Patents Examined by Heidi M Eide
  • Patent number: 11638632
    Abstract: The present invention provides a dental implant including: a fixture and an abutment including a coupling leg, and the fixture and the abutment are elastically coupled with each other, the dental implant including: a fixture axial hole inner inclined surface in which an inner diameter of an axial hole is gradually and downwardly reduced from a predetermined position of an inner inclined surface of the fixture; a first coupling part formed with a coupling hole at a predetermined position of the fixture; and a first associated coupling part formed with a coupling protrusion complementarily coupled with the first coupling part, wherein when the first associated coupling part is separated from the first coupling part by rotating the abutment, the coupling protrusion upwardly pushes the abutment from the fixture by elastic repulsion with the axial hole inner inclined surface of the fixture, thus the abutment becomes separated from the fixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: DENFLEX CO., LTD
    Inventors: Hyung Woo Kim, Gyun Hwan Kim
  • Patent number: 11633259
    Abstract: In some embodiments, the current invention relates to a method and/or system for using a standard dental handpiece for endodontic cleaning. For example, a dental adapter is disclosed having a fitting for a standard dental handpiece, a torque limiter and/or a mount for an endodontic file. For example, the adapter may be single use and/or multi use. In some embodiments, the mount includes the torque limiter. For example, an endodontic file may be connected to the mount with a friction fitting that allows rotation of the file with respect to the mount at high torque. Optionally the mount is positioned eccentrically with respect to the fitting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Inventor: Arie Becker
  • Patent number: 11628041
    Abstract: A new dental bur with specific dimensions that enable the bur to be used for cutting and trimming filling material under the gum tissues and between teeth. The bur includes a safe end. The bur also includes an angled flat cutting surface and an angled flat surface of the safe end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Inventor: Christopher Morris
  • Patent number: 11628042
    Abstract: An endodontic instrument of this disclosure has less torque strength but greater flexibility and enlarged chip space compared to the prior art. In embodiments. only two flutes are spiraled about the instrument's length L to form two non-landed cutting edges between D2 and D16, the cutting edges merging to form a land at about D1. The tip end is rounded. The helical angle ? increases from the handle end toward the tip end, a number of spirals per unit length being at least two times greater toward the tip end than toward the handle end, a cross-section of the length L consisting of two convex portions intersecting at each cutting edge or a wave-shape having one concave portion and one convex portion intersecting at each cutting edge, the cross-section occupying less total area than would a same size endodontic instrument having a triangular cross-section and providing greater chip space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Inventor: William B. Johnson
  • Patent number: 11622841
    Abstract: A toothbrush system configured to be coupled to an external suction source. The toothbrush system includes a shaft with a main body with a first end and a second end, and a bristle array and a suction port arranged at the second end. The bristle array and the suction port both extend away from the shaft so that an opening of the suction port is proximal to a distal end of the bristle array. The shaft also includes a stem arranged at the first end. The stem includes a passageway that extends through the main body to provide a fluid connection to the suction port, and is configured to be coupled to the external suction source. Also, the handle is removably coupled to the shaft and includes a drive system operably coupled to the bristle array to actuate motion of the bristle array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Dignity Health
    Inventors: Virginia Prendergast, Cynthia Kleiman, Charles Lewis, Gary Lauterbach, Scott Castanon, Dylann Ceriani, Michael Williams
  • Patent number: 11612457
    Abstract: An orthodontic bracket with an adjustable hook designed to facilitate bending. The orthodontic bracket includes a bracket body mountable to a tooth and an adjustable hook extending from the bracket body, the adjustable hook comprising a stem base structure a bend region extending from the stem base structure, a neck region extending from the bend region, and a head extending from the neck region. In some embodiments, the adjustable hook has a length, L1, measured from a bottom portion of the stem base structure to the head, and a length, L2, measured from a bottom portion of the neck region of the hook stem to a free end of the head, wherein L2 is greater than or equal to 60% of L1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: World Class Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Alberto Ruiz-Vela
  • Patent number: 11607290
    Abstract: Endodontic instruments are described which have at least a section with a center of mass offset from an axis of rotation so that when the instrument is rotated, the section bends away from the axis of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Inventor: Michael J. Scianamblo
  • Patent number: 11596502
