Patents Examined by Nicholas A. Lucchesi
  • Patent number: 10172688
    Abstract: According to various implementations, a dental cleaning device includes a steam conduit and a cooling fluid conduit. The steam conduit has a distal tip with an opening defined therein that allows steam to be applied intraorally close to a dental implant to flush away bacteria that has colonized on or adjacent the dental implant. The cooling fluid conduit has a distal tip with an opening defined therein that allows a cooling fluid to be applied intraorally close to the dental implant following the application of the steam to cool the tissue and prevent overheating of the tissue and bone adjacent the dental implant. For example, the cooling fluid may be applied intermittently with the steam, or the cooling fluid may be applied continuously while the steam is applied intermittently, according to various implementations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Inventors: Carlos Andres Castro-Perdomo, Carlos Ariel Castro-Saenz
  • Patent number: 10172695
    Abstract: A method for producing a dental mill blank, characterized in that the method includes contacting an inorganic filler molded article produced by subjecting an inorganic filler to press molding and a polymerizable monomer-containing composition, and allowing the polymerizable monomer to polymerize and cure. When the method of the present invention is used, a dental mill blank having a high inorganic powder content and excellent mechanical strength is obtained. In addition, the dental mill blank obtained is suitably used in the fabrication of a dental prosthesis having high mechanical strength and excellent gloss retention, by machining a mill blank using a CAD/CAM system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: KURARAY NORITAKE DENTAL INC.
    Inventors: Koichi Okada, Takehiro Kameya, Hiroshige Ishino
  • Patent number: 10166090
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for detecting the three-dimensional geometry of objects, in particular teeth, comprising a handpiece which is provided with at least one position sensor for detecting the change of the spatial position of the handpiece, and an optical device having at least one camera for capturing images and at least one light source for at least one projector. The position sensor in the handpiece initially determines the size of the change of the spatial position of the device. It is determined therefrom, how many pictures the camera can take in a defined time unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: A.TRON3D GMBH
    Inventors: Christoph Nowak, Horst Koinig, Jurgen Jesenko
  • Patent number: 10159548
    Abstract: An optical sensor for an instrument to form a closed-loop curing instrument that is configured to manage the quantity of delivered energy to a curable material, including a composite restoration for a tooth. The closed-loop curing instrument is configured to analyze a signal indicative of the light reflecting from the curable material, and to adjust light output based on the analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Garrison Dental Solutions, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Steven H. Peterson
  • Patent number: 10149745
    Abstract: A method for generating a virtual model of a subperiosteal dental implant device. The method comprises: obtaining a virtual mouth model of a patient providing a three-dimensional representation of at least a section of a jaw bone of a patient, using a non-invasive modelling method; positioning at least one replacement tooth in relation to the section of the jaw bone defined by the virtual mouth model; positioning at least one implant head at a respective implant position; and designing and generating a virtual model of the subperiosteal dental implant device having a shape at least partially derived from a shape of the section of the jaw bone defined by the virtual mouth model and at least a portion of each one of the at least one implant head extending from the subperiosteal dental implant device at the respective implant position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Panthera Dental Inc.
