JP4108735B1 - Interdental brush - Google Patents

Abstract

An angle-type interdental brush provided with a handle that supports a brush body on the tip side is bent so as to exhibit excellent cleaning ability while ensuring durability.
A connecting body 2 having a connecting recess 20, a handle body 3A made of a linear metal extending from the front end side of the connecting body 2, and a brush body 5 supported on the front end side of the handle body 3A. In the angle-type interdental brush 1A in which the handle body 3A extends along the central axis extension line of the connecting body 2 and is bent in the middle, the handle body 3A is made of the tube material 300 and forms a predetermined range from the base end. There is a base tube portion 30 and an elastic deformation portion 31 that is extended by inserting the base end side into the distal end side of the tube material 300 and that exposes the superelastic alloy wire 310 that elastically supports the brush body 5 on the distal end side. In addition, the wire 310 is fixed so that it cannot be removed in the tube 300 while forming an angle by being bent at a predetermined angle together with the wire 310 in the portion of the base tube portion 30 where the wire 310 is inserted. , That was characterized by.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an interdental brush for cleaning dirt on teeth, and in particular, a so-called angle-type interdental brush in which a handle made of a linear member that supports the brush body on the tip side is bent halfway. About.

  The plaque and grime collected on the adjacent tooth surfaces are difficult to remove completely by ordinary toothbrush cleaning alone, and there is also an increase in the style of oral cleaning after meals in recent years. Thus, it is becoming increasingly common to simply clean teeth using an interdental brush that has a thin brush body that can be inserted between teeth and is more compact and less bulky than a toothbrush.

  This interdental brush supports a brush body, which is made of a thin cylinder with hairs between wires twisted in a rope shape, supported by a handle made of a linear member, and is connected to the handle means by a connecting body on the base end side. What is used by being connected is known, and it is usual that a core wire formed by twisting a wire is extended as it is to form a handle.

  The handle is preferably provided with a predetermined elasticity and flexibility from the viewpoint of avoiding damage to the gums and facilitating cleaning to the periphery of the teeth. However, interdental brushes are not only moved back and forth along the axial direction, but are often brushed in a direction different from the axial direction, so a relatively large bending force is applied to the handle to cause plastic deformation. It was easy to cause the failure, and by repeating the return of the bending, it was easy to cause a strength shortage and breakage trouble due to metal fatigue.

  In response to this problem, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-95322 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-70812 propose using a superelastic alloy that exhibits superelasticity at room temperature for the handle that supports the brush body. ing. This superelastic alloy is an alloy that exhibits a superelasticity by having a composition that can exhibit martensitic transformation as typified by, for example, a Ti—Ni alloy.

  That is, the superelastic alloy has the property of returning to its original shape like rubber by reverse transformation by unloading even if it is deformed to a large strain region exceeding normal elastic strain at room temperature. Therefore, by using this for the handle of the interdental brush, it deforms flexibly according to the surface shape of the tooth, and even if it is greatly deformed, it will return to its original shape accurately, so it is difficult to cause metal fatigue It is expected that excellent cleaning efficiency can be expected.

  On the other hand, when cleaning the oral cavity using an interdental brush, it is sufficient even if the handle is a straight type for the front teeth, but when cleaning the back teeth, it is inserted between the teeth from the side, It is easy to use the one in which the handle made of a linear metal is provided in a direction bent with respect to the central axis extension line of the handle means. Therefore, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-29164 and shown in FIG. 7A, a handle 3C made of a short steel wire that supports the brush body 5 is connected to the central axis extension line of the handle 9. An angle-type interdental brush 1C connected and fixed in a bent direction of 45 ° or more is also used.

  The interdental brush 1C having such an angle exhibits an excellent function in cleaning the back teeth, but is actually used as it is for cleaning the front teeth. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7B, since the brush body 5 is used in a substantially horizontal state, the brush body 5 is used in a bent state around the handle body 3C which is a connection portion between the handle 9 and the brush body 5. .

