Abstract: A surgical apparatus for positioning within a tissue tract accessing an underlying body cavity, includes a seal anchor member comprising a compressible material and being adapted to transition between a first expanded condition to facilitate securing of the seal anchor member within the tissue tract and in substantial sealed relation with tissue surfaces defining the tissue tract and a second compressed condition to facilitate at least partial insertion of the seal anchor member within the tissue tract. The seal anchor member defines a central longitudinal axis and has leading and trailing ends. At least one longitudinal object port extends between the leading and trailing ends and is adapted for reception of a surgical object whereby compressible material defining the at least one longitudinal object port is adapted to deform to establish a substantial sealed relation with the object.

Abstract: Method and kit for producing implant drilling guides positioned at the proper orientation to avoid inadvertent damage to critical regions of the patient's jaw when drilling to place dental implant screws. The method works by placing a small post device with x-ray visible depth markers in the root socket of the patient's tooth immediately after tooth extraction. The post device may additionally be configured to guide the drill at a position and angle that is different from that of the original tooth socket. This post device is used to construct a removable guide that anchors to the patient's adjacent teeth, and preserves the location and orientation of the extracted tooth root. Once the root socket is filled in with new bone, the guide, in conjunction with the X-ray post depth information, can be used to direct drilling along the same route as the old tooth root, thus avoiding critical structures.

Abstract: Endosseous screw (1) for fixing a plate (102) to a bone site (300), comprising an at least partially threaded shaft (2), insertion means for inserting the screw into a bone site and a distal portion (33) provided for engaging said plate to fasten it to said bone site and comprising a head (3) having facets (30) defining an external peripheral profile provided for engagement with a tubular manipulating wrench, to allow the screw (1) to be extracted from the bone site (300) into which it has been inserted, wherein the facets (30) are curvilinear and the external peripheral profile defined by same facets (30) has a convex barrel-like shape, in order to allow a stable coupling between the tubular manipulating wrench and said profile, which is maintained during the untightening phase of screw from plate, even when said tubular manipulating wrench is oriented in an inclined direction with respect to a longitudinal axis (x) of the endosseous screw (1).

Abstract: A method for retracting body tissue providing a retractor system that includes a rail having two opposed widened rail portions separated by a narrowed portion, each widened portion engageable by a separate clamp. The clamps are configured to support the rail to a fixed surface, or to support a surgical device. Each clamp may independently be positioned or slid along the rail to a desired location without interference with a clamp on an opposing widened rail portion. A device clamp is formed of spherical mating portions which enable alignment of a surgical device along six degrees of freedom, and tightenable by securing a single fastener. A retractor blade mount enables an angular and tilting disposition of a retractor blade, as well as remote manipulation of the retractor blade.

Abstract: A casting abutment for a dental implant comprising: an apical socket portion, a transition portion bordering coronally on the socket portion, an occlusal portion bordering coronally on the transition portion and having an apical lower rim, wherein the occlusal portion, starting from its lower rim, is provided on its peripheral surface with an area having indentations, whose crests face the transition portion.

Abstract: A guide apparatus having a body having a central axis defined therethrough and a first channel and a second channel formed therethrough, a handle coupled to the body, the handle having a locking mechanism configured to prevent movement of the body relative to the handle in a first direction along the central axis of the body, and an arm coupled to the handle, the arm configured to engage at least a portion of a bone.

Abstract: A bone repairing kit including a drilling device, a pushing device, a clamping member and a hole saw. An end of a tube body of the drilling device is a knife portion. When the tube body rotates with respect to a femur, a bone column is cut by the knife portion and located in the tube body. The pushing device includes a hollow tube and a push bar. The hollow tube is for receiving the tube body. The push bar is for touching and pushing the bone column in the tube body. The clamping member is for clamping the bone column. The hole saw includes a receiving body and cutting knives. The receiving body has a recess for receiving an end of the bone column. The cutting knives surrounding on an inner wall of the recess are for cutting an edge of the end of the bone column.

Abstract: An adjustable angle adapter for a prophy angle comprises a nose, a rotating member, a body, a shaft, a multi-axis rotation joint, and an outer joint. The nose is configured to receive a portion of the prophy angle. The rotating member is positioned within the nose. The body is adjustably connected to the nose. The shaft is positioned within the body. The multi-axis rotation joint connects the shaft to the rotating member. The outer joint includes a ball portion connected to one of the body and the nose, and a ball receiver connected to an other of the body and the nose. The nose is configured to pivot relative to the body into at least a first configuration and a second configuration.

Abstract: An instrument for spinal surgery for retracting soft tissue and mounting between a superior spinous process and an inferior spinous process includes a relatively rigid frame, a first retractor blade mounted to the frame and a distractor element movably mounted to the frame. The distractor element has a body, a proximal end and a distal end. The distractor element has a thickness and a length. The distractor element is configured for mounting between the superior and inferior spinous processes in a working configuration. The distractor element is generally tapered at the distal end in an insertion configuration. The instrument also includes an insertion shaft attached to the proximal end and a first shaft joint mounted between the frame and the insertion shaft.

Abstract: A first method of systematizing hairstyling tools includes defining hairstyling steps, defining indicia for the steps, determining hairstyling tools to perform the steps, and displaying the indicia on the corresponding tools. A second method of systematizing hairstyling tools includes additionally defining hairstyles, selecting the hairstyling steps to implement the hairstyle, and packaging the corresponding hairstyling tools together as a set. Also within the scope of the invention are hairstyling tools, sets of hairstyling tools, and systems of hairstyling tools according to the first and second methods.

