Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B9/00—Arrangements of the bristles in the brush body
  • A46B9/02—Position or arrangement of bristles in relation to surface of the brush body, e.g. inclined, in rows, in groups
  • A46B9/026—Position or arrangement of bristles in relation to surface of the brush body, e.g. inclined, in rows, in groups where the surface of the brush body or carrier is not in one plane, e.g. not flat
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B9/00—Arrangements of the bristles in the brush body
  • A46B9/02—Position or arrangement of bristles in relation to surface of the brush body, e.g. inclined, in rows, in groups
  • A46B9/04—Arranged like in or for toothbrushes
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B2200/00—Brushes characterized by their functions, uses or applications
  • A46B2200/10—For human or animal care
  • A46B2200/1066—Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures

Definitions

• Tooth-brushes Tooth-brushes .
• THIS INVENTION relates to improvements in or relating to toothbrushes.
• Toothbrushes are, however, quite difficult to use correctly as they require a significant amount of dexterity. Furthermore, the toothbrush is known to have a very serious side effect, namely the abrasion of the necks of the teeth leading to the formation of wear facets, weakening and increased sensitivity, which requires further treatment, making the "prevention" aspect of brushing less appealing.
• a toothbrush comprising a plurality of bristles mounted to a deformable base.
• FIGURE I is an end elevational view of a toothbrush embodying the invention.
• FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the toothbrush shown in Figure I ;
• FIGURE 3 is a partial end elevational view of the toothbrush shown in
• FIGURE 4 shows the toothbrush of Figure I in contact with a tooth
• FIGURE 5 illustrates schematically the operation of the toothbrush.
• a toothbrush embodying the invention comprising an elongate resiliently deformable base I which is preferably formed of a resilient plastics material.
• An array of bristles 2 are mounted to the base I by means of a relatively hard non-deformable inner holder 4 which is curved transversely of the base and surrounded by the deformable base I .
• a relatively hard non-deformable inner holder 4 which is curved transversely of the base and surrounded by the deformable base I .
• the term "bristle” includes plastics, in particular nylon, bristles.
• the bristles 2 are arranged in rows extending along the length of the elongate base I .
• the bristles 2 in each row are of the same height so that, as viewed longitudinally of the base, the free ends of the bristles in each row thereof define a straight line.
• the free ends 3 of the bristles define a line which is shaped to conform to the surface of a tooth.
• the free ends of the bristles define a substantially concave surface with a central row 2a of the bristles extending slightly beyond the adjacent two rows of bristles so as to be able to engage within the central depression of a tooth.
• the outermost two rows 2b of bristles on either side of the base I as viewed in Figure 4 are formed of a softer material than the inner bristles so as to avoid damage to the gums being caused by the bristles.
• Each bristle 2 may be constituted by a cluster of e.g. 25 fine filaments.
• the toothbrush is provided with a detachable handle 5.
• the toothbrush Whilst clearly the dimensions of the toothbrush may vary according to requirements, in one example the toothbrush is provided with nine rows of bristles and the length of the bristles projecting from the base varies between 12 and 16 mm, while the tapering width of the nine rows varies between 16 and 20 mm. The length of each row of bristles is 25 mm.
• Figure 5 illustrates the use of the toothbrush.
• the toothbrush is inserted into the mouth of the user so that the deformable base is brought into contact with a tooth 6 of one of the user's two rows of teeth and the bristles contact an opposing tooth 7.
• the user then chews upon the deformable base which causes the brushes to move in the directions indicated by the arrows in Figure 5 to clean the surface of the tooth 7.
• the chewing action exercises the tooth 6 and, in particular, causes the periodontal ligaments to be stimulated, increasing the firmness of the tooth in the socket.
• the toothbrush can be used without a toothpaste, a vitamin- enriched gel base can be applied to the bristles to make the toothbrush pleasant to use.
• a conventional toothpaste could be used with the toothbrush.
• passages could be provided through the handle 5 and base I to allow a gel or paste supplied to the passages to be dispensed onto the bristles when the base I is chewed by a user.
• the toothbrush is provided with a detachable handle which allows the brush to be carried and used anywhere.
• the user is not restricted to the use of the toothbrush over a basin in a bathroom and the toothbrush can be chewed on the bus, train, etc.
• the toothbrush requires an absolute minimal amount of manual dexterity as it relies on the muscles used for mastication for its function, rather than on the manual dexterity of the user as is the case with a conventional toothbrush. Moreover, the use of the toothbrush avoids or at least mitigates the side effects of conventional toothbrushing, that is the abrasion of the necks of the teeth caused by the movement of a conventional toothbrush across the tooth. Furthermore, the toothbrush enables the gums of the user to be stimulated in a manner similar to that which occurs when the user chews fibrous healthy foodstuff such as vegetables and fruit.

Landscapes

• Brushes (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10584692

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (4)

Family Cites Families (13)

• 1985
  • 1985-09-04 GB GB858521938A patent/GB8521938D0/en active Pending
• 1986
  • 1986-09-04 AU AU63307/86A patent/AU6330786A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1986-09-04 WO PCT/GB1986/000527 patent/WO1987001263A1/en unknown
  • 1986-09-04 EP EP19860905348 patent/EP0235232A1/de active Pending

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events