    Inventor: Jean Robichaud
  • Patent number: 10149739
    Abstract: An orthodontic bracket for receiving an arch wire of orthodontic patients having both primary teeth and permanent teeth, the orthodontic bracket including a pad sized to fit on one of the primary teeth, the pad extending a first distance generally in a longitudinal direction and a second distance generally in a lateral direction, the first distance being greater than the second distance. An eyelet can extend from the pad, the eyelet including an aperture defined through the eyelet, the aperture having a central axis oriented transverse to the lateral direction. The aperture can slidingly receive the arch wire. A method including bonding the pad of the orthodontic bracket to one of the primary teeth of the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Inventor: Rael Bernstein
  • Patent number: 10149743
    Abstract: The instrument (10) for handling a dental part (50), for example, a male part, extends in a longitudinal axis (11) between a handling end (10c) and a connecting end (10a) for connection to the dental part (50). The connecting end (10a) has a receiving opening for receiving the head (51) of the dental part (50), which is laterally open, so that the connecting end (10a) and the dental part (50) can be connected by displacing them relative to one another transversely to the longitudinal axis (11). The male part (50) includes a head end having at least one protrusion, (53a) with which a stop (17b) that is formed on the instrument (10) can be contacted for transferring a torque generated on the instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: CENDRES+METAUX SA
    Inventors: Mathias Fäh, Mathias Strazza, Matthias Walther
  • Patent number: 10143540
    Abstract: A dental implant system includes a dental implant, an abutment adapted to be inserted in an axial hole of the dental implant, and a locking screw adapted to be inserted in an axial through-hole of the abutment and to be screwed into the axial hole of the dental implant. The axial through-hole defined in the abutment includes a frustoconical portion configured to come into contact with a correspondingly frustoconical portion of the locking screw, wherein the median circumference of the frustoconical contact surface between the abutment and the tightening screw is configured to be disposed under the crest/connection line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Inventor: Enrico Gherlone
  • Patent number: 10136974
    Abstract: Molds for fabrication of custom and potentially modifiable abutments and impression posts for dental implants with various degrees of angulations (including zero degrees) and various dimensions are provided, with a generally oval shape that expands laterally upwards, a symmetrical or asymmetrical cross-section, and regular surfaces, that are fabricated as one piece, or as two coupling pieces snapping onto each other. Custom abutments achieve the development of a custom gingival emergence profile, three dimensionally, which is potentially modifiable according to the needs of each particular clinical case. Custom impression posts that correspond in dimensions and angulations to the abutments allow the accurate recording and transfer of the developed gingival emergence profile from the mouth onto the working cast, where the final implant prosthesis is fabricated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: VP INNOVATO HOLDINGS LTD
    Inventors: Ioannis Vergoullis, Georgios Papadopoulos
  • Patent number: 10136966
    Abstract: The appliance includes a body that snaps onto the brackets attached to teeth with latching slots and so becomes detachable for daily cleaning by the patient. Inside the body there is an integrated spring function. The fabrication of the polymeric body can be done by 3D printing, which makes it possible to print integrated spring elements connecting the latching slots with the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Dentbend BVBA
    Inventors: Koenraad Gerald Rijkaard Lode Reybrouck, Wouter Gerald Herman Rik Reybrouck, Isabelle Diane Savoye
  • Patent number: 10136967
    Abstract: A dental abutment coping or ring for securing a dental prosthesis to dental abutments. The coping or ring includes a body for insertion into a dental prosthesis, and a cavity or space sized to accept a head of the dental abutment. The interior surface of the cavity includes an interface region sized and shaped to accept the dental abutment in a retentive interface fit or a passive fit, depending on an angle of the interface surface. The exterior surface can have channels configured to contain a cement bonding the exterior surface to the dental prosthesis. A dental prosthesis system including the dental copings provides a retentive interference fit between the prosthesis and the dental abutments, even where the dental abutments are not parallel. A plurality of copings and abutments enables a retentive fit to varying degrees depending on the degree of interference fit in each coping and abutment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Bicon, LLC
    Inventors: Vincent J. Morgan, Robert E. Vasile
  • Patent number: 10136965
    Abstract: A customized orthodontic bracket system is provided. The system can include a bracket having a customized bracket bonding pad for bonding the bracket to a tooth of a patient and a bracket slot adapted to receive a customized archwire. The customized archwire is adapted to be positioned in the bracket slot to form a precise bracket slot-archwire interface. The bracket slot and the archwire when positioned in the bracket slot can be positioned substantially adjacent the tooth surface to reduce induced vertical error in tooth positioning. The bracket slot can be configured to have a bracket slot width substantially matching a cross-section of the archwire to reduce torque rotation around an axis of the archwire when positioned therein to further enhance end-of-treatment tooth positioning and reduce overall treatment time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Dirk Wiechmann, Ralf Paehl, Rüdger Rubbert, Thomas Weise
