GB2349338A - Inter-dental cleaning devices - Google Patents
Inter-dental cleaning devices Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2349338A GB2349338A GB9907156A GB9907156A GB2349338A GB 2349338 A GB2349338 A GB 2349338A GB 9907156 A GB9907156 A GB 9907156A GB 9907156 A GB9907156 A GB 9907156A GB 2349338 A GB2349338 A GB 2349338A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- filament
- inter
- dental cleaning
- loop
- stiff
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
- A61C15/00—Devices for cleaning between the teeth
- A61C15/04—Dental floss; Floss holders
- A61C15/041—Dental floss
Abstract
An inter-dental cleaning filament 101 has a shape that comprises a permanently closed loop 10, or is pre-packaged 16 and its shape comprises a closed loop 12. It may comprise a stiff threader portion 20 extending from or connected to the loop and suitable for threading the filament between adjacent teeth. The loop comprises PTFE, e.g. as a coating. The shape may comprise a second loop 28 and a cleaning portion 30 of the filament 261 interconnecting the two loops 26, 28. The filament may comprise a series of loops 36 that can be cut off one or two at a time to provide a series of inter-dental cleaning filaments each as described above. An inter-dental cleaning filament 32, may comprise, without loops, a stiff threader portion 20 and an inter-dental cleaning portion 34 that comprises PTFE. Methods of producing an inter-dental cleaning filament comprise, in order permanently to close said permanently closed loop, the step of welding, or the step of closing said permanently closed loop by means of a knot and melting the knot, or using adhesive. The stiff portion is formed from two portions of the filament located alongside one another and attached together, or from a portion of the filament coated to make it stiff, or from a portion of the filament melted and solidified to make it stiff; or a portion of the filament is stretched to form an inter-dental cleaning portion.
Description
Title :"INTER-DENTAL CLEANING DEVICES"
Background
This invention relates to inter-dental cleaning devices. These are of two kinds: firstly, stiff devices, for example, tooth-picks, inter-dental sticks, inter-dental single-tuft toothbrushes, and inter-dental twisted-wire brushes, all of which are rigid or rigidly mounted; secondly, dental filament devices, for example, dental floss, and dental tape, all of which are limp, at least in the inter-dental cleaning portion thereof.
This invention is concerned only with inter-dental cleaning filaments.
Known inter-dental cleaning filaments are difficult to use, for various reasons including those noted below. Because of this, there is sometimes provided a holding tool for such filaments, which is F-shaped or Y-shaped, and used with the filament stretched between its prongs.
The invention
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a filament is claimed in claim 1. This has the advantage that the user can place two fingers, e. g. a finger of each hand, inside the loop to taughten it (more easily than having to wind it around the fingers) and then work it back and forth to clean an inter-dental gap. This also allows greater freedom to clean inter-dentally. It has the further advantage that the filament can be used doubled which is helpful in larger inter-dental gaps where one thickness would be insufficient to clean adequately.
It would be possible for a user to tie a piece of dental floss into a loop and use this in the above manner. However, this would have the disadvantage of requiring the user to do the tying, which is very fiddly, and indeed impossible for people who have arthritis or are clumsy. The provision of a loop with a permanent closure overcomes these disadvantages. An alternative is to provide the user with a pre-packaged filament having a loop that has been knotted or is otherwise not permanently closed.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a filament as claimed in claim 2.
The features of claim 3 add substantially to the ease of use, particularly where it is difficult to force the filament vertically between two adjacent teeth having crown portions that press together firmly, or where there is bridgework, overlying a gap to be cleaned between adjacent teeth. The stiff threader portion, in conjunction with the use of a loop, provides a tool of revolutionary user friendliness. The stiff threader portion may extend directly from the loop or may be connected to it by means of a limp portion of the filament.
The features of claim 4 allow manufacture to be particularly simple. The features of claim 5 are based upon experience and provide a particularly convenience in use, the length not being so short that the threader portion cannot be held easily, and not being so long that it gets in the way and is annoying. The features of claim 6 are (by the nature of nylon) conducive to ease of manufacture, ease of use and length of use.
