumentation forming accurately located and oriented osteotomies for the implants. The prosthetic template conforms to the denture and has guide holes that are located and oriented such that connection holes in the denture can be formed through the guide holes in the paired prosthetic template. The connection holes clear the replacement teeth of the denture and line up with the implants. Attachment elements can be inserted through the connection holes in the denture to secure the denture to the implants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Inventor: Devin Okay
  • Intraoral device with bridge
    Patent number: 9788924
    Abstract: A dental mouthpiece is provided that may be attached to a high-suction dental adapter for the purpose of assisting the dental staff during dental procedures through chair-side, hands-free suction, and isolation. Such mouthpiece may include a main body portion, a cheek retractor portion, and a suction connector portion. In some embodiments, the main body portion, cheek retractor portion, and suction connector portion (and sub-portions thereof) may be molded in one piece, preferably by injection molding. In an exemplary embodiment, the mouthpiece may be made of a material that is flexible, translucent, conducive to injection molding, high heat-resistant, and autoclavable. Such a material may include silicone. Because the mouthpiece may be made of a high heat-resistant and autoclavable material, such a mouthpiece may be reusable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Dryshield, LLC
    Inventors: Thien Nguyen, Tam Thanh Pham
  • Centric relation bite registration tool
    Patent number: 9788919
    Abstract: The centric relation bite registration tool is a tool for recording the centric relation of a patient's mandible in order to obtain proper occlusion to fabricate a full mouth fixed dental prosthesis. The centric relation bite registration tool includes both a vertically adjustable portion and a horizontally adjustable portion. The vertically adjustable portion is adapted for mounting in a dental implant in the patient's mandibular arch, and the horizontally adjustable portion is adapted for mounting in a dental implant in the patient's maxillary arch. The vertically adjustable portion and the horizontally adjustable portion are releasably secured to one another between the mandibular and maxillary arches providing a single tool which is both horizontally and vertically adjustable for recordation of the proper occlusion between the patient's mandible and maxilla.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: KING SAUD UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Hanan Nejer Sahil Alotaibi, Sara Mohammad Al Taweel
  • Prosthodontic device with detachable suprastructure and related screw
    Patent number: 9770314
    Abstract: A detachable prosthodontic device includes an abutment, a suprastructure, and a screw. The abutment includes a hollow chamber. A screw hole is arranged on an abutment wall of the hollow chamber. The suprastructure is provided with a receiving region and an inner surface surrounding the receiving region. The screw includes a screw head and a screw rod. The screw head includes a contact member and a guiding member. When the screw is mounted in the screw hole, a portion of the screw head protrudes outward from an outer surface of the hollow chamber. When the suprastructure is sleeved onto the abutment, partial area of the outer surface of the hollow chamber contacts with partial area of the inner surface of the suprastructure, and the screw head supports an opposing side of the inner surface to apply a force onto the inner surface to thereby retain the suprastructure onto the abutment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Main Brilliant Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Takahico Sugiyama
  • Oral engagement assemblies
    Patent number: 9744014
    Abstract: Oral engagement assemblies and methods of using the oral engagement assemblies are provided. In a general aspect, the oral engagement assembly includes a mouthpiece having a handle and a support attached to the handle. A diagnostic receptacle is insertable into the mouth-piece to form the oral engagement assembly. One or more diagnostic sensors can be fixedly or releasably inserted into the diagnostic receptacle. Kits useful for making the oral engagement assemblies and using such oral engagement assemblies for diagnosing a condition or disease in the animal are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Nestec S.A.
    Inventors: Rebecca Smith, Thomas J. Blair, J. William Nottingham
  • Unextracted tooth root canal filler and dental tissue regeneration method for unextracted tooth
    Patent number: 9724368
    Abstract: Disclosed is a root canal filler for non-extracted tooth which causes no internal resorption or external resorption in a tooth with complete root formation, shows no odontoclast, and contributes to the regeneration of a dental tissue in which odontoblasts are smoothly aligned on the dentin wall. After pulpectomy or enlargement/cleaning of an infected root canal, a root canal filler for non-extracted tooth, which comprises tooth pulp stem cells and an extracellular matrix, is inserted into the apical side of the root canal of the non-extracted tooth. The tooth pulp stem cells may be, for example, dental pulp CXCR4-positive cells. It is preferred to attach, to the crown side of the root canal, migration factor(s) including at least one factor selected from among a cell migration factor, a cell proliferation factor, a neurotrophic factor and an angiogenic factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: NATIONAL CENTER FOR GERIATRICS AND GERONTOLOGY
    Inventors: Misako Nakashima, Koichiro Iohara
  • In-situ dental restoration process and apparatus
    Patent number: 9717573
    Abstract: A dental restoration method that eliminates time-consuming, labor-intensive steps conventionally needed to fabricate molds, and thereby facilitates dental restorations in a shorter time, while reducing the discomfort and embarrassment sometimes associated with provisional restorations involves scanning an existing dental structure to generate a three-dimensional digital model of the existing dental structure, generating a three-dimensional digital model corresponding with a planned dental structure, and using an additive manufacturing process and apparatus (e.g., a 3-D printer) to fabricate the planned dental structure directly on the existing dental structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Inventor: William C. Vuillemot