  Further, as shown in the schematic view of the occlusal surface of the maxillary anterior teeth in FIG. 8A, generally a drum-shaped gap is formed between the teeth, and dirt is likely to accumulate between the teeth and cleaning is difficult. As shown in FIG. 8 (B), when the interdental brush 1C is used to clean the spaces between the teeth with the brush body 5 inserted at an angle as shown in FIG. 7 (B). It is necessary to brush at a proper angle.

  However, in actual cleaning, the bundle 9 is often moved in parallel as shown in FIG. 8C and brushing is often performed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8D, the bent portion of the handle 3C is centered. As a result, the front end side of the brush body 5 is swung to the left and right in the horizontal direction nearly 180 °. As a result, force in the torque direction is intensively applied to the bent portion of the handle 3C and the fixed portion to the handle 9, and this portion breaks in a relatively short period of time due to torsional deformation. At present, the usable period of the brush is extremely short.

To deal with this problem, it is conceivable that the handle 3C of the angle-type interdental brush 1C is made of a superelastic alloy. However, when this is used for cleaning the front teeth, only the force in the bending direction is used as described above. However, since a large force is concentrated on the connecting portion between the handle 9 and the handle 3C in the twisting direction, it will fall off at the connecting portion in a relatively short period of time even if it exhibits a buffering action due to superelasticity. , Durability is not enough.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-95322 JP-A-6-70812 JP 2007-29164 A

  The present invention is intended to solve the above-described problems, and the durability of an angle-type interdental brush provided with a bent handle that supports the brush body on the tip side is ensured. However, it is an object to be able to demonstrate excellent cleaning ability.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a coupling body having a coupling recess for coupling to the handle means side, and a handle body extending from the distal end side of the coupling body and made of a linear metal made of superelastic alloy at least at the distal end side. And a substantially cylindrical brush body supported on the front end side of the handle body, and the handle body is extended along the central axis extension line of the coupling body and bent at a predetermined angle in the middle. In the intermediate brush, the handle is made of a metal tube material that is not a superelastic alloy, and extends in a state in which the proximal end side is inserted into the distal end side of the base tube portion that forms a predetermined range from the proximal end. An elastically deformable portion made of a superelastic alloy that elastically supports the brush body on the distal end side and having an exposed portion that can be elastically deformed, and the wire rod of the base tube portion is inserted. shape by a predetermined angle bent at a predetermined position of that portion of the tube with wire In by obtained by plastic deformation, the base end side of the wire while forming the angle is fixed to the caulking type at the bent inner surface of the tube there is a de-抜不capacity was assumed, characterized in that.

  Thus, in the angle-type interdental brush, the predetermined range on the tip side from the bending position of the handle body is composed of a wire made of superelastic alloy having excellent elasticity, and is provided with an elastic deformation portion. Although it is possible to demonstrate high cleaning ability while making the pattern body less susceptible to metal fatigue, it ensures high rigidity in the part from the fixed position to the joint of the pattern body where a large force in the torsional direction is applied to the bent part. It is possible to sufficiently secure the strength of this part by configuring it with easy-to-use pipe materials, and it is possible to mechanically and firmly fix super elastic alloy wire materials that are difficult to adhere and fix by bending the tube material together with the internal wire materials It will be a thing.

  Further, a cross-sectional shape obtained by cutting the superelastic alloy wire with a plane perpendicular to the central axis thereof is a square wire having a polygonal shape having a side having a length that is one-half or more of the major axis of the cross-section. If this is the case, the inner peripheral surface is pressed against the outer peripheral flat portion of the inserted wire due to the collapsed deformation of the tube at the bent position and the edge of the square wire becomes effective, so the wire is fixed in a non-rotatable manner in the tube. Therefore, in order to minimize shaking and rotation in the twisting direction, an accurate support position of the brush body is ensured and the operability is extremely high, and the wire rod is difficult to be removed from the pipe material. In this case, if the cross-sectional shape is a square, it is difficult to remove and secure the strength of the wire while securing the rotation prevention function.

  Furthermore, in the interdental brush described above, the brush body has a base end side of a core wire which is a central portion thereof inserted in a distal end side of a second pipe material different from the above-described pipe material, and the base of the second pipe material The distal end side of the wire rod is inserted on the end side to form a tip tube portion that connects the wire rod to the brush body, and the proximal end side of the tube rod is opened in the coupling recess of the coupling body, For connecting the connecting body by covering the part where the wire is exposed between the base tube part and the tip tube part with a resin tube in the inside / outside air / liquid-tight state with a gap between the wire and the outer peripheral surface. A communication path is formed from the concave portion to the brush body base end side, and by connecting a syringe filled with the cleaning liquid to this connecting body and pumping the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid is ejected from the brush body base end side and the brush body If it is characterized by cleaning, do not clean the brush body. It becomes not requires labor for cleaning of the oral cavity outside to remove dirt of the brush body by performing et cleaning.

  Furthermore, in the above-described interdental brush, if the wire is made of a Ti—Ni alloy, it is easy to exhibit excellent superelasticity and to ensure durability and corrosion resistance. In this case, if a predetermined range including the bent portion of the wire is preliminarily heated at a predetermined temperature so that it can be plastically deformed without exhibiting a superelastic action, the wire is plastically deformed together with the tube by bending. As a result, it is difficult to pull out from the wire, and the connection / fixed state of the wire to the pipe material is ensured.

  In addition, the interdental brush described above has a straight and tubular cap body as a separate body for storing and protecting at least the tip portion from the handle, and the elastic deformation portion of the handle is elastically deformed. If it fits in the cap body in such a state, it becomes a single rod-like shape as a whole. By storing the tip from the handle having the angle into the cap body, the interdental brush having the angle Even so, it is difficult to be bulky and convenient to carry.

  In this case, it is assumed that the cap body has a connecting convex part for connecting to the connecting concave part of the connecting body on the tip side, and it is also characterized in that it also serves as a handle means by connecting to the connecting body. Thus, it is possible to save the trouble of separately preparing and carrying the handle means.

  In addition, in the above-described interdental brush, the connecting body has a structure in which the connecting concave portion can be connected to the connecting convex portion of the electric toothbrush main body driving portion which serves as the handle means, and gives electrical vibration. In addition to being able to demonstrate higher cleaning ability, the elastically deformable part with excellent elasticity and flexibility exerts a buffering action to damage teeth and gums. It becomes easy to ensure the durability while avoiding.

  According to the present invention, an angle-type interdental brush provided with a handle is bent, and the handle is constituted by a base tube portion made of a tube material having a bent portion and an elastic deformation portion made of a superelastic alloy wire. And it can demonstrate excellent cleaning ability while ensuring its durability.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 4 show an interdental brush 1A according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to the front view of FIG. 1 (A), the interdental brush 1A is separate from the handle means for gripping by hand, and is connected for connecting to a connecting projection of the handle means (not shown). A substantially cylindrical connecting body 2 having an opening of a concave portion 20 on the base end surface side, and a handle 3A extending from the front end surface of the connecting body 2 to support the brush body 5 on the front end side It is.

  The handle 3A includes a base tube portion 30 having a predetermined rigidity, which is made of a metal tube material 300 such as a stainless steel wire, the base end of which is embedded in the distal end portion of the connecting body 2, and which is bonded and fixed with an adhesive 21. The base pipe part 32 made of a metal pipe member 320 for inserting and fixing the base end side of the core wire 50, which is the central part of the brush body 5, from the tip end side, and the pipe member 300 of the base pipe part 30 at an opening end at a predetermined depth. An elastically deformable portion 31 composed of a superelastic alloy wire rod 310 having a proximal end inserted and a distal end inserted into a tube 320 proximal end opening end of the tip tube portion 32 to elastically support the brush body 5; Consists of.

  The base tube portion 30 constituting about half of the base end side of the handle 3A is extended along the central axis of the connector 2 together with the wire 310 at a predetermined position on the distal end side where the wire 310 is inserted (= the center of the handle means). It is bent at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the axis extension line), and an angle is formed at this bent position, and the wire 310 is connected to and fixed to the tube 300 so as not to be removed.

  By having the base tube portion 30 configured as described above, the angle-type interdental brush secures the fixing force of the joint portion to which the force in the torsional direction is easily applied, and from the joint portion to the bent portion. Strength can be secured. Further, while the superelastic alloy wire is usually difficult to fix by adhesion, the wire 310 is mechanically fixed caulkingly by the collapse of the tube material 300 at the bent portion, and is securely and firmly connected.

  In addition, since the tube 300 has a distal end opening side of the base tube portion 30 that is open without being crushed and has a sleeve shape up to the bent portion, the effective length with respect to the torsional force of the wire 310 is also added to the portion in the sleeve. become. Therefore, by adjusting the length of the sleeve-like portion, the distance from the bent portion of the tube material 300 to the opening portion is changed without changing the effective length of the wire 310 with respect to the torsional force (the hardness against the bending force ( The spring constant) can be easily adjusted and set.

  On the other hand, the brush body 5 formed by twisting two wires in a rope shape to form a core wire 50 with a bristle material such as nylon sandwiched between them is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape. It is inserted and fixed to the distal end side of the second pipe member 320 different from 300. Further, a wire 310 having a proximal end inserted and fixed to the distal end side of the tube material 300 of the base tube portion 30 is inserted into the proximal end side of the tube material 320.

  That is, the tube material 320 forms the tip tube portion 32 that is the tip side portion of the handle 3A. As shown in a longitudinal sectional view in a circle in which the tip tube portion 32 is partially enlarged, 50 core wires are formed. The portion where the end side and the tip side of the wire 310 are inserted is crushed in a caulking manner, and is in a state of being mechanically fixed and connected.

  And the elastic deformation part 31 is comprised in the part which this wire 310 is exposed outside between the pipe materials 300 and 320, and this part exhibits a super elastic deformation action, and makes the brush body 5 elastic and flexible. This is a feature of the present invention. As the superelastic alloy forming the wire 310, a Ti—Ni alloy is preferable in that it does not easily cause metal fatigue or corrosion while exhibiting a superelasticity under normal temperature and oral temperature (body temperature).

  Further, the superelastic alloy wire 310 has a cross section cut at a right angle with respect to its central axis, as shown in FIG. 1B, which is an enlarged end view taken along line XX in FIG. Is characterized by the use of a square wire that is a polygon having at least one-half of its major axis. Such polygons are assumed to be regular triangles, regular tetragons (squares), regular pentagons, regular hexagons, etc., but regular polygons as shown in the figure are preferred from the viewpoint of ease of creation and deformation symmetry. It is.

  Since the interdental brush 1A has such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 1C, which is an enlarged end view taken along line YY in FIG. In the provided bent portion, the crimped inner peripheral surface of the pipe member 300 is brought into contact with the flat surface on the outer peripheral side of the wire member 310 and is crimped, so that the edge of the square wire works and restricts the movement of the wire member 310 in the rotational direction. ing.

  Therefore, it is possible to support the brush body 5 at an accurate position by minimizing the shake and rotation in the twist direction of the fixed portion of the wire 310 that is likely to cause a problem in the angle type interdental brush. In addition, the polygon of this cross section does not necessarily need to be an exact regular polygon, as long as the effect | action mentioned above is exhibited, and the corner | angular part may be given some chamfering or a rounding process.