The features of claim 7 are based upon experience and provide a convenient range of sizes for the loop in terms of its circumference, which is the path-length around the loop. The features of claims 8,9 and 10 are suitable respectively for children, normal adults, and adults who have difficulty with grasping, e. g. arthritis, pudgy fingers, or lack of manual dexterity.
The features of claim 11 considerably facilitate the ease and efficiency of use of the filament. In fact, these features in conjunction with a stiff threader portion provide such great advantages that, even without the loop, there is produced a filament of great utility. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a filament as claimed in claim 18.
The features of claim 14 provide an alternative embodiment making use of a holding loop for each of two fingers with only a single thickness of filament between them, which better facilitates entry (and cleaning action) of the filament between gum and tooth than the double thickness of a loop. It may be appropriate in some circumstances to provide a long inter-dental cleaning filament (e. g. wound on a reel) made up of successive loops or of alternate loops and stiff portions, and leaving it for the user to cut off, one at a time, each loop, or each loop plus adjacent stiff portion.
Suitable dental floss may be woven, fluffy or otherwise multi-fibre or may be condensed by wax or other treatment, and may be about 0.1 to 1 mm in diameter.
Suitable dental tape may be a single strand of width about 0.5 to 1 mm and thickness about 0.015 mm or thinner. The stiff threader portion may be a single strand of nylon of circular cross-section and diameter 0.1 to 0.5 mm, or of flat cross-section with thickness 0.1 to 0.3 mm and width 0.4 to 1.0 mm.
Any of the aforesaid suitable dental floss, suitable dental tape and single strand of nylon for the stiff threader portion may resemble known dental materials, e. g. as to dimensions and/or composition.
The features of claims 19 to 25 provide preferred methods of producing an inter-dental cleaning filament embodying the invention in different circumstances.
According to further aspects of the invention, there are provided a method of producing a filament as claimed in claim 19,20,21 or 25, a method of cleaning teeth as claimed in claim 29, and an inter-dental cleaning filament as claimed in claim 28 or 30.
Description of embodiments of the invention
Reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings, which are schematic plan views of respective embodiments and in which :- Figure 1 is of a plain loop filament;
Figure 2 is of a pre-packaged plain loop filament;
Figure 3 is of a filament with a stiff threader portion extending therefrom ;
Figure 4 is of a filament with a stiff threader portion connected thereto;
Figure 5 is of a filament with two grasping loops interconnected by an inter-dental cleaning portion;
Figure 6 is of a filament with no loop, comprising a PTFE-coated inter-dental cleaning portion with a stiff threader portion extending therefrom;
Figure 7 is of a long filament comprising a series of inter-dental cleaning loops that can be cut off one at a time and with no stiff threader portions between them; and
Figure 8 is of a long filament comprising a series of inter-dental cleaning loops with stiff threader portions between them, that can be cut off one loop plus one threader portion at a time.
Referring to the drawings, features of any embodiment/s may be combined with features of any other embodiment/s provided these are not incompatible.
An inter-dental cleaning filament 101, Figure 1, has a shape which comprises a permanently closed loop 10. A filament 121, Figure 2, comprises a loop 12 which has a knot 14 to close it and it is therefore not permanently closed; it is pre-packaged in a package 16 and its shape comprises a closed loop 12. A filament 181 comprises a loop 18 a stiff threader portion 20 which extends directly from, Figure 3, or is connected by a limp portion 22, to the loop 18 and is suitable for threading the filament between adjacent teeth. Said stiff portion 20 extends from or is connected to the loop 18 at a closure point 24 thereof. Said stiff portion 20 has a length in the range of from 2 to 3 cm. and is made substantially of nylon.
The loop 10,12,18 has a circumference in the range of from 10 to 25 cm.
Preferred ranges are from 10 to 15 cm, from 15 to 20 cm, and from 20 to 25 cm, preferably (but not necessarily) for the abovementioned purposes, respectively.