Abstract: A surgical access assembly includes a sleeve and a port. The sleeve is adapted for insertion within tissue to access an underlying tissue site. The sleeve defines a first passage therethrough. The first passage has a first diameter. The port defines one or more second passages extending therethrough. The port is adapted for insertion within the first passage of the sleeve in a substantially sealed relationship therewith. The one or more second passages are adapted for a substantially sealed reception of a surgical object therethrough. The one or more second passages have one or more second diameters. The port is selectively removably positionable within the first passage of the sleeve. The first diameter is greater than the one or more second diameters.

Abstract: The present invention provides a dental prophylaxis angle that includes a housing, a rotor disposed in the housing, and a drive shaft driving the rotor. The drive shaft and the rotor operate together with a sidewall of the housing against a common surface of the rotor to prevent removal of the rotor from the housing in a direction along an axis of rotation of the rotor.

Abstract: A saw blade provided with two walls set apart from each other and with blade teeth arranged on each wall in a pattern along the distal end of each wall and on the inner surface of each wall. During a single cutting motion, the distal teeth provide the initial cut and the inner teeth remove additional material along the pathway. This increases the amount of material removed in one cut, leaving a small amount of material (bone) at the bottom of the slot for the surgeon to remove in the final step. Thus, the blade configuration and the tooth pattern of the saw blade improves the cutting efficiency.

Abstract: To anchor a fixture in a jaw bone, the fixture is applied in a hole which is substantially smaller than the diameter of the fixture. The fixture has a front portion which from the point of view of diameter grows very much narrower and which is arranged with both a cutting function and a threading function. The fixture is provided with a thread, with one, two or more thread turns extending down along the greatly narrowing portion while substantially maintaining their thread profile. One or more porous layers arranged on the thread turns can also be included. In this way the fixture can exploit the clamping effect from the soft parts of the jaw bone and still effectively penetrate through any hard parts possibly present in the jaw bone, without these hard parts being pressed inward upon fixture application. An effective fusion of the fixture in the jaw bone is achieved with the aid of said porous outer layers.

Abstract: A dental implantation system is provided, comprising an implantation device adapted to prepare a site within a mouth of a patient for receiving a dental implant. A guidance device is operably engaged with the implantation device and is adapted to operably engage the mouth of the patient. The engagement between the guidance device and the mouth of the patient provides a fiducial marker for guiding the implantation device to prepare the site for receiving the dental implant. An associated method of implanting a dental implant, and associated devices, are also provided.

Abstract: A tool for holding or driving an implant member having a recess is provided including an elongate tool shaft having a distal head portion for being received in the recess and a securing mechanism that keeps the head portion in the drive recess and which is disposed proximally up along the tool shaft from the distal head portion. In one form, the securing mechanism includes a plurality of resilient leg member having distal end locking portions. In another form, a drive system includes a drive tool and a driven member. The drive tool has a generally annular flange portion that is radially larger than the drive head portion. The driven member has a generally annular securing portion for receiving the flange portion in releasably locked engagement so that the circumferential extent of the locking engagement is maximized relative to the smaller radial size of the drive head portion.

Abstract: A locking element is configured to be used with a polyaxial bone anchor, and is substantially cylindrical with a bottom side facing a head of the bone anchor, a top side opposite to the bottom side, and a surface portion with an external thread. The locking element has a first recess at the bottom side for accommodating at least a portion of the head, and a second recess at the top side for engagement with a driver. The second recess is located outside the center of the top side. The head has a portion with a largest diameter, and a first level L1 is defined by the highest point of a circle with the largest diameter drawn around the head, and a second level L2 is defined by the bottom of the second recess, L2 being at a level not higher than L1.

Abstract: A surgical apparatus having a locking mechanism that receives a cutting burr and that may include a loading and running position. The locking mechanism may include a motor driven spindle that carries a locking pawl and a detent pawl that lock the cutting burr in place an prevent the cutting burr from inadvertently falling out of the surgical drill instrument when in its load position. A diamond-shaped portion of the cutting burr may be formed in a six-sided diamond configuration and a perpendicular back end surface. The end of the cutting burr may include another diamond-shaped portion formed in a six-sided diamond shape surface that mates with a complementary surface formed in the receiving end of the spindle of the motor/locking mechanism. In an aspect, the attachment of the cutting burr is such that the cutting burr has substantially zero axial movement and runs true in the running condition.

Abstract: A system for repairing cartilage includes a trephine having a passage extending along a longitudinal axis of the trephine. The trephine has a distal end and a proximal end. The distal end includes a cutting member operable to cut a cartilage plug from a donor site. The passage is operable to receive the cartilage plug. Also, the trephine is flexible to selectively move between a first position in which the longitudinal axis is substantially linear and a second position in which the longitudinal axis is nonlinear. Moreover, the system includes a guide tool that is removably coupled to the trephine. The guide tool is operable to selectively move the trephine between the first and second positions. In addition, the system includes an ejector tool that ejects the cartilage plug from the passage toward a defect site.

Abstract: A rongeur including a stationary shaft having a length that terminates in a foot plate, a cutting slide slideably coupled with the stationary shaft and terminating in a cutting edge, a breach extending between the foot plate and the cutting edge for receiving human tissue, and handle means for slidably moving the cutting slide longitudinally relative to the shaft member. The cutting slide is provided with a pair of opposing tracking arms arranged about a distal end of the cutting slide and a third tracking arm arranged about the proximal end of the cutting slide. The tracking arms are slidably and detachably received within corresponding tracking slots in the shaft member when the rongeur is in a closed position. The tracking arms are disengaged from the tracking slots by rotating the cutting slide about a pivot axis that extends substantially parallel to the length of the shaft member thereby placing the rongeur in an open position.