JP2002223854A - Product for oral health care - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a product for oral health care which has a light emitting element to illuminate inside the mouth when using the product for oral health care. SOLUTION: The product for oral health care is made up of the following parts: A part to emit light is placed at a place where the light would not be blocked even when the product for oral health care is deformed by using it. A power turns on the light emitting element. A switch connected between the light emitting element and the power turns on and off the light emitting element. A sensor or a timer is connected between the light emitting element and the power in order to avoid failures caused by an erroneous emission of light. The light emitting element is designed to illuminate inside the mouth when using the product.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an oral care product for taking care of the inside of an oral cavity by utilizing optical technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Oral care products include toothbrushes,
There are interdental brushes, toothpicks, mouthpieces and the like. However, treatment equipment used by dentists is not included here.

[0003] Representative examples of oral diseases include tooth decay and periodontal disease. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in not only treating these but also preventing them, and various oral care products have been proposed. ing.

[0004] On the other hand, biological stimulation by light irradiation, biological activity, blood circulation promotion, wound healing effect, and the like have been confirmed.
31641, JP-A-09-140454, JP-A-11
For example, those described in US Pat.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho 63-31641 discloses a toothbrush including a handle and a brush flocked portion, a plurality of light emitting portions for irradiating light toward the brush bristles at the center of the brush flocked portion on the head, Is optically connected to a laser element installed in the optical fiber using an optical fiber.

[0006] At the time of brushing the teeth, the laser beam emitted from the light emitting section is irradiated to teeth and gums. The photolytic action of the laser decomposes plaque, tartar, and the like firmly adhered to the tooth surfaces and between the teeth and weakens the adhesive force. By removing plaque and tartar with weak adhesion with a toothbrush, it is possible to reliably prevent tooth decay and alveolar pyorrhea.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 09-140454 and 11-155638 disclose toothbrushes in which the bristles of a brush are composed of optical fibers, and light from a light source that emits ultraviolet rays installed inside a handle is emitted from the tips of the bristles. It is. By irradiating both the tooth surface and the gingiva with ultraviolet light during brushing, plaque can be removed and various bacteria present in the oral cavity can be sterilized or sterilized.

[0008]

However, in the case of the former Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-31641, light is radiated from the brush flocked portion in the direction of the bristles of the brush, and the bristles are bent when the toothbrush is used. The light is blocked by the brush hair. The material used for the brush handle includes plastic and nylon, but these are used in the case of infrared rays, etc.
High light absorption. Therefore, considerable attenuation occurs before the irradiated light reaches the target position, and the effect is reduced.

Furthermore, a large amount of saliva and dentifrice adhere to the flocked portion due to capillary action and surface tension of saliva and dentifrice. Light emitted from the light emitting section is scattered and attenuated by saliva and dentifrice adhered to the brush, resulting in extremely low irradiation efficiency.

JP-A-09-140454 and JP-A-11-114
When an optical fiber is used for the bristle of the brush as described in 155638, there is an advantage that irradiation can be locally performed on the gingiva, periodontal pocket and the like, and a concentration effect can be expected.

However, since light is irradiated from the tip of the hair, the range of the light is limited. In addition, since the usable wavelength of the optical fiber is limited, a wide range of effects cannot be obtained.

The material mainly used as an optical fiber is glass, plastic or nylon. Glass is not suitable for brushing because it lacks flexibility even when the diameter is reduced.

Further, in these toothbrushes, the optical fiber extends from the neck portion to the flocked portion, and is bent at nearly 90 degrees at the flocked portion. Even if the optical fiber can be bent by nearly 90 degrees, the attenuation of light due to the bending loss of the fiber is severe. It is also very dangerous because of the nature of the material, which has a high possibility of damaging tissues in the oral cavity.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-155638 uses ultraviolet rays as light for irradiation. Ultraviolet rays are said to have the action of disinfecting or sterilizing germs, but depending on the output, there is a danger that the tissue will be burnt black and destroyed, or that the light source will generate heat and the temperature will rise.

Furthermore, the more the toothbrush is used, the more the flocked portion is damaged and spreads, and the shape changes. When an optical fiber is used as a flock, if the shape is changed, the way and direction of light change, the attenuation is increased, and the irradiation effect is reduced. As in the case of Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-31641, even when the hair is irradiated from the flocked portion, the light is blocked and attenuated by the deformed flock, and the irradiation effect is reduced.