The loop 10,12,18 comprises PTFE either as a PTFE coating, e. g. on the loop made of nylon floss, or because the loop is made substantially (entirely) of PTFE.
The filament 261, Figure 5, has a shape which comprises a first loop 26 and a second loop 28, and further comprises an inter-dental cleaning portion 30 of the filament 261 interconnecting the two loops 26,28. Loops 26,28 can be made of any suitable material, and only portion 30 of a material suitable for inter-dental cleaning, e. g. PTFE tape or PTFE-coated nylon. At least one of the loops 26,28 can be made stiff so that it can be folded by the user, e. g. to the shape shown in Figure 9, to serve as a stiff threader portion. Again, as illustrated in Figure 10, a stiff threader portion, like portion 20, Figure 3 or 4, can be provided, in which case loops 26,28 need not be stiff. In all these cases (Figures 5,9,10), the loops 26,28 need only be large enough to accommodate one finger each, with a consequent saving of material to be used.
An inter-dental cleaning filament 32, Figure 6, comprises a stiff threader portion 20 and an inter-dental cleaning portion 34 that comprises PTFE.
A long filament 361, Figure 7, comprises a series (possibly 5, or possibly 100 totalling a length of e. g. 25m, to be folded up or wound up, e. g. on a reel) of inter-dental cleaning loops 36 that can be cut off one at a time, e. g. at points 38, and with no stiff threader portions between them. Each loop 36 of filament 361 is then essentially like filament 101, Figure 1. Again, filament 361, Figure 7, can, as in the
Figure 5 and Figure 9 embodiments, comprise stiff loops 36 interconnected by limp inter-dental cleaning portions, to be cut off two at a time at alternate points 38. A filament 361 comprising e. g. 5-100 of the loops 36 may be sold to the consumer (patient or dentist), or if it comprises e. g. 1000 or 10,000 or more loops may be used by a manufacturer to cut off single loops or pairs of loops or the shorter series of loops for sale to the consumer. Again, a long filament 401, Figure 8, comprises a series of inter-dental cleaning loops 40 with stiff threader portions 42 between them, that can be cut off one loop 40 plus one threader portion 42 at a time, e. g. at points 44. A similar long filament can be made of a series of alternate portions as portions 34,20 of Figure 6. These long filaments can be particularly convenient, economical and user-friendly.
A method of producing any such inter-dental cleaning filament may comprise the step of welding in order permanently to close said permanently closed loop, e. g. at knot 14,24.
Again, a method of producing any such inter-dental cleaning filament may comprise the step of closing said permanently closed loop by means of a knot 14,24 and melting the knot 14,24 in order permanently to close said permanently closed loop 10,12,18,26,36,40.
Again, a method of producing any such inter-dental cleaning filament may comprise the use of adhesive in order permanently to close said permanently closed loop 10,12,18,26,36,40.
Again, in a method of producing any such inter-dental cleaning filament, the stiff portion 20 may be formed from two portions 46,48 of the filament 501 located alongside one another (e. g. by folding together a part of loop 50 to form portions 46, 48) and attached together, e. g. by gluing or welding.
Again, in a method of producing any such inter-dental cleaning filament, the stiff portion 20 may be formed from a (limp) portion 201, Figure 12, of the filament coated (e. g. with nylon) to make it stiff.
Again, in a method of producing any such inter-dental cleaning filament, the stiff portion 20 may be formed from a (limp, fluffy) portion 201, Figure 12, of the filament melted and solidified to make it stiff.
Again, in a method of producing any such inter-dental cleaning filament, a portion 52, Figure 13, thereof is stretched (e. g. upon softening of it by heat, pressure, radiation or otherwise from point 54 to point 56) to form a (limp) inter-dental cleaning portion 52 of the filament.