  • Shell plate for artificial teeth with arrangement assisting function
    Patent number: 9713515
    Abstract: An artificial teeth packaging container includes an artificial teeth accommodating portion for fixing a plurality of continuously arranged artificial teeth detachably, and holding an arrangement position relation with an adjacent artificial teeth and an arrangement position relation with an upper or lower artificial molar teeth, in which the artificial teeth accommodating portion covers the plurality of artificial teeth from an occlusal plane in a state exposed around a cervical portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA SHOFU
    Inventors: Hisashi Okada, Noriyuki Negoro, Kunihiro Fujii, Hirokazu Sato
  • Dental implant
    Patent number: 9693837
    Abstract: A dental implant system for supporting a cosmetic tooth prosthesis includes an elongated body adapted to be disposed in a jaw bone of a patient. The elongated body includes a distal end and a proximal end and extends along a longitudinal axis. The elongated body includes a tapered outer surface that tapers along the longitudinal axis distally from the proximal end of the elongated body. The outer surface of the tapered elongated body includes a plurality of barbs for securing the elongated body in the jaw bone of the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Inventor: Sue S. Lee
  • Apparatuses and methods for making a final hybrid prosthesis to be attached to dental implants
    Patent number: 9687327
    Abstract: The present invention includes apparatuses and methods for making a final hybrid prosthesis to be attached to one or more dental implants. One preferred method includes the step of making a temporary hybrid prosthesis and at about the same time also making a duplicate temporary hybrid prosthesis. The duplicate temporary hybrid prosthesis permits the final hybrid prosthesis to be made with fewer visits to a restorative dentist and with less dental laboratory time than is currently needed when making a final hybrid prosthesis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Inventor: Anthony James Prestipino
  • Base for an orthodontic appliance
    Patent number: 9687318
    Abstract: Base for an orthodontic appliance includes a base surface adapted to be attached to a tooth and a plurality of protrusions protruding from the base surface and extending along a first direction substantially from a first edge of the base surface to a second edge of the base surface, a second direction being defined as perpendicular to the base surface, wherein the distance between two of the protrusions in a plane substantially perpendicular to the first direction along at least a portion of the protrusions is smaller than the distance between the two protrusions at the base surface, and wherein the distance between two of the protrusions in planes substantially perpendicular to the second direction at the first edge and the second edge is larger than a distance between the two protrusions in a plane between the first and the second edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: ORTHODONTIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, S.L.
    Inventors: Luis Carriere Lluch, Jose Carriere Pons
  • Dental plier design with offsetting jaw and pad elements for assisting in removing upper and lower teeth utilizing the dental plier design
    Patent number: 9687315
    Abstract: A dental pliers and method for loosening teeth from an underlying bone and gum. Pivotally connected handles which each include a user grasping portion. The first handle terminates in an arcuately extending beak exhibiting a narrowed blade edge. The second handle terminates in an opposing pad support with an ergonomic configuration substantially matching that of the patient's gum line. Upon positioning the support along a buccal location at or below the gum line, and upon aligning the beak in abutting fashion against a lingual surface of a tooth, the pad support defines a center point of rotation proximate to an edge location of the gum line and bone. The handles are subsequently rotated in an outward fashion away from the patient's gum line to separate the tooth and its roots from the patient's gum line and bone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Beak and Bumper, LLC
    Inventor: Richard Golden
  • Dental implant system
    Patent number: 9687321
    Abstract: A dental-implant having a first implant part provided for being inserted into a jawbone and having a second implant part associated therewith, provided for fixing a dental prosthetic piece, the implant parts being mechanically connectable to each other via a connection pin which is formed onto one of the implant parts and which can be pushed into a receiving channel provided in the other implant part, and the outer cross-section of the connection pin and, matching said cross-section, the inner cross-section of the receiving channel associated therewith, each being designed in an indexing area as a polygon, shall enable a particularly simple mounting. For this purpose, the connection pin has at least two sections in the indexing area, the outer edges of the polygon being rounded more strongly in a first, end-side section than in a second section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: BIODENTA SWISS AG
    Inventors: Holger Zipprich, Huang Mao Sung
  • Dental covering removal tool
    Patent number: 9687316
    Abstract: A device for removing a dental covering having: (a) an engagement portion that is configured to contact a portion of the dental covering along only one of a facial side or a lingual side of the dental covering and receive a prying load applied by an operator; and (b) a load applying portion connected to the engagement portion which is adapted to rest upon an adjacent surface relative to the dental covering and be pivoted upwardly or downwardly by application of the prying load. The device may be a dental covering removal tool which may find particular use in removing dental coverings, such as temporary and permanent crowns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Inventor: Sami Maassarani
  • Electro-orthodontic device
    Patent number: 9662183
    Abstract: An electro-orthodontic appliance is provided that helps accelerate orthodontic tooth movement through the application of a controlled electrical current to gum and teeth, thus stimulating osteogenesis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: OrthoAccel Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael K. Lowe, Lawrence W. Swol