  • Patent number: 10136969
    Abstract: A method for denture restoration includes steps of generating sets of digital information of a mouth cavity of a person for providing firstly either an orientation appliance or a temporary restoration and subsequently a final restoration. The digital information is generated firstly from the mouth cavity alone and subsequently with the orientation appliance or the temporary restoration within the mouth cavity. The invention also relates to a system for performing this method, and to an orientation appliance and a prosthetic guide to be used in performing the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Inventors: Amir Juzbasic, Alireza Tavassoli
  • Patent number: 10136935
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a medical device for freeing an implant from the bone of a patient to which the implant adheres to and to an implant for insertion into a bone of a patient, designed such that the implant is more homogenously heatable or coolable in a controlled way. Also provided is a method of removing an implant from a bone of a patient and a computer readable storage medium having recorded thereon a database structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Inventor: Rolf G. Winnen
  • Patent number: 10130443
    Abstract: A dental instrument is designed to help facilitate the procedure of root canal therapy and can reduce the inaccuracies that are accompanied with using traditional methods of attaching an electronic apex location (EAL) to an endodontic hand file. The endodontic hand file can include an exposed window in the handle of the file that holds an extension of the main body of the file. The clasp from the EAL can attach to this exposed metal in the window of the handle. This new location for attaching the EAL to the hand file can provide an accurate measurement while removing variables such as file movement in the canal, stopper thickness, clearance from the opposing tooth. The endodontic hand file with its exposed window provides a safe, reliable and accurate way of using an EAL to measure the root canal length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Inventor: Moji Bagheri
  • Patent number: 10130449
    Abstract: A dental casting billet material includes: Co as a main component; Cr in a proportion of 26% by mass or more and 35% by mass or less; Mo in a proportion of 5% by mass or more and 12% by mass or less; and Si in a proportion of 0.3% by mass or more and 2.0% by mass or less, wherein the billet material is formed from a sintered body of a metal powder, and the billet material has a relative density of 92% or more and 99.5% or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidefumi Nakamura, Teruo Anraku
  • Patent number: 10123857
    Abstract: An assembly for expansion of tissue according to an example of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a body extending between proximal and distal ends. The body includes a head portion at the proximal end, and at least two arm portions extending between the head portion and the distal end to define an actuation cavity. Each of the at least two arm portions are configured to abut tissue. An actuation member is received in the actuation cavity. The actuation member is moveable to vary a distance between the at least two arm portions at the distal end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Inventor: Ibrahim Zakhary
  • Patent number: 10123855
    Abstract: A method of using an orthodontic device to effect movement of an impacted or malpositioned tooth includes providing an orthodontic device, the orthodontic device including a bracket, a coiled spring, and an anchoring assembly, bonding the bracket to an impacted or malpositioned tooth, connecting a first end of the spring to a first spring attachment portion supported by the bracket, connecting a second end of the spring to a second spring attachment portion supported by the anchoring assembly, and coupling the anchoring assembly to a second orthodontic device that is installed in the patient's mouth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Inventor: Grant G. Coleman
  • Patent number: 10123860
    Abstract: A method employs a closed system mouthpiece using light and heat generation to activate a gel formulation to increase its volume. The gel formulation is coated into the mouthpiece, which is inserted into the user's mouth. Application of heat above a threshold temperature causes the gel to transform into foam and expand out of the mouthpiece and into the oral cavity. The mouthpiece creates a hermetic seal such that the foam expands out throughout the oral cavity into nooks and crannies that are normally difficult to access. Activation of a light source embedded within the mouthpiece enhances the bacteria killing properties of the foam material. The pH balance of the mouth is restored by the inventive method and apparatus to a neutral level in the range of 6.75 to 7.25.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Inventors: Jonathan B. Levine, Owen J. Murray, Elmar A. Dave
  • Patent number: 10123856
    Abstract: A dental prosthesis and a process for design and manufacturing, incorporating a dental implant framework and veneering overlay that will be designed and manufactured simultaneously and permanently fixated to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Inventors: Drew Schulter, Carl Schulter, Kyle Fraysur, Daryl Newman, Belal Hamadeh