The invention relates to a multi-layer, preferably co-extruded, plastic film with improved modulus properties, which is suitable, in particular, for producing three-dimensionally shaped articles.

An apparatus and a related pair of elements and methods are for aligning or positioning teeth. The apparatus is configured to be worn in a mouth of a wearer and further configured to be supported on the teeth of the wearer, and has elements arranged to be distributed along a set of the teeth and at least one engager member for engaging the elements for moving one or more of the teeth. In such embodiments, at least one pair of the elements can be engaged such that when in use, at least one part of one of the elements in the pair bears against at least one part of the other of the elements in the pair.

An oral appliance as swallow training auxiliary device with open occlusal surface includes an open fixing frame and a palate pad. The open fixing frame is first made from cast by elastic material, or other elastic material done by 3D printed technology, and the palate pad uses an unsetting soft material to make a palate pad. After placement of the open fixing frame with the palate pad template on the upper dental arch of a patient, the patient does swallowing and uses tongue to press up on and cause the palate pad template to mold the shape of the palate pad to match tongue elevation position during swallowing and palate side in the oral cavity of the patient.

A device for attaching dental surgical guides without surgical attachment to the patient's internal skeletal structures, including gingival tissues and/or bone. The device attaches to the front surface of the upper or lower teeth, and the dental surgical guides can then attach to the device.

A compact, portable, self-contained dental trauma kit for on-site treatment and repair of dental avulsion, luxation and, subluxation in remote, non-dental and other emergent settings consists of a dental splinting material (the BAND-AID), dental resins (the glue), and a dental curing light (the glue hardener). This is everything necessary for the user to stabilize the traumatically involved teeth according to proper dental protocol in remote locations, without the need for any additional materials or other accessories. The use of the kit allows the patient to be treated rapidly, in less than thirty minutes, which drastically increases the survival rate of re-implanted or repositioned tooth or teeth.

In a method and system for reducing motion artifacts in magnetic resonance image data acquired from a facial region of a patient, the patient is positioned in an imaging region of a magnetic resonance imaging device configured to perform a magnetic resonance measurement of the facial region of the patient, the magnetic resonance measurement is performed to acquire magnetic resonance image data of the facial region of the patient, and a motion correction technique is employed exploiting an accessibility to the facial region of the patient during the magnetic resonance measurement. The motion correction technique advantageously reduces an influence of a patient motion on the magnetic resonance image data.

A retainer cooperating with a plurality of teeth and configured to stabilize the plurality of teeth, the retainer including at least one elongated arc which is shaped overall adapted to a natural curvature of a lower jaw or an upper jaw, wherein the at least one elongated arc is locally adapted individually to a surface contour of respective abutting teeth, wherein the retainer is machined from a sheet metal plate and includes two mutually parallel surfaces, wherein the sheet metal plate is made from a nickel titanium alloy, preferably a nitinol, wherein the retainer contacts a tooth surface in an installed condition of the retainer, wherein a machined surface of the retainer faces the tooth surface in the installed condition of the retainer, and wherein an upper side or a lower side of the retainer corresponds to an original surface plane of the sheet metal plate.

An apparatus for making dental splints has a model plate forming a plurality of model-placement areas each having an upper face adapted to support a respective dental model and a lower face. Each area is formed with an opening between the respective faces, and respective conduits are connected to the lower faces of the areas at the openings. A rack for holding a thermoshapable film is movable between a position spaced from the plate and a position over the plate with the film engaging an outer edge of the plate all around the placement areas atop the plate over the models thereon. A pump or the like generates a subatmospheric pressure and applies it via the conduits to the placement areas to draw the film down over the models.

A three-dimensional dental device is fabricated in a layer-by-layer approach using a support material. The support material is deposited in a liquid form on a surface, hardened by cooling or ultraviolet (UV) curing, and selectively ablated to create an area within which the desired structure of the dental device will be formed. Active dental material is deposited into this area, and the layer-by-layer process repeated until the three-dimensional dental device has been completed. Thereafter, any remaining support material is removed by water or other solvent.

A method includes the steps of providing a disk, wherein the disk has a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a profile, and wherein the disk includes an FDA-compliant plastic material that is configured to be formed into a dental appliance; providing a graphic part, wherein the graphic part includes: a first carrier film, and a graphic disposed on the first carrier film, providing a heat stamping press having a lower platen and an upper platen; positioning the disk on the lower platen; positioning the graphic part on the disk such that the graphic of the graphic part contacts a portion of the first side of the disk; and heat stamping the disk and the graphic part with the heat stamping press, thereby causing the graphic to fuse with the disk to produce a decorated disk.