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods, computing device readable medium, devices, and systems having a dental attachment placement structure. One dental attachment placement apparatus includes a body having an attachment placement surface that is to be placed on an attachment affixing surface of a tooth and wherein the attachment placement surface includes a portion that is shaped to allow placement of an attachment at a particular position on the affixing surface of the tooth and a portion of the body having a contour that is shaped to correspond with a contour of an alignment surface of a tooth and when the contour of the body and the corresponding contour is aligned, the attachment is located at the particular position and can be secured to the affixing surface of the tooth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Webber, Ryan Kimura, Chunhua Li, Srinivas Kaza
  • Patent number: 11589958
    Abstract: Embodiments of bone anchored expander devices described herein along with the protocol provide improved orthodontic/orthopedic appliances and protocol for expanding or contracting, protracting or retracting, extruding or intruding the upper jaw and dental arch unilaterally or bilaterally in parallel or non-parallel way, as well as enlarging the nasal cavity and nasopharyngeal airway. This expander design and protocol gives the clinician the ability to direct expansion or constriction, protraction or retraction, extrusion or intrusion forces to various segments of the maxillary jaw and arch in parallel or nonparallel configuration minimizing the need for major osteotomies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Inventor: Joseph Yousefian
  • Patent number: 11583364
    Abstract: A dental scaler for use in cleaning dental implants. The scaler includes a handle having a generally central axis extending along the length thereof, a handle tip end affixed to the handle, and a rod affixed to the handle tip end, wherein the rod comprises at least six sections, one angle, and a curved tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Inventor: Sylvia McPartland
  • Patent number: 11576752
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for producing controlled tooth-moving forces are provided. An orthodontic appliance includes one or more occlusal surface features that modify bite forces between opposing teeth during intercuspation to aid in realignment of the teeth. The interception bite forces can be applied between appliance shells on opposing arches, or between an appliance shell and an opposing tooth. These modified bite forces can be used to supply or augment tooth-moving forces, and the tooth moving forces can produce moments to urge rotational movement of a tooth. Also described herein are orthodontic appliances having an occlusal outer surface contours that are distinct from the occlusal inner surface contour within the dental appliance and may be configured to selectively intercuspate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John Y. Morton, Bruce Cam
  • Patent number: 11576763
    Abstract: A visual tooth cleaning, grinding and polishing instrument includes a host, an oral observation instrument and a cleaning and polishing tool. The host can drive the cleaning and polishing tool and supply a power source and a control system for an illuminating system, an observation system and the oral observation instrument. A picture shot by a camera of the observation system can be transmitted to a display of the observation system in time, so as to achieve the purposes of cleaning the teeth while observing a process of cleaning the dental calculus, dental plaque and pigmentation on the surface of the teeth with the cleaning and polishing tool and the cleaning effect instantly on a mobile phone, thereby effectively cleaning, grinding and polishing the teeth. A flusher or an electric toothbrush head or other interdental cleaning tools may also be mounted on the host or the oral observation instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Inventor: Xing Zhou
  • Patent number: 11576767
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a system for recording, transferring and simulating a relative position and/or movement of a mandible relative to a maxilla, comprising: a transmitter coil for transmitting a magnetic measurement field; at least one sensor placed on the mandible and arranged in at least one holding device having a position marking for the sensor; a sensor positioning device provided for setting the axis-orbital plane and condylar points and comprising at least one sensor for capturing and emitting positional data; a data set of a relative movement of a mandible relative to a maxilla, the data set is generated from the sensor signals of the at least one sensor arranged on the mandible and from the positional data from the sensor signals from the sensor positioning device; and a computer for recording, processing and displaying the movement data from the data set from the sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: IGNIDENT GmbH
    Inventor: Petra Ina Clauss
  • Patent number: 11567472
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus's for improving orthodontic treatments. In an embodiment, an orthodontic tracking template is provided for assisting in determining whether a patient's teeth are in an appropriate tooth arrangement for transitioning between a wire and bracket orthodontic treatment to a patient-removable orthodontic appliance treatment. The tracking template may include a shell portion defining a plurality of tooth-receiving cavities arranged to fit over at least a portion of the patient's teeth in an intermediate tooth arrangement without applying a tooth-moving force to the teeth or to any brackets attached to the teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Rick Matty
