Abstract:
A dispenser (1) for liquids includes a reservoir (100) defining a volume (V100) for housing a liquid (150); a delivery tube (200) with a first end (201) attached to the reservoir, and a second end (202) distal from the reservoir, the delivery tube including a passage (203) in fluid communication with the volume of the reservoir and extending away from the reservoir; an applicator element (300) including an applicator tip (320) and a base (310) attached to the second end of the delivery tube, the applicator tip having a plurality of fingers (322) extending away from the base to a distal end of the applicator element distal from the delivery tube; and a removable seal (340), wherein removal of the removable seal creates an opening in the passage at a location upstream of the applicator tip and a fluid distribution channel between the fingers.
Abstract:
Devices and related methods are provided for dispensing compositions having a tip (72) including an inner tapered funnel portion (74); a hollow barrel (84) including an outer tapered surface portion (86), an inner surface, an open front end, and an open back end opposite the front end; and a piston (16), where the outer tapered surface portion of the barrel aligns and releasably engages with the inner tapered funnel portion of the tip, and where the piston is in sliding engagement with the barrel. Applications include, but are not limited to, dispensing dental materials such as composites, adhesives, etchants, glass ionomers, cements, and sealants.
Abstract:
The present disclosure provides a microstructured article (830, 930) including a thermoplastic polymer shaped to have a curve. At least a portion of the curve includes a microstructured surface (1010B, 10, 1110A, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 810, 840, 910, 940) of utilitarian discontinuities and the microstructured surface (101B, 10, 1110A, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 810, 840, 910, 940) includes peak structures and adjacent valleys (810, 910). The peak structures and the curve are formed of a single piece of the thermoplastic polymer. A method of making the microstructured articles is also provided including a) obtaining a tool (820, 920) shaped to include at least one of a protrusion or a concavity; b) disposing a microstructured film (800A, 800C, 900) on at least a portion of the tool (820, 920) including the protrusion and/or the concavity; and c) thermoforming a single piece of thermoplastic polymer onto the tool (820, 920) to form a microstructured article (830, 930) shaped to include a curve. The curve is an inverse of the protrusion or the concavity of the tool (820, 920).
Abstract:
Methods, apparatus, devices and systems for mixing and dispensing multi-component materials. The mixing and dispensing may be performed using a mobile, enclosed dispenser that can be used to supply a mixed multi-component material at the point of use. In some embodiments, the components to be mixed into the multi-component material may be supplied in cartridges.
Abstract:
Dental crowns and methods of making the same. The dental crown may include a metal shell shaped to cover a portion of a tooth of a patient; a coating retention metal layer diffusion bonded to the metal shell, wherein an interface between the coating retention layer and the metal shell comprises a plurality of interstitial regions; and a composition on the coating retention layer and within the plurality of the interstitial regions to bond the coating composition to the metal shell.
Abstract:
A system for repositioning teeth a patient from an initial tooth arrangement to a final tooth arrangement includes a plurality of incremental position adjustment appliances, each having an arrangement of cavities shaped to receive and reposition teeth of the patient. The cavities in at least one appliance in the system have a different geometry than that of at least one other appliance in the system. At least some of the appliances in the system are successively worn by the patient to exert force on at least one tooth and move the teeth of the patient from a first arrangement to a successive arrangement different from the first arrangement. The system includes a first multilayer shell with a bending stiffness factor less than about 0.1 GPa*mm3 and an elastic modulus no greater than about 1.5 GPa; and a second shell with a bending stiffness factor greater than 0.1 GPa*mm3.
Abstract:
Dental crowns and methods of making the same. The dental crown may include a metal shell shaped to cover a portion of a tooth of a patient; a coating retention metal layer diffusion bonded to the metal shell, wherein an interface between the coating retention layer and the metal shell comprises a plurality of interstitial regions; and a composition on the coating retention layer and within the plurality of the interstitial regions to bond the coating composition to the metal shell.
Abstract:
A method of applying a dental treatment composition to a patient's teeth, including selecting a dental treatment composition, applying the dental treatment composition to a surface of at least one tooth of the patient; and applying pressurized gas on the dental treatment composition to spread the dental treatment composition smoothly across the surface of the tooth.