GB2297489A

GB2297489A - Unobtrusive tooth-cleaner comprising a toothbrush and toothpick

Info

Publication number: GB2297489A
Application number: GB9502219A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael William Hindmarch
Original assignee: MICHAEL WILLIAM HINDMARCH
Priority date: 1995-02-04
Filing date: 1995-02-04
Publication date: 1996-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2015-02-04
Also published as: GB9502219D0; GB2297489B

Abstract

Tooth-cleaner with head 11 carries integrally moulded plastic bristles 12 which are longitudinally mounted with respect to handle 10 . Handle 10 has a circular cross section and a pointed end 14 which is used as a toothpick. The tooth-cleaner is disposable and may be supplied packaged in a sealed envelope with bristles 12 pre-impregnated with a cleaning compound. The tooth-cleaner is small to allow unobtrusive public use.

Description

A TOOTH-CLEANER This invention relates to a tooth-cleaner particularly - but not exclusively - intended for use whenever, or in circumstances where, normal toothbrushing and cleaning cannot be undertaken.

Dental practitioners usually recommend that comprehensive tooth-cleaning should be undertaken after each meal. Such cleaning includes the use of dental floss, followed by vigorous brushing with an appropriate cleaning compound, for a recommended minimum time of two minutes. However, for most people leading modern busy lives, this advice cannot be followed and frequently it is not possible to clean teeth after a meal. Indeed, current research shows that most people clean their teeth comprehensively only once a day.

The present invention stems from a consideration of the impracticability, for most people, to clean their teeth after each meal. Most people are away from their homes for at least one meal each day, and so do not have access to a toothbrush, cleaning compound and dental floss. Equally, such items are too bulky to be readily carried about one's person, ready for use after a meal - assuming that there is access to a bathroom, anyway.

The present invention aims at providing a "personal" tooth-cleaner, which may readily be used to clean teeth, even in those circumstances where the user may be away from home, or may have no access to a bathroom or to the usual tooth-cleaning items.

According to the present invention, there is provided a tooth-cleaner comprising a head carrying a plurality of bristles and a handle projecting away from the head, wherein the handle is of substantially circular cross-sectional shape and the end portion of the handle remote from the head is of tapering form whereby said end portion may serve as a tooth-pick.

The tooth-cleaner of the present invention may be made relatively small, with the handle adapted for gripping between the tips of a user's fingers. The shaping of the end portion of the handle allows at least partial cleaning of food particles from the inter-tooth spaces and around the gums, while the bristles allow cleaning of the major tooth surfaces.

Provided that the cleaner is made sufficiently small, it may be used discretely within a cupped hand or both hands, with its use being concealed from any other persons present. Thus, the tooth-cleaner of this invention may be used even in public places and so readily lends itself to use after those meals when regular tooth-cleaning operations cannot be performed.

Most preferably, the handle is substantially linear, and projects from the head substantially in alignment with the direction of projection of the bristles from the head, but in the opposite direction.

The tooth-cleaner of the present invention lends itself to manufacture by a moulding operation, from a plastics material. Thus, the bristles may be formed integrally with the head, the bristles themselves being directly moulded from the same plastics material as the head. In view of the small cross-sectional dimension of the bristles as compared to the head, the bristles may be relatively soft and flexible, even though the head may be sufficiently rigid to give good support to the bristles. Equally, the handle may be moulded integrally with the head, again from the same plastics material, whereby the entire tooth-cleaner comprises a single-piece plastics moulding.

In the case of a moulded plastics one-piece toothcleaner having moulded plastics bristles, the head may carry from three to six rows of bristles, with from five to twelve bristles in each row thereof. Each bristle may be in the form of a tapering, resilient and soft generally conical or pyramidal projection with a very small included angle at the tip.

It is intended that the tooth-cleaner of the present invention comprises a throw-away item, which is to be used only once. In order to facilitate the hygienic storage and carrying of the tooth-cleaner until it is required for use, it is preferred that the tooth-cleaner is supplied within an hermetically-sealed envelope, with only one cleaner per envelope. The envelope could comprise a bubble-package including a generally flat backing sheet sealed to a moulded plastics bubble in which is contained the toothcleaner, or the envelope could be fabricated from a plastics material sheet having adjacent edges sealed together. In either case, it is preferred for at least part of the packaging to be transparent, in order that the user may see the tooth-cleaner therewithin.

