CH663334A5 - BRUSH FOR CLEANING REMOVABLE DENTAL PROSTHESES. - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a brush for cleaning removable dentures with a bristle field extending from an elongated rectangular brush base and a handle part extending from one of the two narrow sides of the brush base.

In a brush known from CH-PS 207 272 for cleaning removable dental prostheses, the bristles of the bristle field are approximately evenly distributed over two fields, each extending from the two narrow sides of the brush base and through one transverse to the longitudinal direction of the brush base in the middle Area extending bristle-free strips are separated from each other. The handle part is formed by a stem extending in the longitudinal direction of the brush base.

On the one hand, this design of the handle part proves to be disadvantageous in that the forces to be used during cleaning between the bristle field and the dental prosthesis have to be exerted by the user via the lever arm formed from the brush base and the handle part extending in extension, which often results in one insufficient pressure of the bristle field leads both in its longitudinally to the axis of the teeth and in its transverse to this axis cleaning movement. Furthermore, since the stem must be held substantially between the thumb and the index finger, it is not possible to insert the denture into the hollow opposite hand during the cleaning process. Rather, it has to be held with the fingers, which causes an uncertainty for the hold of the denture during the cleaning process. In particular, due to the consequent insufficient attack of the brush, it is not possible to keep the buccal and labial side of the prosthesis with its interdental spaces of the artificial teeth free from a calculus approach caused by the secretion of the parotid glands. The same difficulty exists on the lingual side of the calculus approach caused by the sublingual salivary glands.

On the other hand, there is also an important point of view that dental prostheses often have complicated holding devices such as attachments, anchors, push buttons, telescopic crowns, brackets, supports, bar sleeves and rails, which can hardly be cleaned to a sufficient degree using the bristle field of the known brush. In particular, this brush field cannot be used to remove the bacterial lawn that quickly develops in the cavities of secondary telescopic crowns.

In the known brush on the brush base and / or the handle part additional devices in the form of curved profiled cutting edges and / or pin-promoting

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Migen projections are provided, which due to the insufficient cleaning effect of the bristle field serve as scraping tools for a cleaning engagement with the surfaces of the denture, in particular the furrow-shaped depressions. However, these additional devices lead to a relatively complicated shape of the brush and laborious and time-consuming handling during the cleaning process. This also makes it difficult to keep the brush itself clean, since the angles and grooves created by the protruding blades and pins represent an ideal breeding site for bacteria.

The invention has for its object to provide a brush for cleaning removable dentures of the type mentioned, with which a perfect cleaning result of all areas of the denture is achieved quickly and easily.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the grip part extends over the side of the brush base facing away from the bristles in an arc from one narrow side to the other narrow side and encloses a grip space which is dimensioned for receiving the four fingers of the hand, and that in its middle Area in the width direction of the brush base has a range of magnitudes corresponding to the average width of the alveolar ridge space in its bristle field in its end area adjoining the narrow side of the brush base, a field of bristles arranged on a circular base and in its other end area a field of in the longitudinal direction Brush base arranged bristles with a small width in relation to the width of the central region.

In the brush designed according to the invention, no harmful lever arm occurs during the cleaning process due to the handle part which extends in an arc from one narrow side to the other narrow side. Rather, the grip part can be firmly enclosed by the four fingers of the hand which are passed through the grip space enclosed between the brush base and the grip part, the thumb then expediently being supported on the outside of the grip part facing away from the brush base. The movement and application of force to the entire hand of the user is thus transmitted directly to the bristle field. On the one hand, this enables the brush to be guided precisely, in particular in the direction of the axis of the artificial teeth and transversely to this direction, while on the other hand it is easy to set a sufficiently high pressing force. As a result, in particular the interdental spaces of the artificial teeth on the buccal or labial prosthesis side as well as on the lingual side can be cleaned properly and kept free of calculus deposits.

Furthermore, the design of the handle part provided in the invention favors a secure holding of the dental prosthesis to be cleaned in the opposite hand, in that the dental prosthesis can be placed in a fixed position in the palm of the opposite hand, without this hindering the cleaning access of the brush guided by the other hand . It has been shown that this mounting of the dental prosthesis in the hollow palm of the opposite hand enables the cleaning process to be carried out particularly safely and effectively.

The field of the bristles arranged on the circular base surface serves in particular to clean the approximately cylindrical, open-sided cavities of secondary telescopic crowns. It has been shown that this cross-sectionally round arrangement of this bristle field makes it possible to get rid of the bacterial lawn that is being produced. The bristle field, which has a circular base, is also used for cleaning push buttons and anchors.

