Abstract: An impression cap or other dental coping is designed to removably engage a dental component such as an abutment, implant and/or and analog in an aligned orientation. The coping includes at least one substantially rigid aligning rib that extends from the inner coronal and side surfaces of the coping and removably engages a groove formed in the corresponding surface of the dental component. The coping may also include a substantially flat aligning surface positioned opposite to the aligning rib in the interior of the coping that contacts a corresponding flat surface on the dental component. The aligning rib and optional flat aligning surface facilitate consistent and precise orientation and positioning of the impression cap or other coping on the dental component, prevent rotation between the coping and component, and also provide a tactile and/or visual indication to the user when the coping and component are not properly aligned.

Abstract: An assembly that includes one or more thermoelectric devices and a heat sink and that corrects the problem of an uneven heating effect across the area occupied by the devices due to a lateral heat loss at the edges of the devices or other anomalies among the devices is constructed with a heat sink that contains voids in the slab or flat surface that is in thermal contact with the thermoelectric devices. The voids are located at or within the periphery of the area that is directly aligned with the thermoelectric devices and are concentrated in regions relatively close to the periphery, leaving an area in the center of the slab that is either void-free or of a relatively low void density.

Abstract: An assembly that includes one or more thermoelectric devices and a heat sink and that corrects the problem of an uneven heating effect across the area occupied by the devices due to a lateral heat loss at the edges of the devices or other anomalies among the devices is constructed with a heat sink that contains voids in the slab or flat surface that is in thermal contact with the thermoelectric devices. The voids are located at or within the periphery of the area that is directly aligned with the thermoelectric devices and are concentrated in regions relatively close to the periphery, leaving an area in the center of the slab that is either void-free or of a relatively low void density.