  • Patent number: 11564778
    Abstract: Provided herein are exemplary orthodontic elastic attachments that are customized to fit within the cutout windows of dental aligners, thus improving adhesion and minimizing inadvertent detachment from the tooth surface. The unique base pads are designed to have a shape that complements the present shape of the cutout windows like a puzzle piece. To improve adhesion to the tooth surface, the base pad may have its surface area maximized within the cutout windows. Also for improved adhesion, the base pad may be contoured to the dental anatomy of the tooth at the gumline for an intimate fit. Further exemplary embodiments may include the base pad having beveled edges to permit the aligner to slide over the base pad if it is adhered slightly off-center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: TH!NK Innovations, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher N. Cetta, Richard A. Kaye
  • Patent number: 11540905
    Abstract: A self-ligating orthodontic bracket. The self-ligating orthodontic bracket comprises a bracket body and a movable closure member, and the bracket body includes a first body portion, a second body portion and an archwire slot therebetween, running through the bracket body. The movable closure member is engaged with the second body portion and movable relative thereto between an opened position and a closed position; the first body portion and/or the movable closure member include, at the inward end thereof, a tool receptacle having a receptacle top and a receptacle bottom, and the tool receptacle is adjacent to the archwire slot, the archwire slot and the first body portion co-form a first side surface, while the archwire slot and the second body portion co-form a second side surface, the tool receptacle includes a smooth surface that slopes downwardly to the first side surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: GUANGZHOU OO MEDICAL SCIENTIFIC LIMITED
    Inventor: Li Ji
  • Patent number: 11534274
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a dental model coupling portion and a base plate adapter coupling portion. The dental model coupling portion is configured to couple with a dental model. The base plate adapter coupling portion includes a body and a set of prongs extending from the body. The body is fixedly secured relative to the dental model coupling portion. The prongs are configured to removably secure the base plate adapter coupling portion to a base plate adapter of a dental model articulator. A base plate adapter includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The first side is configured to removably couple with the base plate adapter coupling portion. The second side is configured to removably couple with a dental model articulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: NATIONAL DENTEX, LLC
    Inventors: Ryan A. Spanke, Michael J. Mandeville
  • Patent number: 11523889
    Abstract: The invention relates to a light curing appliance, in particular a dental light curing appliance (10), with a light source and with a light emission element such as an optical waveguide (12), of which the light output end is intended in particular to be directed towards a material that is to be polymerized. It is provided with one or more control devices (16) for switching on the light source during a polymerization cycle, and with one or more sensors (20) or sensor combinations connected to the control devices (16). The sensor (20) is designed as a location sensor and/or as a motion sensor (20) which detects a movement of the light curing appliance (10), designed as a hand-held appliance, and sends signals reproducing the motion to the control devices (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Ivoclar Vivadent AG
    Inventors: Markus Pauler, Alexander Kögel
  • Patent number: 11517404
    Abstract: A self-ligating bracket include a bracket body with an arch wire slot. A mesial recess is located at a mesial side of the bracket body and extends into the bracket body from the arch wire slot. A distal recess is located at a distal side of the bracket body and extends into the bracket body from the arch wire slot. A central ridge defines a ridge surface separated from the lateral ledges respectively by mesial and distal walls. A clip includes a first arm and a second arm connected by a U-shaped portion. The first arm terminates in a mesial arm, a distal arm, and a middle arm. The clip is moveable between an open position in which the arch wire slot is accessible and a closed position in which the arch wire slot is occluded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: American Orthodontics Corporation
    Inventors: Jay S. Sommer, Eric W. Nimmer
  • Patent number: 11510760
    Abstract: A cortical drill for hydrating and drilling cancellous bone when preparing a dental implant includes a stem portion and a drill portion, the stem portion with a locking notch and a water inlet configured for receiving fluid under pressure into the cortical drill. The drill portion has an elongated substantially conical body having an outer wall. The drill portion has a slot portion, and the slot portion includes a cut-out forming an inlet along a peripheral surface of the conical body. A plurality of jets are formed in the slot portion, with the jets in communication with the water inlet, and the jets arranged along the slot portion, such that fluid travelling under pressure into the water inlet, travels through the stem portion and the drill portion, and exits the jets in the slot portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Inventor: Dan Rosen