  FIG. 2 (A) shows a state in which the portion from the middle of the connecting body 2 is housed in a straight-type tubular cap body 7 that is assumed to be attached to the interdental brush 1A of the present embodiment. FIG. In this case, if you use a straight type cap body that uses a general steel wire for the handle, it will cause plastic deformation in the handle, causing the angle to go wrong, or causing metal fatigue in this area. It becomes.

  However, in the interdental brush 1A of the present embodiment, the elastically deformable portion 31 is constituted by the superelastic alloy wire 310 in a predetermined range of the central portion of the handle 3A, and is deformed as shown in the figure to form the cap body 7. Even if it is housed in a single bar as a whole, when it is removed from the cap 7, the original accurate angle is reproduced as shown in FIG. 2 (B).

  As described above, as a result of housing the brush body 5 and the handle body 3A in the straight cap body 7, as described above, the brush body 5 and the handle body 3A made of a thin linear metal are easily deformed. In addition to protection, the angle-type interdental brush 1A, which is easy to be bulky, may be in a straight bar shape as shown in FIG. In addition to this, the brush body 5 is difficult to insert between the teeth in a dry state. When the brush body 5 is previously wetted with a predetermined liquid component, the brush body 5 is kept airtight in the cap body 7 to prevent the drying. It is also possible to do.

  FIG. 3 shows a case where the cap body 7 of FIG. 2 (A) is used as the handle means for the interdental brush 1A of the present embodiment. The cap body 7 is provided with a connecting convex portion 71 for inserting and connecting to the connecting concave portion 20 of the connecting body 2 on the front end side of the cap body 7 so as to also serve as a handle means for gripping by hand when cleaning teeth. It has become.

  Then, the cap body 7 is removed from the time of storage / carrying in the state of being housed in the cap body 7 shown in FIG. 2A, and the connection convex portion 71 is connected to the connection concave portion of the connection body 2 as shown in FIG. By being inserted into 20 and connected and fixed, it can be gripped by hand and cleaned. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare and store the handle means separately or carry it.

  FIG. 4 shows a case where the interdental brush 1 </ b> A of the present embodiment is used by being connected to the connecting convex portion 81 of the electric toothbrush main body drive unit 80. The electric toothbrush main body drive unit 80 may be for a sound wave toothbrush that generates longitudinal sound wave vibration at the connecting convex part 81, or may generate a relatively low frequency lateral vibration, By transmitting the electrically generated vibration from the connecting convex portion 81 to the brush body 5, more excellent cleaning ability can be exhibited.

  When an interdental brush is connected to the electric toothbrush main body drive unit 80 and used, if the handle is made of a general steel wire and has insufficient elastic deformation capability, use it carelessly. As a result, the teeth and gums may be damaged, and the brush body and handle may be bent or broken, resulting in a problem in durability. However, in the present embodiment, since the elastic deformation portion 31 made of a superelastic alloy is interposed between the base tube portion 30 and the front tube portion 32, excessive force can be absorbed by the superelastic deformation action, Moreover, since the brush body 5 on the distal end side is flexibly deformed so as to be in close contact with the tooth surface shape, sufficient cleaning ability can be exhibited.

  5 and 6 show an interdental brush 1B as an application example of the interdental brush 1A. Referring to FIG. 5A, the interdental brush 1B has the same basic configuration as the interdental brush 1A of FIG. 1A, but the outer periphery of the elastically deformable portion 31 from which the wire 310 is exposed. The side is completely covered with a resin tube 90 with a predetermined gap, and the inside and outside of this part are in an air / liquid tight state. By connecting a syringe filled with washing water to the connecting body 2, five brush bodies It is characterized in that washing water can be ejected from the end side.

  As the resin tube 90, a soft and heat-shrinkable tube whose inner diameter shrinks when heated may be used, and the front end side of the brush body 5 of the interdental brush 1A shown in FIG. The resin tube 90 is contracted in the direction of diameter reduction by being stopped at a position where the distal end side slightly exceeds the bent portion of the base tube portion 30 and the proximal end side is in the middle of the front tube portion 32 and is heated at that position. Then, the inner peripheral surfaces on the distal end side and the proximal end side are in close contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the pipe members 300 and 320, and a gap portion is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the wire rod 310 of the elastically deformable portion 31.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, which is an enlarged end view taken along line XX in FIG. 5A, the cross section of the wire 310 inserted into the pipe 300 is a polygon, and therefore the inner peripheral surface of the pipe 300 A moderate gap is formed between them. Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, which is an enlarged end view taken along the line YY in FIG. 5A, the outer peripheral surface of the core wire 50 of the brush body 5 and the tube material that are crimped to the inside of the front tube portion 32. A gap is also formed between the inner peripheral surface 320 and the brush body 5 is open on the base end side.

  On the other hand, an opening on the base end side of the pipe member 300 is exposed on the top wall side of the connecting concave portion 20 of the connecting body 2, and the inside of the connecting body 2 and the inside of the pipe material 300 are communicated with each other. A communication path connected to the base end side of the brush body 5 is formed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, after inserting / connecting the connecting convex portion 101 having the nozzle 100 of the syringe 100 filled with the cleaning liquid into the connecting concave portion 20 of the connecting body 2, the plunger 102 is pushed with a finger to pump the cleaning liquid. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid is ejected from the base end side of the brush body 5 so that the brush body 5 can be cleaned. In particular, since a square wire having a square cross section is used for the wire 310 in the present embodiment, an appropriate cleaning liquid passage is formed on the outer peripheral side thereof, so that the cleaning liquid is smoothly delivered.

  In this way, by pressing the plunger 102 and frequently cleaning the brush body 5 while cleaning the oral cavity, the interdental brush 1B is frequently taken out of the oral cavity to remove the dirt of the brush body 5 and the brush body 5 is removed. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of performing the cleaning and to continuously exhibit excellent cleaning ability. Note that wetting the brush body 5 by jetting cleaning water from the base end side of the brush body 5 also has an advantage of facilitating insertion between the teeth.

  Hereinafter, the interdental brush of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. In this embodiment, first, the same interdental brush 1A shown in FIG. 1A is created, and then the interdental brush 1B shown in FIG. 5A is created, Each was actually used for tooth cleaning and its action and effect were confirmed.

(Production of interdental brush) a, connecting body: length 18.00 mm, using the connecting part of the medical injection needle as it is, made of synthetic resin, b, tube material (base tube part): inner diameter 0.57 mm, outer diameter 0 .80 mm, total length 19.00 mm (exposed part 12.00 mm, tip to bent part 2.50 mm), made of SUS304, c, wire: 0.41 mm × 0.41 mm × 12.00 mm (elastically deformed part 5.00 mm) Ti-Ni superelastic alloy (product name: G & H super elastic wire, square, manufactured by G & H Wire Company), base end side 5.00mm (center is bent), plasticized by 700 ° C-800 ° C annealing, d , Second pipe material (tip tube part): inner diameter 0.57 mm, outer diameter 0.80 mm, total length 4.00 mm, made of SUS304, e, brush body: brush part 2.0 mm × 10.00 mm, base End side core wire protrusion 2.00mm,

(Result) As in FIG. 3, the cap body is connected and used as a handle means. As a result of cleaning between each tooth and around the teeth in the upper and lower dentitions, all teeth without damaging the gums with one interdental brush Cleaning work was easily performed in the meantime, and all dental plaque and food residue could be removed sufficiently visually. In addition, as a result of observing the shape of the handle and the like after the work, no particular change was observed, and plastic deformation was not confirmed. Furthermore, the same operation as described above was performed 30 times using the same interdental brush, but almost the same operations and effects were exhibited every time, and the pattern body was not deformed.

  For reference, the same configuration as this interdental brush was actually used by connecting it to the sonic toothbrush body. Although the applied vibration was a longitudinal vibration with an operating frequency of about 258 Hz, no abnormal resonance occurred on the tip side of the angle, and sufficient cleaning could be performed in a relatively short time without damaging the gingiva.

  On the other hand, about the thing of the same structure as this interdental brush, the elastic deformation part is covered with a heat-shrinkable resin tube, the same thing as the interdental brush 1B shown in FIG. Then, the cleaning liquid was used while being appropriately jetted from the base end side of the brush body. As a result, it was not necessary to clean the brush body outside the oral cavity, and sufficient and efficient cleaning could be performed. In addition, since the passage of the cleaning liquid was confirmed by using a transparent resin tube, the cleaning operation was easy to carry out.

  The interdental brush of the type shown in FIG. 1A created in Example 1 is compared with the angle type interdental brush shown in FIG. Durability was tested and compared.

(Control example): Product name Prospec (registered trademark) interdental brush, angle type, size SSS, pattern body diameter 0.4 mm
(Test method): As in FIG. 7B, the tip of the brush body is fixed with the handle body bent at the center so that the center axis of the brush body coincides with the center axis extension line of the handle or connecting body. As in FIG. 8 (D), the handle or connecting body is gripped by hand and translated left and right so that the tip of the brush body turns about 180 ° to the left and right about the pattern body. The number of reciprocations until the fracture occurred was counted.
(Number of specimens): 10 each

(Results) The interdental brush of the control example was broken by 15 to 20 reciprocations, whereas the interdental brush of this example was not broken even by 100 reciprocations.

(Consideration) From the above results, it was confirmed that the elastic deformation portion by the superelastic alloy wire in the present example supported the brush body elastically and flexibly at the time of tooth cleaning, and the elastic deformation portion was only in the bending direction. It is considered that it can be operated in all directions while flexibly following and deforming the tooth surface shape while elastically deforming in the torsional direction, and bringing the brush body side surface into close contact with the tooth surface. It can be evaluated that it exhibited an excellent cleaning function.

  That is, in this embodiment, even when the brush body is strongly pressed, the elastically deforming portion is deformed flexibly, avoiding damage to the gums and teeth, reducing the load on the handle body, and reducing its metal fatigue. Therefore, it is considered that it can be used many times. In addition, from the result of the durability test, the connecting body side of the handle body to the bent portion is composed of a relatively rigid tube material, and a square wire made of superelastic alloy is mechanically fixed in a caulking manner at the bent portion. Therefore, when force in the torsional direction is applied at the angle of the handle, it exerts great strength at the connecting part of the wire to the handle and the fixing part of the handle to the connected body, It is considered that the breakage and dropout were avoided.

  In addition, from the result mentioned above, by using the interdental brush created in the present embodiment, not only a normal interdental cleaning purpose, but also an extremely excellent cleaning ability, for example, in the entire circumference cleaning after implant placement. It is expected to exert this effect and is expected to make a significant contribution to improving the efficiency of implant maintenance work.

  As described above, with regard to an angle-type interdental brush in which a handle supporting the brush body at the tip side is bent at a predetermined angle, the present invention makes it possible to achieve excellent cleaning performance while ensuring its durability. Can now be demonstrated.

(A) is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention, a partially enlarged partial view, (B) is an end view taken along line XX in (A), (C) is Y in (A) -End face figure cut | disconnected along the Y line. (A) is a front view which shows the state which accommodated the interdental brush of FIG. 1 (A) in the cap body, (B) is a front view which shows the state which removed the cap body of (A) from the interdental brush. The front view which shows the state which connected the connection body of the interdental brush to the convex part for connection of the cap body of FIG. 2 (A). The front view which shows the state which connected the interdental brush of FIG. 1 (A) to the electric toothbrush main body drive part. (A) is a front view showing an application example of the interdental brush in FIG. 1 (A), (B) is an end view cut along the line XX in (A), and (C) is Y in (A). -End view cut along line Y. The front view which shows the state which connected the interdental brush of FIG. 5 (A) to the syringe. (A) is a front view which shows a prior art example, (B) is a front view which shows the case where the interdental brush of (A) is used for an anterior tooth. (A) is a schematic diagram showing the interdental state according to the occlusal view of the maxillary anterior teeth, (B) is a schematic diagram showing the case where the interdental brush shown in (A) is cleaned with the interdental brush in FIG. (C) is a schematic diagram showing the case where the interdental tooth shown in (A) is actually cleaned with the interdental brush in FIG. 7 (A), and (D) shows the operation of the brush body and handle in the case of (C). Schematic.

Explanation of symbols

  1A, 1B Interdental brush, 2 connected body, 3A, 3B handle, 5 brush body, 7 cap body, 20 concavity for connection, 30 base tube portion, 31 elastic deformation portion, 32 tip tube portion, 50 core wire, 71, 81, 101 Connecting convex part, 80 Electric toothbrush body drive part, 90 Resin tube, 100 Syringe, 300, 320 Tube, 310 Wire

Claims (9)

A coupling body having a coupling recess for coupling to the handle means side, a handle body extending from the distal end side of the coupling body and made of a linear metal made of superelastic alloy at least at the distal end side , and the distal end side of the handle body In an angle-type interdental brush comprising a substantially cylindrical brush body supported by the above, and the handle body extending along the central axis extension line of the coupling body and bent at a predetermined angle in the middle,
The handle body is made of a metal tube material that is not a superelastic alloy, and extends in a state in which the proximal end side is inserted into the distal end side of the base tube portion that constitutes a predetermined range from the proximal end. and an elastic deformation section which rectangular wire material is to constitute the exposed portion elastically deformable is made of super-elastic alloy which supports the brush body resiliently, and, by inserting the wire of the base pipe portion The tube material is plastically deformed in a state of being bent at a predetermined angle together with the wire material at a predetermined position, so that the proximal end side of the wire material is fixed in a caulking manner on the inner surface of the bent portion of the tube material while forming an angle. An interdental brush characterized in that it cannot be removed .   The wire is a square wire in which a cross-sectional shape cut by a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the wire is a polygon having a side having a length of one-half or more of the major axis of the cross-section. The interdental brush according to claim 1.   The interdental brush according to claim 2, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the wire is a square.   In the brush body, a proximal end side of the core wire is inserted into a distal end side of a second tubular member different from the tubular member, and a distal end side of the wire member is inserted into a proximal end side of the second tubular member. A front pipe portion connected to the brush body is configured, and a proximal end side of the pipe material is opened in a connection concave portion of the connection body, and between the base pipe portion and the front pipe portion. The portion where the wire is exposed is covered with a resin tube in an inside / outside air / liquid-tight state with a gap between the wire and the outer peripheral surface of the wire. A communication path is formed to the end side, and the cleaning liquid is jetted from the base end side of the brush body to wash the brush body by connecting a syringe filled with the cleaning liquid to the connecting body and pumping the cleaning liquid. The interdental brush according to claim 1, 2, or 3.   The interdental brush according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the wire is made of a Ti-Ni alloy.   The interdental brush according to claim 5, wherein a predetermined range including the bent portion of the wire is preliminarily heated at a predetermined temperature so as to be capable of plastic deformation without exhibiting a superelastic effect.   The interdental brush according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 has a straight and tubular cap body as a separate body for storing and protecting at least a portion from the handle body. The interdental brush is formed into a single bar as a whole when the elastically deforming portion is elastically deformed and fits in the cap body.   The cap body has a connecting convex part for connecting to a connecting concave part of the connecting body on a distal end side, and serves as a handle means by connecting to the connecting body. Interdental brush described in 7.   The connecting body has a structure in which the connecting concave portion can be connected to a connecting convex portion of an electric toothbrush main body driving portion serving as the handle means, and can be used while applying electrical vibration. The interdental brush according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8.

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