GB2043438A

GB2043438A - Teeth cleaning device

Info

Publication number: GB2043438A
Application number: GB7906293A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Bernard P S
Current assignee: Bernard P S
Priority date: 1979-02-22
Filing date: 1979-02-22
Publication date: 1980-10-08
Also published as: GB2043438B

Abstract

A teeth cleaning device consists of an elastic sheath 1, Fig. 1 wearable on the index finger with a brushing element formed of bristles 2 or other stiff filaments projecting from it substantially radially e.g. over part of one side. Longer bristles 3 formed into a downward projecting tuft may be located at the tip of the sheath. Foam of plastics material or a coarse felt may replace the bristles over part or all of the brushing element. The sheath may be thickened and/or stiffened where the bristles are attached to improve the retention of the bristles. The sheath may have a constriction to fit over the first joint of the finger so that it is held on the finger more securely. The device may be formed integrally of a suitable plastics material. Different sizes may be stored with a finger gauge, as shown in Fig. 8. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Teeth cleaning device This invention relates to a teeth cleaning device and in particular to a device which may enable a person to clean his or her teeth more easily than with a conventional tooth brush.

Dental research has revealed the importance of thoroughly cleaning the teeth to avoid tooth and gum disease. If teeth are not cleaned a colourless sticky film of bacteria, known as plaque, is formed over the teeth and gums which then attacks the teeth and can also infect the gums. These infections ultimately lead to loss of teeth. The incidence of such diseases is so high that a large proportion of the adult population estimated at 37% of the over 1 6s of this country have no teeth at all and even in a survey of 8-year old children 78% had active dental decay.

Very few people are entirely free of the effects of these diseases. Indeed it is estimated that 99% of all adults with some or all of their teeth have gum disease, and 75% of children over 7 have gum disease.

Thorough brushing of the teeth has been shown to be effective in removing the plaque, but the movements required to achieve the thorough brushing required with a conventional tooth brush are awkward to perform and impossible to those lacking manual dexterity such as the infirm or children.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved teeth cleaning device with which it is easier to clean the teeth thoroughly than with a conventional tooth brush.

According to the present invention there is provided a teeth cleaning device having a brushing element securable to the tip of the user's finger. The term "brushing element" includes brushes or other abrasive material, such as felt, suitable for cleaning the teeth.

In one embodiment of the invention the device comprises a sheath of rubber or synthetic rubber which can be fitted on to the user's index finger and which is provided with bristles projecting outwardly over at least part of its surface. The term "bristle" includes natural bristle, and relatively stiff filaments of other suitable material such as nylon. The bristles may be formed of the same material as and integrally with the sheath. Preferably the bristles projecting from the more or less hemispherical cap of the sheath, which covers the finger tip, are longer than the bristles on the substantially cylindrical shank of the sheath. The bristles which project from the cap of the sheath may be up to 4 to 5 mm long, for example, and preferably project downwardly relative to the axis of the sheath, whereas those on the shank may be only 2 to 3 mm long and project substantially radially.

The bristles may be provided on the cap of the sheath only and some alternative abrading material, such as a coarse felt-like stuff of plastics material, be attached to the surface of the shank. For the teeth of young children bristles are probably unnecessarily harsh and penetrating and the brushing element may be made entirely of felt or plastics foam.

Although the device may be made with the bristles (an alternative abrading materiai) projecting all round the sheath, it is preferable that the "back" of the sheath be plain so that the inside of the user's cheek or his tongue will not be abraded by the bristles. The device may have a constricted neck fitting over the first joint of the user's finger to help the device remain securely on the user's finger during use.

In another embodiment of the invention the bristles may be set in a thicker section of rigid or semi-rigid mouldable material such as, for example plastics material, so as to provide better retention or support for the bristles.

This section could be incorporated in or attached to a sheath fitting on the finger.

In a further embodiment the bristles could be incorporated in a woven fabric which is stuck on to or embedded in the material of the sheath.

For use by a child, a device according to the invention may be provided with decoration, for example, a face printed on the plain "back" of a sheath so that the bristles at the tip appear as the hair of the face.

