Abstract: An articulator, for use in making dentures or parts thereof. It has an upper principal member and a lower principal member. An upper support is provided for holding a maxillary cast fixedly mounted on the side of the upper member facing the lower principal member. A lower support holds a mandibular cast. This support is mounted on the lower principal member and faces the upper principal member. The lower support has a releasing/locking arrangement making it possible for an operator to move the lower support freely in several directions when the arrangement is in its released mode and to lock it in a desired position requiring only a slight holding in place of the casts in relation to each other by the operator during a locking procedure.

Abstract: A dental articulator principally having a posterior articulating assembly, an anterior incisal support assembly and a mold assembly. The posterior articulating assembly is characterized by a ball and socket joint and a pivot joint. The ball and socket joint has a socket member which is operably coupled to the pivot joint and a ball member which is operably coupled to a first teeth cast. The pivot joint has a pivot member operably coupled to a support member for joining the pivotal joint to a second teeth cast. The anterior incisal support assembly has an incisal pin operably joined to the first teeth cast and an incisal plate, which cooperates with the incisal pin, joined to the second teeth cast.

Abstract: A method for constructing dentures which completely accommodate a patient's mandibular movements is provided. The method includes the steps of mounting a three dimensional recording device to the patient's jaws and forming intra-oral tracings of the patient's mandibular excursions and a Gothic arch tracing of the patient's mandibular excursions. The recordings and the tracing are utilized to mount upper and lower denture bases in a dental articulator, which also forms a part of the present invention, and to calibrate the articulator to precisely duplicate the patient's mandibular movements. Teeth are mounted on the upper and lower denture bases and ground to provide dentures which completely accommodate the patient's mandibular movements.

Abstract: An articulator for the accurate but resilient positioning of a pair of dental model casts, to provide convenient assess for a technician working on the casts. The articulator (10) comprises a resilient frame (20) having hinged intermediate portions (28), (30) which are attached to mating end portions (22), (24). The frame (20) is attached to a pair of mounting elements (50), (52) by means of connecting rods (64), (66) the balls (68), (70), (72), (74) of which are received in sockets (54), (56), of the mounting elements and sockets (60), (62) of the intermediate portions (28), (30) of the frame (20). The mounting elements are cast into dental model casts (12) and (14). When appropriate positioning of the elements is achieved, an adhesive is applied between the sockets and the balls of the connecting rods so as to maintain the desired position of the casts and articulator relative to each other.

Abstract: A dental articulator includes a pair of attachment members, each adapted to engage a dental casting and a hinge unit including two pivotably interconnected retaining members, each adapted to engage one of the attachment members by means of a joint which may be selectively and reversibly immobilized. The two retaining members are interconnected by a hinge which provides a pair of spaced apart pivot axes for pivoting each of said members and which further provides for the ready and reversible separation thereof.

Abstract: A dental model articulator 10, intended for use with a dental model 12 comprising a cast of a set of upper teeth, and a case of a set of lower teeth, comprises two parts 18 and 20 which are constituted by a strip 22 of a resiliently flexible material. The strip 22 has a region of reduced thickness to form a flexible hinge 26 about which the parts 18 and 20 can hinge flexibly relative to each other. Each part 18, 20 has a boss 34 formed integrally therewith, each boss 34 defining a socket 36. A pair of attachment means 28, comprising a substantially spherical member 30 with a spigot-like formation 32 projecting therefrom is provided. The spigot-like formations 32 are insertable into the sockets 36 of the bosses 34. Each attachment means 28 is attachable to one of the casts to enable a user of the articulator 10 to manipulate the casts pivotally and laterally with respect to each other to correlate the casts.

Abstract: An articulator for casts of a dental model correlates the casts with the condition to be redintegrated throughout a full range occlusal and masticatory registration. The articulator includes hinged mirror image flexible brackets; each bracket has a base and arms of nonuniform cross section to encourage localized flexure of the brackets. Each base of the brackets supports a sphere to be positioned within a respective mounting attached to each cast. Each of the spheres may include at least a partially circumferential groove for distributing by capillary action or wicking an adhesive intermediate the sphere and the engaged cavity to secure the articulator to the casts after alignment of the paired casts. Simulating and tracing the paths of natural occlusal and masticatory registration is effected by pivotal movement about the hinge line between the brackets and flexing of the brackets forming the articulator.

Abstract: A dental articulator wherein each of two pivotally joined arms carries a plate-like first support and a shallow trough-shaped second support which confines a mass of synthetic thermoplastic material serving to couple the second support to the first support. If the position of the second support relative to the first support is to be adjusted, the mass of thermoplastic material is plasticized so that such mass then acts not unlike a universal joint which enables the two supports to assume any one of an infinite number of different positions relative to each other. Each second support can carry a dental model and can be provided with a magnetic insert to attract a complementary magnet of the model.