Methods of cleaning teeth comprise use of any such inter-dental cleaning filament embodying the invention. For example, the loop may be looped over two fingers (usually the forefinger of each hand) which are then spread apart to stretch the loop, the middle parts of the loop between the fingers then being slid (or forced, if the teeth are touching at their crowns) into the gap between adjacent teeth in a direction from the crown towards the gum. Again, the stiff portion attached to the loop may be pushed through the inter-dental gap to thread the loop therethrough, and then two fingers may be inserted in the loop, one in each part of the loop (i. e. the parts on either side of the teeth). In either case, the loop is then worked back and forth to clean the inter-dental gap.
It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, that features of the different embodiments disclosed herein may be omitted, selected, combined or exchanged and the invention is considered to extend to any new and inventive combination thus formed.
Claims (31)
1. An inter-dental cleaning filament, characterised in that its shape comprises a permanently closed loop.
2. An inter-dental cleaning filament, characterised in that it is pre-packaged and its shape comprises a closed loop.
3. A filament as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that it comprises a stiff threader portion extending from or connected to the loop and suitable for threading the filament between adjacent teeth.
4. A filament as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said stiff portion extends from or is connected to the loop at a closure point thereof.
5. A filament as claimed in claim 3 or 4, characterised in that said stiff portion has a length in the range of from 2 to 3 cm.
6. A filament as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, characterised in that said stiff portion is made substantially of nylon.
7. A filament as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the loop has a circumference in the range of from 10 to 25 cm.
8. A filament as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that said circumference is in the range of from 10 to 15 cm.
9. A filament as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that said circumference is in the range of from 15 to 20 cm.
10. A filament as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that said circumference is in the range of from 20 to 25 cm.
11. A filament as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the loop comprises PTFE.
12. A filament as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that the loop comprises a PTFE coating.
13. A filament as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that the loop is made substantially of PTFE.
14. A filament as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, characterised in that its shape comprises a second loop and a cleaning portion of the filament interconnecting the two loops.
15. A filament as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, characterised in that it is formed of single strand material.
16. A filament, characterised in that it comprises a series of loops that can be cut off one or two at a time to provide a series of filaments each as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15.
17. An inter-dental cleaning filament substantially according to any example hereinbefore described.
18. An inter-dental cleaning filament substantially according to any example hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
19. An inter-dental cleaning filament, which comprises a stiff threader portion and an inter-dental cleaning portion that comprises PTFE.
20. A method of producing an inter-dental cleaning filament as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, characterised in that it comprises the step of welding in order permanently to close said permanently closed loop.
21. A method of producing an inter-dental cleaning filament as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, characterised in that it comprises the step of closing said permanently closed loop by means of a knot and melting the knot in order permanently to close said permanently closed loop.
22. A method of producing an inter-dental cleaning filament as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, characterised in that adhesive is used in order permanently to close said permanently closed loop.
23. A method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 22, when appendant directly or indirectly to claim 3, characterised in that the stiff portion is formed from two portions of the filament located alongside one another and attached together.
24. A method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 22, when appendant directly or indirectly to claim 3, characterised in that the stiff portion is formed from a portion of the filament coated to make it stiff.
25. A method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 22, when appendant directly or indirectly to claim 3, characterised in that the stiff portion is formed from a portion of the filament melted and solidified to make it stiff.
26. A method of producing an inter-dental cleaning filament as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, characterised in that a portion thereof is stretched to form an inter-dental cleaning portion of the filament.
27. A method of producing an inter-dental cleaning filament and substantially according to any embodiment hereinbefore described.
28. A method of producing an inter-dental cleaning filament and substantially according to any embodiment hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
29. An inter-dental cleaning filament, characterised in that it has been made by a method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 28.
30. A method of cleaning teeth, characterised in that it comprises use of an inter-dental cleaning filament as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19 or 29.