Particularly in the case of a packaged toothcleaner of this invention, it is preferred for the bristles to be coated with or impregnated with a cleaning or mouth-freshener agent. That agent may comprise an appropriate liquid or paste-like compound into which the bristles are dipped, the compound then being allowed to dry on the bristles. Upon the toothcleaner being used, the agent will be activated by moisture in the user's mouth, thereby enhancing the achievable cleaning effect, or - in the case of a mouth-freshener - giving a pleasant taste, such as of mint.

By way of example only, one specific embodiment of tooth-cleaner of this invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of the tooth-cleaner, shown at approximately four times full size; Figure 2 is a edge view of the cleaner of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view taken on the bristles of the cleaner; Figure 4 is an end view on the handle of the cleaner.

Referring to the drawings, can be seen to the embodiment of tooth-cleaner of this invention, this cleaner comprise a one-piece plastics moulding, for example of a polyethylene material. The cleaner has a handle 10 projecting from a head 11, which head carries a plurality of bristles 12. The handle 10 and bristles 12 are substantially aligned with each other but project from the head 11 in opposite directions.

The bristles are arranged in five parallel rows, with eight bristles in each row. Each bristle is of a tapering pyramidal profile with a relatively narrow included angle at the point, remote from the head.

Each bristle is moulded integrally with the head 11 and so is of the same plastics material as are the head and handle. By virtue of the relatively narrow crosssectional shape of each bristle, it is relatively soft and flexible, especially towards its tip, as compared to the head and handle, which are relatively stiff.

The handle 10 is of circular cross-section shape and the free end portion 13 of the handle 10 is of tapering profile, so as to terminate in a point 14.

Again, the free end portion 13 is to some extent resiliently flexible, in view of the reducing crosssectional area of the plastics material in that end portion.

Typical dimensions for the one-piece moulded plastics tooth-cleaner shown in the drawings are as follows: Length of head: 10 mm Width of head: 5 mm Length of bristles: 8 mm Overall length of handle: 20 mm Diameter of handle: 3 mm Length of handle end portion: 7 mm It will be appreciated that the various dimensions for a typical tooth-cleaner of this invention may differ from those of the described embodiment, mentioned above. The dimensions should however be such that the tooth-cleaner will still be able to demonstrate the same advantageous properties. For example, the handle could be made longer, or the number of rows of bristles, or the number of bristles in each row could be changed.

Following the manufacture of the cleaner, the bristles may be dipped in a liquid or paste-like cleaning or flavoured mouth-freshener agent, which then is allowed to dry on the bristles. The cleaner is then packaged for example in a cellophane or other clear flexible plastics material envelope, or in a bubble pack, in order that the cleaner may be maintained clean and sterile until required for use. Following a single use of it, the cleaner is thrown away.

It will be appreciated that the brush-part of the cleaner may be used to clean the main tooth surfaces and the tapered end portion 13 used to clean the spaces between the teeth and the region of a tooth adjacent its gum. In view of the dimensions of the cleaner, the handle may be held between the tips of a thumb and a finger (and usually the index finger) of a user and then employed in a discrete manner, at least mostly concealed behind the cupped hand within which the cleaner is held.

Claims

1. A tooth-cleaner comprising a head carrying a plurality of bristles and a handle projecting away from the head, wherein the handle is of substantially circular cross-sectional shape and the end portion of the handle remote from the head is of tapering form whereby said end portion may serve as a tooth-pick.

2. A tooth-cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle is substantially linear.

3. A tooth-cleaner as claimed in claim 2, wherein the handle projects from the head substantially in alignment with the direction of projection of the bristles from the head, but in the opposite direction.

4. A tooth-cleaner as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the bristles are formed integrally with the head.

5. A tooth-cleaner as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bristles, head and handle together comprise a singlepiece plastics moulding.

6. A tooth-cleaner as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the head carries from three to six rows of bristles.

7. A tooth-cleaner as claimed in claim 6, wherein the head carries from five to twelve bristles in each row thereof.

8. A tooth-cleaner as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the handle is configured to be held between the tips of a user's fingers and the head and bristles are configured to clean a single tooth at a time.

9. A tooth-cleaner substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

10. The combination of a tooth-cleaner as claimed in any of the preceding claims together with a hermetically-sealed envelope in which is contained the tooth-cleaner.

11. The combination of 10, wherein the bristles of the tooth-cleaner are coated or impregnated with a cleaning agent or a mouth-freshener agent.

12. The combination of claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the envelope comprises a bubble package including a generally flat backing sheet sealed to a bubble in which is contained the tooth-cleaner, the bubble being at least partially transparent.

13. The combination of claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the envelope is fabricated from plastics material sheet having adjacent edges sealed together.