Abstract: An apparatus for holding and manipulating a dental cast in a dental articulator and a method for using this apparatus in combination with an occlusal plane table to adjust and record the positions of the teeth before and after repositioning of the dental cast is disclosed. The apparatus enables the dental cast to be translated in a plane and to be rotated about one or more of a plurality of axes which are chosen to correspond to the axes about which adjustments are made during dental surgery. The occlusal plane table includes a removable grid which provides a reference system with which to measure the adjustments to the position of the dental cast without the need to calibrate the various translational and rotational controls for each dental cast.

Abstract: It comprises an upper maxillary support (14) and a lower maxillary support (47). The lower support comprises a movable piece (27) on a rack (24) supporting an arm (31) mounted to slide vertically on the movable piece (27) with a limited travel for its vertical displacement on the movable piece (27). The arm (31) carries two intersecting orthogonal slideways (41,42). The upper slideway (42) carries a table (47) mounted on a spherical knuckle. The articulator allows accurate recording and accurate reproduction of the occlusion position of the maxillaries and of the closure of the mandible, without seeking to reproduce the condylar articulations.

Abstract: An articulator for casts of a dental model correlates the casts with the condition to be redintegrated throughout a full range occlusal and masticatory registration. The articulator includes an hinged two part flexible element, each of which parts may be a mirror image of the other, or a one piece hinged flexible element having like opposing integrally connected parts. Each opposed end of either type of element supports a sphere to be positioned within a respective one of a cavity formed in each cast or in a respective mounting attached to each cast. Each of the spheres includes at least a partially circumferential groove for distributing by capillary action or wicking an adhesive intermediate the sphere and the engaged cavity to secure the articulator to the casts after alignment of the paired casts. Simulating and tracing the paths of natural occlusal and masticatory registration is effected by pivotal movement about the hinge line and flexing of the articulator.

Abstract: A mounting cooperatively associated with the rear face of each cast of a pair of dental model casts interconnects one of opposed parts of an articulator to secure the articulator to the dental model. Each mounting includes at least one cast insertable locking member supporting one element of a ball and socket joint which joint is disposed intermediate the respective cast and the articulator.

Abstract: A mandibular motion reproducing device wherein a mandibular model supporting plate on which a mandibular model is fixed is deemed as a rigid plane, three points contained in this rigid plane are selected and marked, three reference points for reproduction are set each corresponding to one of the marked points and in a predetermined dimensional relationship therewith, drive means capable of shifting the individual reference points for reproduction along the coordinate axes of X, Y, Z respectively are connected therewith, the drive means have six alternative driving directions including the orthogonal X, Y and Z directions and are individually driven by inputting position coordinate information obtained from a measuring system and the resulting motions of the reference points for reproduction are synthesized for causing the rigid plate constituting the mandibular model supporting plate to undergo three-dimensional motion.

Abstract: An articulator for casts of a dental model correlates the casts with the condition to be redintegrated throughout a full range of occlusal and masticatory registration. The articulator includes an hinged two part flexible element, each of which parts is a mirror image of the other, or a hinged one part flexible element having like opposing halves. Each opposed end of either type of element supports a sphere to be positioned within a respective one of a cavity formed in each cast and adhesively secured thereto after alignment of the paired casts. Simulation and tracing the paths of natural occlusal and masticatory registration is effected by pivotal movement about the hinge line and flexing of the articulator.The present application is a continuation-in-part application of a copending application entitled "DENTAL MODEL ARTICULATOR", Ser. No. 261,562, filed May 7, 1981, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,787, issued 5/10/83 assigned to the present assignee and describing an invention by the present inventor.

Abstract: A mounting for casts of a dental model correlates the casts with the condition to be redintegrated throughout a full range of occlusal and masticatory registration. The mounting includes separate duplicate members, each of which members is attachable to a cast of a dental model and supports a spherical cavity, and an hinged two part flexible element, each of which parts is a mirror image of the other and supports a sphere to be positioned within respective ones of the spherical cavities and adhesively secured thereto after alignment of the paired casts. Simulation and tracing the paths of natural occlusal and masticatory registration is effected by pivotal movement about the hinge line and flexing of the element.

Abstract: An occludator for an artificial denture having an upper holder for holding an upper artificial denture and a lower holder for holding a lower artificial denture. The upper and lower holders are pivotable to facilitate an observation of occlusion and adjustable to obtain neutral occlusion.

Abstract: This holder is characterized by a device with a double ball-and-socket joint mounted on the forward part of its holder and comprising a dual locking lever for simultaneously locking its two ball joints or selectively locking its rear ball joint, and by the use of retaining rings imbedded in the rear part of the dental bridge castings which insure their fastening on the base of the holder and on a connecting stud joined to the rear swivel joint of this holder. Used to study the articulation between dentures connected to the castings.