In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a perspective drawing of one example of a device according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a cross-section in plan of the device of Fig. 1; Figure 3 shows a cross-section from the side of the device of Fig. 1; Figure 4 is a side view of another embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a cross-section of yet another embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 shows a view of a modification of the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3; Figure 7 shows a further embodiment of the invention; Figure 8 shows a sales packet for devices according to Fig. 3 with finger gauges to enable a prospective purchaser to ascertain the correct size of device for his fingers;; Figure 9 shows an embodiment of the invention in a carrying container; and Figure 10 shows a rack suitable for holding four devices according to the invention.

The device shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 consists of a sheath 1 of rubber or synthetic rubber, in which are embedded bristles 2 and 3. The sheath 1 consisting of a hemispherical cap on a substantially cylindrical shank is of such a size as to fit securely but not too tightly over and beyond the top joint of a user's finger, for example his index finger. To help the device remain on the user's finger it has an annular constricted region 4 which fits over the knuckle at the top joint. The bristles 3, which may be natural fibre or filaments of a synthetic material such as, for example nylon, are longer over the cap of the sheath than over the shank and those at the cap project downwardly as shown in Fig. 3 whereas the other bristles 2 project substantially radially.The bristles 2 on the shank may be of 2 to 3 mm in length and the bristles on the cap may increase gradually to a maximum length of 4 to 5 mm. The bristles may be retained individually in the material of the sheath or may be arranged in tufts in it.

Alternatively the bristles may be part of a woven fabric, possibly impregnated with plastics material which is stuck on to or embedded in the material of the sheath to provide devices similar to those shown in Figs. 5 to 7. The fabric may be woven in relatively large pieces and shapes cut out from them to form the brushing elements. In a further alternative the bristles may be formed of the same material as the sheath and possibly moulded integrally with the sheath.

In another embodiment of the device the bristles extend round the whole of the sheath providing a device that may be easier to use in certain circumstances but which suffers from the disadvantage that in use the inside of the user's cheek and his tongue are abraded by the bristles not being used for brushing the teeth.

Fig. 4 shows a further embodiment of the invention which is similar to the embodiment of Fig. 3 except that the bristles are replaced by a pad 5 which may be of coarse felt-iike material which may if desired incorporate bristles which project laterally from the fibres of which the felt is made. Such a device using felt or plastics foam is particularly suitable for young children for whom the penetrating ability of bristles is not required to clean the teeth effectively and bristles would be likely to be too abrasive.

The further embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 5 incorporates a rigid or semirigid section 6, for example of plastics material, moulded to conform to the shape of the top joint of the user's finger. Being thicker than the material of the sheath 1 to which it is attached round its periphery, the section 6 provides better retention or support for the bristles. The section 6 may be moulded into the sheath as shown in Fig. 5 or stuck on to it as shown in Fig. 7.

In order to use any of the embodiments of the invention just described, the user places the sheath on the finger with the part of the shank provided with bristles lying over the soft pad of the upper joint of the finger. The user then brushes his teeth with the device and it has been found that it is easier to do this with the device according to the invention than with a conventional tooth brush particularly because the user can hook his finger behind his teeth and use the device to provide a thorough brushing of the backs of the teeth and the interdental spaces which is desirable for dental health. The device may of course be used with tooth paste or other suitable cleaner. After use the device can be washed and put aside to dry for subsequent use. If the device is made of suitable material it may be sterilised.

in order to make the practice of teeth cleaning more attractive to a child, the part of the sheath not covered with bristles, shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, could be provided with decoration, for example, a comic face, as shown in Fig. 6. A retaining string or tape may be attached to the device and tied round the wrist of the user, for example the child's mother when cleaning the teeth of a child, so as to avoid possibility of the child pulling the device from the finger with his teeth.

It will be evident that the device must be made in different sizes to fit the index fingers of various users and it is proposed that a sales package for the device should have a finger gauge to enable a purchaser to select the correct size of device for his use. An example of such a package is shown in Fig. 8 including two different sizes, although it is more likely that devices will be sold singly.

Fig. 9 shows a device according to Fig. 3 in a contain'er in which it would be placed for carrying about or sterilising.

The container shown in Fig. 9 is provided with an additional space 7 formed by a screwed-on base for tooth paste or powder.

A fitting suitable for a bathroom having four upright pegs on which devices according to the invention could be placed to dry after use is shown in Fig. 10. It will be appreciated that the device shown in Fig. 10 is by way of example only and many alternatives could be devised for achieving the same result for example the base may be triangular, square or round.