31. An inter-dental cleaning filament as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19 or 29, when it is in use for cleaning teeth.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9907156A GB2349338A (en) | 1999-03-27 | 1999-03-27 | Inter-dental cleaning devices |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9907156A GB2349338A (en) | 1999-03-27 | 1999-03-27 | Inter-dental cleaning devices |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9907156D0 GB9907156D0 (en) | 1999-05-19 |
| GB2349338A true GB2349338A (en) | 2000-11-01 |
Family
ID=10850533
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9907156A Withdrawn GB2349338A (en) | 1999-03-27 | 1999-03-27 | Inter-dental cleaning devices |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2349338A (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP2160146A2 (en) * | 2007-06-28 | 2010-03-10 | Erez Benn Kazes | Flossing device |
| US10517703B2 (en) | 2014-03-18 | 2019-12-31 | Flexi Floss Ltd. | Dental flossing device |
Citations (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4011658A (en) * | 1972-06-19 | 1977-03-15 | John O. Butler Company | Device for inserting dental floss through interproximal areas and method of using same |
| WO1981000959A1 (en) * | 1979-10-05 | 1981-04-16 | Aikman Leslie | Dental floss loops and methods for producing them |
| US4315516A (en) * | 1980-09-19 | 1982-02-16 | Joseph Zappel | Continuous chain formed from a multiplicity of loops formed from dental floss material and apparatus for producing the same |
| US4523600A (en) * | 1980-05-28 | 1985-06-18 | Marion Donovan | Dental flossing product |
| US4550741A (en) * | 1980-12-12 | 1985-11-05 | Dental Preventech, Inc. | Device for cleaning teeth to prevent the formation of plaque |
| US4836226A (en) * | 1987-11-20 | 1989-06-06 | Wolak Ronald G | Endless article for cleaning teeth |
| WO1992006648A1 (en) * | 1990-10-15 | 1992-04-30 | Stafford John Watts | Dental floss |
| US5560377A (en) * | 1995-04-13 | 1996-10-01 | Donovan; Marion | Dental floss |
| WO1997040774A1 (en) * | 1996-05-01 | 1997-11-06 | Kathleen Gant | Variable-gauge tooth-flossing loops and tape |
| US5799673A (en) * | 1997-01-15 | 1998-09-01 | Amendola; Wayne J. | Dental floss with finger loops and dispenser |
-
1999
- 1999-03-27 GB GB9907156A patent/GB2349338A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4011658A (en) * | 1972-06-19 | 1977-03-15 | John O. Butler Company | Device for inserting dental floss through interproximal areas and method of using same |
| WO1981000959A1 (en) * | 1979-10-05 | 1981-04-16 | Aikman Leslie | Dental floss loops and methods for producing them |
| US4523600A (en) * | 1980-05-28 | 1985-06-18 | Marion Donovan | Dental flossing product |
| US4315516A (en) * | 1980-09-19 | 1982-02-16 | Joseph Zappel | Continuous chain formed from a multiplicity of loops formed from dental floss material and apparatus for producing the same |
| US4550741A (en) * | 1980-12-12 | 1985-11-05 | Dental Preventech, Inc. | Device for cleaning teeth to prevent the formation of plaque |
| US4836226A (en) * | 1987-11-20 | 1989-06-06 | Wolak Ronald G | Endless article for cleaning teeth |
| WO1992006648A1 (en) * | 1990-10-15 | 1992-04-30 | Stafford John Watts | Dental floss |
| US5560377A (en) * | 1995-04-13 | 1996-10-01 | Donovan; Marion | Dental floss |
| WO1997040774A1 (en) * | 1996-05-01 | 1997-11-06 | Kathleen Gant | Variable-gauge tooth-flossing loops and tape |
| US5799673A (en) * | 1997-01-15 | 1998-09-01 | Amendola; Wayne J. | Dental floss with finger loops and dispenser |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP2160146A2 (en) * | 2007-06-28 | 2010-03-10 | Erez Benn Kazes | Flossing device |
| EP2160146A4 (en) * | 2007-06-28 | 2011-09-28 | Erez Benn Kazes | Flossing device |
| US10517703B2 (en) | 2014-03-18 | 2019-12-31 | Flexi Floss Ltd. | Dental flossing device |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9907156D0 (en) | 1999-05-19 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |