Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to devices and a method for orthodontic torquing. For the various embodiments, a pliers for crimping coils of an orthodontic torquing spring to an arch wire includes: a pair of plier halves, each of the plier halves including a handle, a jaw, and a pivot section, each of the jaws including a crimping face defined by a distal edge having a length in a range of 200 percent to 400 percent of a diameter of the orthodontic spring, a first lateral edge, and a second lateral edge, the edges defined by a radius of curvature in a range of 0.1 millimeters to 0.5 millimeters, a textured surface on at least one of the crimping faces to frictionally engage the coil of the orthodontic spring, and a pivot joint connecting the pivot sections of the pair of plier halves such that the handles can be manipulated to cause the crimping faces of the jaws to move together to crimp a coil of the orthodontic torquing spring to the arch wire.

An orthodontic appliance that postures the lower jaw forward and connects the lower jaw to the upper jaw, comprising two upper palate bases, a labial bow located in a front region of the appliance, a lower incisor support wire located in a front region of the appliance, an upper incisor support wire located in the a front region of the appliance, a lateral incisor support wire, cuspid support wires located in a front region of the appliance, a palatal bar which connects the two bases of the appliance, and landing gear reminders to engage the soft tissue covering the mandible.

The present invention provides a system and method for correcting facial features and oral function in a subject. Also provided are a plurality of intra-oral appliances, which make up the system. The intra-oral appliances each include an appliance body configured for engaging one or more of the gingival-buccal area, the gingivolabial area, and the vestibular area of the subject's mouth, and include one or more extensions for at least partly defining the cavity in the vestibule of the subject's mouth. The appliance bodies may also include one or more dentures disposed therein and/or one or more hearing assist devices embedded therein.

An implant system can include a first rotatable flexible shaft comprising a biocompatible material and configured to be used as an implant for placement in the human body, the implant including an implant driving element positioned at a proximal end; a second rotatable flexible shaft including a cutting drill positioned at a distal end and a drill driving element positioned at a proximal end; and a surgical tool capable of being connected, in the alternative, to the drill driving element for forming a recessed surgical site and to the implant driving element for placing the implant in the recessed surgical site.

Rapid palatal expander made of a first and a second main body (5, 6) provided with aligned female threads (7, 8) that are engaged by the threaded stems (4) of an actuator element (2). This actuator element (2) is provided with a drive head (3) from which the stems (4) extend in opposite directions and aligned with opposite threads. Following the rotation of the drive head (2) the main bodies (5, 6) move parallel to the longitudinal extension direction Y of the actuator element (2). During the movement the main bodies (5, 6) are guided by a first and a second pair of rods (11, 12), which are fixed in a single body with the first and the second main body (5, 6), respectively, and are slidably mutually engaged with each other.

An orthodontic bracket for coupling an archwire with a tooth. The orthodontic bracket including a ceramic injection molded (CIM) bracket body including an archwire slot that is configured to receive the archwire therein. The CIM bracket body including a polycrystalline ceramic. A coating of alumina or silicon dioxide is in continuous and direct contact with at least the surfaces of the archwire slot. The orthodontic bracket is characterized by unexpectedly high torque strength. The ceramic injection molded (CIM) bracket body may include a polycrystalline ceramic having a grain size distribution characterized by an average grain size in the range of larger than 3.4 μm to about 6 μm such that the orthodontic bracket is also characterized by unexpectedly high fracture toughness. A method of making the orthodontic bracket includes injection molding a bracket using a ceramic powder, sintering the molded bracket, and coating the ceramic injection molded bracket.

A handpiece for dental or surgical applications has a chuck for rotatably clamping a tool such as a bur, the chuck being drivingly connectable to a drive mechanism such as to rotate the tool about a rotation axis thereof, a push button operatively connected to the chuck, configured to release the tool from the chuck upon depressing the push button, a spherical element, preferably a ball, fitted within or mounted at the push button, arranged and configured such that, when the push button is depressed, the spherical element enters into contact with the chuck, the spherical element being of a material with a high hardness on the Vickers scale of >2000.

A set of tools for removal of stains and debris from an animal's teeth includes an intraoral tool equipped with detachably-attachable sickle blade and scaler blade. Each blade includes a recessed area that is used to accept a desired quantity of meat-flavored toothpaste or other food therein. The toothpaste helps distract the animal from the teeth cleaning process. A preferred material for the intraoral tool is non-metallic and the blades are preferably stainless steel. A means to secure the blades to the intraoral tool is provided. A non-metallic coating is preferably applied to a base of each blade. A guide is included that provides written instructions for the use of the intraoral tool and various component parts.

A set of tools for removal of stains and debris from an animal's teeth includes an intraoral tool equipped with detachably-attachable sickle blade and scaler blade. Each blade includes a recessed area that is used to accept a desired quantity of meat-flavored toothpaste or other food therein. The toothpaste helps distract the animal from the teeth cleaning process. A preferred material for the intraoral tool is non-metallic and the blades are preferably stainless steel. A means to secure the blades to the intraoral tool is provided. A non-metallic coating is preferably applied to a base of each blade. A guide is included that provides written instructions for the use of the intraoral tool and various component parts.

A dental maintenance kit for the removal of stains and debris from the surface and from between the teeth that includes an intraoral tool equipped with a detachably-attachable sickle blade and scaler blade. A preferred material for the intraoral tool is non-metallic that includes a recess at each opposite end of the intraoral tool for acceptance of a protrusion on the non-working end of the sickle blade and or the scaler blade. The protrusion will have means to secure the sickle blade or scaler blade firmly into the recess at each opposite end of the intraoral tool. A preferred material for the sickle blade and scaler blade is stainless steel. A coating is applied to a shaft of the sickle blade or scaler blade that extends longitudinally for the entire length of the shaft exposing only the working surface of the sickle blade or scaler blade. A preferred material for the coating is non-metallic. A guide is included with the dental maintenance kit. The guide provides written instructions for the use of the intraoral tool included in the dental maintenance kit.