The relatively narrow field of the bristles arranged in the longitudinal direction of the brush base in particular allows insertion into narrow, linearly extending depressions or grooves. It is therefore particularly suitable for cleaning complicated holding devices, such as attachments, anchors, push buttons, clamps, supports, web sleeves and rails.

A preferred embodiment of the brush is characterized in accordance with the invention in that the free ends of the bristles of all bristle fields, seen in longitudinal section, lie on a circular arc with a large radius of curvature in relation to the dimensions of the grip space and on the center of curvature located on the side of the brush facing away from the bristles. This measure, as a result of which the free ends of the bristles describe a section of the circumferential surface of a cylinder of relatively large radius and a height corresponding approximately to the width of the brush base, serves to better engage and engage the bristles on the convex or concave surfaces of the Prosthesis bases, as well as a better grip on the buccal or labial prosthesis site with its interdental spaces of the artificial teeth. The attack on the lingual side is also improved. The other prosthesis pages are also automatically recorded. The tartar build-up caused by the secretion of the parotid glands or the sublingual salivary glands can be prevented particularly effectively as a result.

The above-mentioned embodiment is expediently designed such that the brush base is curved in accordance with the circular arc and the bristles have the same length. This measure allows the curved envelope surface described by the free ends of the bristles to be implemented in a simple manner.

A suitable choice of the dimensions of the brush is that the width of the brush base is approximately 1.5 cm. Furthermore, in order to achieve the intended cleaning purpose, it proves advantageous that the bristle field arranged on the circular base surface has a diameter corresponding to the mean tooth diameter. Since this average tooth diameter corresponds to the average diameter of the approximately cylindrical hollow space of secondary telescopic crowns in the prosthesis, the circular bristle field dimensioned in this way is particularly suitable for penetrating into the hollow spaces of the secondary telescopic crowns. Although no food residues settle in the secondary telescopic crowns due to the tight fit on the primary sleeve, a bacterial lawn grows in a very short time. Thanks to the intensive brushing with the circular bristle field, which is best done after all meals, these bacterial turf can be completely removed. This ensures that irritation on the gum line of the sleeves is avoided with great certainty.

The brush according to the invention is expediently constructed such that the bristles are combined in tufts of a number of individual bristles.

In this construction, an expedient embodiment consists in that the bristle field arranged on the circular base area has five to eight tufts. In this context, an arrangement of this type has proven to be expedient and simple to manufacture, in which the bristle field arranged on the circular base area has a single brush arranged in the center of the circle.

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Scheei and four other tufts arranged on the circumference at the same arc distance.

Furthermore, it has proven to be effective for the intended cleaning purposes that the bristle field of the end region arranged in the longitudinal direction has three, closely spaced rows of tufts which extend in the longitudinal direction. The rows of tufts extending in the longitudinal direction serve in particular for the perfect cleaning of bar prostheses, in which a web of U-shaped or pear-shaped cross section runs between two crowns, onto which a complementary sleeve located on the denture is snapped. The cleaning of this sleeve can be carried out particularly thoroughly by the closely spaced rows of tufts arranged in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the tufts arranged in the longitudinal direction are also suitable for cleaning various staple systems in order to remove the bacterial coating adhering to the staples, which would otherwise damage the natural teeth on which the staples are in contact with caries formation.

In contrast, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the central bristle field is designed such that the tufts of the central region are arranged at the intersections of rows extending in the longitudinal direction of the brush base and columns extending in the width direction. In this context, the intended cleaning purpose is particularly easily met by providing four or five rows and a multiple thereof in columns. Furthermore, a further expedient dimensioning is that the free length of the bristles is approximately 1.3 cm.

Although according to preferred embodiments of the invention the brush base is curved, according to a further idea of the invention it is provided that the bristles extend essentially parallel to one another. This means that the mutual distance between the individual tufts at the free end and at the base of the tufts, where they are attached to the brush base, remains constant.

It is further provided in the context of the invention that the free ends of the bristles are rounded. The rounded bristle ends prevent the denture from being scratched, which is particularly important in the case of dentures made of plastic or metal in combination with plastic. The plastic, which is sensitive to scratching, poses a particular risk for deposits.

According to a further idea of the invention, a recessed grip for the thumb is formed in the arcuate grip part on its outside facing away from the brush base near the end region adjacent to the brush base. This measure further increases the convenience and safety of handling, since the thumb is supported in the recessed grip and as a result the grip part can be held particularly firmly between the fingers of the hand engaging on the inside and the thumb pressing against the recessed grip on the outside . In addition, the thumb, which is securely seated in the recessed grip, also improves the movement of the brush during cleaning.

Finally, it proves to be advantageous both from the point of view of production and for a pleasant grip when in use that the grip part and the brush base are designed as a one-piece plastic molded part.