The bristles may for example be made of natural bristle or nylon of suitable diameter to provide the desired abrasion and should be of such length to reach into the interdental spaces to remove particles of food trapped there. The longer bristles provided in some examples or the invention at the cap of the sheath are intended to have a cleaning action between the teeth similar to but more gently and therefore less damaging than a tooth pick. Although in the examples shown there is a marked change in the length of the bristles at the cap of the sheath compared with those on the cylindrical part, the change in length could be gradual. Alternatively all of the bristles may be of substantially the same length.

Although the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments it will be appreciated that many alternative configurations using the invention are possible.

Claims

1. A teeth cleaning device having a brushing element securable to the tip of the user's finger.

2. A device according to claim 1 having an elastic sheath of a size suitable to fit over and be held on the tip of the user's finger, the brushing element being secured to the outside of the sheath and extending from near the cap of the sheath along one side of the sheath.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the brushing element is formed substantially of relatively stiff filaments.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein the filaments of at least that part of the brushing element which is near the cap of the sheath project substantially radially from the sheath.

5. A device according to claim 3 or 4 wherein the filaments of at least that part of the brushing element which is remote from the cap of the sheath are formed into a coarse felt-like material.

6. A device according to claim 3 wherein all of the filaments of the brushing element project substantially radially from the sheath.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein the filaments of the brushing element which project from the cap of the sheath are longer than those more remote from the cap of the sheath.

8. A device according to claim 7 in which the filaments which project from the cap of the sheath are formed into a tuft which projects diagonally downwards relative to the line of the finger.

9. A device according to claim 7 or 8 wherein the filaments which project from the cap of the sheath are about between 4 and 5 millimetres in length and those remote from the cap are between 2 and 3 millimetres in length.

10. A device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the brushing element includes some foam of a plastics material.

11. A device according to any preceding claim in which the sheath has a constricted neck for fitting over the first joint of the user's finger.

1 2. A teeth cleaning device substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings, or modified as described with reference to Fig.

5, 6 or 7.

11. A device according to any of claims 3 to 9 wherein that part of the sheath from which the filaments project radially is thicker than the remainder of the sheath.

1 2. A device according to claim 11 in which the thicker part of the sheath includes a rigid or semi-rigid mouldable material in which the filaments are set.

1 3. A device according to any of claims 3 to 9 and 11 in which the filaments are incorporated in a woven fabric which is stuck to or embedded in the material of the sheath.

14. A device according to any preceding claim including an elastic sheath by means of which the brushing element is secured to the user's finger, in which the sheath has a constricted neck for fitting over the first joint of the user's finger.

1 5. A device according to claim 1 in which the brushing element extends right round the user's finger.

16. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the brushing element and the means for securing it to the user's finger are formed integrally of the same material.

1 7. A teeth cleaning device substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings, or modified as described with reference to Fig.

4, 5, 6 or 7.

CLAIMS (12th June 1980)

1. A teeth cleaning device having an elastic sheath of a size suitable to fit over and be held on the tip of a user's finger and extending at least as far as the first joint of the finger, and a brushing element secured to the outside of the sheath consisting of a first part extending along one side of the sheath and a second part formed of relatively stiff filaments projecting from the cap of the sheath adjacent the first part at an acute angle to the axis of the sheath, the filaments forming the second part being substantially longer than the thickness of the first part.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which the filaments of the second part of the brushing element are formed into a tuft which projects diagonally downwards relative to the axis of the sheath.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the first part of the brushing element is of relatively stiff filaments formed into a coarse felt-like material.

4. A device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the first part of the brushing element is a brush formed of short relatively stiff filaments.

5. A device according to claim 4 wherein all of the filaments of the brushing element project substantially radially from the sheath.

6. A device according to claim 4 or 5 wherein the filaments which project from the cap of the sheath are about between 4 and 5 millimetres in length and those remote from the cap are between 2 and 3 millimetres in length.

7. A device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the first part of the brushing element is formed of foam of a plastics material.

8. A device according to any preceding claim wherein that part of the sheath from which the filaments project is thicker than the remainder of the sheath.

9. A device according to claim 8 in which the thicker part of the sheath includes a rigid or semi-rigid mouldable material in which the filaments are set.

10. A device according to claim 1 or 2 in which the first part of the brushing element is formed of relatively stiff filaments which are incorporated in a woven fabric which is stuck to or embedded in the material of the sheath.