IMTEC Corporation, an Ardmore, Oklahoma-based manufacturer and marketer of dental specialty products, has announced that the United States Patent Office has issued a patent to three of its officials -- Dr. Ronald A. Bulard, Dr. Victor I. Sendax, and Stephen J. Hadwin. The patent protects an invention relating to a one-piece dental implant with a ball-shaped head mounted on a non-circular abutment. The so-called "O-Ball patent" was issued by the patent office on April 6, 2004, and protects the core product of the local company. The patent notes that the inventive dental implants offer an advantage because of the unique one-piece design, thus eliminating multiple parts that can loosen over time.
"We are extremely gratified that this patent has been issued," Dr. Ronald A. Bulard stated. "We've been producing and selling this remarkable product since early 1999 and its been well received by the dental industry, especially dentists in general practice. Steve Hadwin, Dr. Sendax and I have been working on this design and concept for over five years and we're excited that the patent office has recognized our efforts."
Hadwin, an executive vice president of IMTEC who heads up the company's engineering division, pointed out that the invention allows excellent retention for denture patients and that the O-ring-shaped inserts can be switched easily at any time without the need to remove the keeper cap from the denture or to form a new denture around new caps. "We've trained over 4,000 dentists to date on use of this new product to meet the needs of their denture patients," Hadwin said. "We've had amazing results and this patent will protect our company from several companies that have cloned our product."
The third listed inventor, Dr. Sendax, is a Manhattan implantologist and serves as a director of the company.
IMTEC Corporation is a dental specialty products company that combines the manufacturing and marketing of an array of dental products that are offered globally. Its U.S. headquarters are located at 2401 North Commerce Street, in Ardmore, Okla.