Further features, details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the drawing, to which an essential to the invention

Disclosure of all details not mentioned in the text is particularly pointed out. Show here:

1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a brush for cleaning removable dentures,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the brush shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view in the direction of the brush base of the brush shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, a brush for cleaning removable dentures has a brush base 2 provided with a bristle field 1 and a handle part 3 connected to it in one piece. As can be seen in particular from the plan view of the brush base 2 shown in FIG. 3, viewed from the bristle field 1, the brush base 2 in this plan has the shape of an elongated rectangle. Specifically, for example, the width of the brush base 2, i.e. the length of their narrow sides 4 and 5 is approximately 1.5 cm and the linear distance between the narrow sides 4 and 5 is approximately 9.5 cm.

As can further be seen from FIG. 2, the brush base 2 is provided with a curvature in its longitudinal section plane perpendicular to the rectangular plane shown in FIG. 3. In detail, the line of intersection of the outer surface 6 facing the bristle field 1 with the longitudinal section plane lying in the plane of the drawing in FIG. 2 describes an arc, the center of curvature of which lies on the side of the brush base 2 opposite the outer surface 6. The radius of curvature of this circular arc has a large value in relation to the dimensions of the brush base 2, in particular its longitudinal extent.

The handle part 3, which is connected in one piece to the brush base 2, extends in an arc on the side of the brush base 2 facing away from the bristle field 1 from the narrow side 4 to the narrow side 5. In detail, the handle part 3 begins on the narrow side 4 with an approximately perpendicular to the Brush base 2 extending section 7 which, at a distance slightly exceeding the finger thickness of the human hand, bends from the inner surface 8 of the brush base 2 into a section 9 extending along the brush base 2, which in turn bends into a section 10 complementary to section 7, which likewise approximately perpendicular to the brush base 2 and connected to the narrow side 5. The grip space 11 enclosed in this way has, for example, an average height of approximately 2.5 cm between the brush base 2 and the grip part 3.

The four fingers of the human hand can be conveniently guided through this grip space 11 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 2. The unit formed from the brush base 2 and the handle part 3 consists, for example, of a one-piece plastic mold.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, the section 9 of the handle part 3 can be slightly enlarged compared to the width of the brush base 2. 2 that the handle part 3 on its outer side 12 facing away from the brush base 2 in the transition region between the sections 9 and 7 and the sections 9 and 10 each with a recessed grip 13 or 14 for the thumb indicated by a broken line is provided by the user's hand.

As can be clearly seen in particular from FIGS. 2 and 3, the bristle field 1 is divided into a central region 14 and two on both sides of the central region 14 on the fields 15 and 16 arranged on the end regions of the brush base 2 adjoining the narrow sides 4 and 5. Within the central region 14 and the fields 15, 16, a number of individual bristles are combined to form a tuft 17

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for example, can each comprise fifteen individual bristles. Each of these tufts 17 is fixed at one end in a hole 18 in the brush base 2. All bristles and thus all tufts 17 have the same free length of, for example, 1.3 cm, so that the free ends 19 of the bristles and the tuft 17 follow the curvature of the brush base 2, i.e. lie on a surface parallel to the curved outer surface 6 of the brush base 2. The bristles and thus the tufts extend essentially parallel to one another, the tufts 20 arranged at approximately the same distance from the narrow sides 4 and 5 in the middle of the outer surface 6 being directed perpendicularly to the tangential surface placed on the outer surface 6 at this point. Finally, what is no longer evident from the scale of the drawing, the bristles made of plastic, for example, are rounded at their free end 19.

As can best be seen from the plan view shown in FIG. 3, in the central region 14 the tufts 17 are in several rows extending in the longitudinal direction of the brush base 2 - four rows in the example shown - and a number which is a multiple of the number of rows of columns extending in the width direction of the brush base 2. Each tuft 17 is thus fixed in a hole 18 in the brush base 2, which is located at the intersection of one of the rows with one of the columns. The width of the central region 14 is only slightly smaller than the width of the brush base 2 and corresponds in terms of magnitude to the average width of the jaw ridge space.

3 that the field 15 has a small width in relation to the width of the central region 14 and that the bristles, i.e. the tufts 17 extend in the longitudinal direction of the brush base 2. In particular, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the tufts 17 of the field 15 arranged on the end region adjoining the narrow side 4 are arranged in three rows concentrated around the longitudinal central axis of the brush base 2 and parallel to this, the middle row having four tufts 17 and the have two tufts 17 in each of the two rows located on either side of it. The mutual spacing of the individual tufts 17 is smaller here than in the central region 14, which is made possible in particular by the fact that the tufts 17 of the two lateral rows are offset in the longitudinal direction with respect to those of the central row, so that the tufts seen in the longitudinal direction 17 of the side rows in each

Height of the spaces between the tufts 17 of the middle row are located.

3 also shows the circular arrangement of the bristles on the end region of the brush base 2 adjoining the narrow side 5. Specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the bristles of the field 15 arranged on the circular base surface consist of a number of tufts 17, the number of which is five in the special exemplary embodiment. One of the tufts 17 is arranged in the center of the circle of the circular base, while the four other tufts 17 are arranged at the same circumference at the circumference of the circle. The diameter of the circular field 16 is in the order of magnitude of the mean tooth diameter.

In use, the hand of the user reaches through the grip space 11 shown in FIG. 2 in such a way that the finger limbs extending from the metacarpal extend essentially perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 2 and on the inside 20 of section 9 of the section 9 opposite to the outside 12 Grip part 3. The metacarpus and the other finger limbs reach over the edges extending between the outside 12 and the inside 20, so that the section 9 of the grip part 3 is firmly gripped. The thumb is supported in one of the two recessed grips 13, 14. With the brush guided in this way by the user, in particular the artificial teeth with their interdental spaces on the buccal and labial side of the prosthesis and on the lingual side of the prosthesis are cleaned, the brush movement having to take place once perpendicular to the tooth axis and once in the direction of the tooth axis. In this partial section of the cleaning process, the middle region 14 of the bristle field 1 is used in particular, which, due to the curvature of the bristle base 2, is particularly designed for effective engagement and engagement of the rounded bristles on the aforementioned prosthesis sides. Likewise, the curvature also serves to better attack the convex and concave prosthesis bases. In contrast to the central region 14, the elongated field 15 is preferably used to clean complicated holding devices of the dental prosthesis, such as attachments, anchors, push buttons, clamps, supports, bar sleeves and rails. Finally, with the field 16 arranged on the circular base area, the secondary telescopic crowns provided in the dental prosthesis are cleaned of bacterial turf. Press buttons and anchors can also be cleaned with the bristle field 16.

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Claims (16)

663 334 2nd PATENT CLAIMS 1. Brush for cleaning removable dentures with a bristle field (1) extending from an elongated rectangular brush base (2) and a handle part (3) extending from one of the two narrow sides (4, 5) of the brush base (2), thereby characterized in that the grip part (3) extends over the side of the brush base (2) facing away from the bristles in an arc from one narrow side (4) to the other narrow side (5) and a grip space (11) dimensioned for receiving the four fingers of the hand and that the bristle field (1) in its central region (14) in the width direction of the brush base (2) has a width dimension corresponding to the average width of the jaw ridge space in its on the one narrow side (5) of the brush base (2) Adjacent end region is a field (16) of bristles arranged on a circular base and in its other end region a field (15) of in the longitudinal direction The brush base (2) has bristles with a small width in relation to the width of the central region (14). 2. Brush according to claim 1, characterized in that the free ends (19) of the bristles of all bristle fields (14, 15, 16) are seen in longitudinal section on a circular arc with a large radius of curvature in relation to the dimensions of the handle space (11) and on the center of curvature located on the side of the brush facing away from the bristles. 3. Brush according to claim 2, characterized in that the brush base (2) is curved in accordance with the arc and the bristles have the same length. 4. Brush according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the width of the brush base (2) approximately Is 1.5 cm. 5. Brush according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the bristle field (16) arranged on the circular base surface has a diameter corresponding to the average tooth diameter. 6. Brush according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the bristles are combined in tufts (17) of a number of individual bristles. 7. Brush according to claim 6, characterized in that the bristle field (16) arranged on the circular base has five to eight tufts (17). 8. Brush according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the bristle field (16) arranged on the circular base area has a single tuft (17) arranged in the center of the circle and four further tufts (17) arranged at the same circumference at the circumference of the circle. 9. Brush according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the bristle field (15) of the end region arranged in the longitudinal direction has three, closely spaced rows of tufts (17) extending in the longitudinal direction. 10. Brush according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the tufts (17) of the central region (14) are arranged at the intersections of rows extending in the longitudinal direction of the brush base (2) and columns extending in the width direction. 11. Brush according to claim 10, characterized in that four or five rows and a multiple thereof are provided in columns. 12. Brush according to one of claims 3 to 11, characterized in that the free length of the bristles is about 1.3 cm. 13. Brush according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the bristles extend substantially parallel to each other. 14. Brush according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the free ends (19) of the bristles are rounded. 15. Brush according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that in the curved handle part (3) on its outer side facing away from the brush base (12) in each case near the end region (7, 10) adjoining the brush base (2), a recessed grip ( 13, 14) is designed for the thumb. 16. Brush according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the handle part (3) and the brush base (2) are designed as a one-piece plastic molded part.