The present invention has been conceived in view of the above facts. In an oral care product, an oral care product which does not block light even when its shape has been changed by using the product. It is intended to provide.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above object, an oral care product of the present invention is an oral care product provided with a light emitting element capable of irradiating light for promoting health into an oral cavity. The light emitting portion of the light emitting element is provided at a position where light can be radiated into the oral cavity regardless of the presence or absence of deformation due to the use of the oral care product, and light can be radiated into the oral cavity when the oral care product is used. It is characterized by having.

When the oral care product has a power supply and a switch for turning on and off the light emission of the light emitting element, or when the oral care product is a toothbrush, light is emitted by the deformation of the flocked portion of the toothbrush. Unobstructed position,
For example, it can be provided on the side surface, the tip, or the back surface of the flocked portion of the toothbrush, or on the neck portion of the toothbrush.

When the oral care product is a toothpick, U
Light can be emitted from the entrance of the letter-shaped holder. When the oral care product is an interdental brush, light can be emitted from the tip of the handle of the interdental brush. The number of the light-emitting elements is one or more.

Further, a laser, a light emitting diode (LED) or an EL lamp can be used as the light emitting element. Further, the light emitting element is replaceable, the article has one or more grooves provided for receiving the replaceable light emitting element, and several kinds of the replaceable light emitting element are prepared according to the application. By inserting the replaceable light emitting element into the groove, one or more lights can be irradiated, or the groove is formed so that the irradiation position and the irradiation angle of the light can be selected. It may be configured.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a view of a first embodiment of the present invention, in which the present invention is applied to a toothbrush as an oral care product.

The toothbrush 10 has a handle 11 and a neck 12
And the head 13. The handle 11 has a power supply 14, a switch 15, and a sensor 16 incorporated therein. A plurality of light emitting elements 17 are incorporated in the neck 12.

The head 13 has a flocked portion 18 in which bristles such as resin or fiber such as plastic or nylon or natural bristles are planted in the same manner as a normal toothbrush. The power supply 14 is electrically connected to the light emitting element 17 of the neck 12.

The light emitting portion 19 is a portion for irradiating the light of the light emitting element 17 to the outside, and is concave like a mouth or a surface having the same height as the surroundings. The light emitting portion 19 is located at a position where it is possible to avoid irradiating the flocked portion 18 implanted on the head portion 13 and reliably irradiate the tooth or the gingiva as the target portion. In addition, although the light emitting part 19 is in the vicinity of the light emitting element 17 in the embodiment, it may be the light emitting element itself. The light emitting element 17 and the light emitting part 19 are separated from each other and connected by a light transmitting means such as an optical fiber. It is also possible.

The toothbrush 10 is deformed or deteriorated, for example, when the toothbrush 10 is used or when the toothbrush 10 is repeatedly used. Therefore, the position of the light emitting section 19 is such that the irradiated light is not blocked by the deformed or deteriorated portion. However, even if a part of the light for irradiating the light to the teeth or gums slightly hits the deformed or deteriorated part, it is included in the scope of the present invention. In practice, the boundary between light and air is ambiguous, making it difficult to clearly distinguish whether or not light is shining.

The switch 15 and the sensor 16 are electrically connected between the power supply 14 and the light emitting element 17. Power supply 14
Since the battery uses a battery, it can be used semipermanently by charging or replacing the battery. The switch 15 is provided between the power supply 14 and the light emitting element 17,
ON / OFF of light emission of the light emitting element 17 by the sensor 16
I can do it.

The sensor 16 is mounted between the power supply 14 and the light emitting element 17 in order to prevent a failure mainly due to erroneous irradiation of light. As the sensor 16, an optical sensor, a pressure sensor, a moisture detection sensor, a temperature sensor, a proximity sensor, a distance sensor, or the like can be used as an intraoral sensing sensor. In other words, if the reflected light of the emitted light is not returned in the case of an optical sensor, it is not inside the oral cavity, so the switch 15 is turned off to stop irradiation. The pressure sensor determines whether the inside of the oral cavity is outside the oral cavity based on the pressure applied to the toothbrush. The moisture detection sensor makes a determination based on the amount of moisture. Alternatively, the irradiation time may be set using a timer. When the light to be irradiated is a laser or ultraviolet light, it is possible to prevent the irradiation time from being too long and destroying the tissue. When a timer is used, a certain time can be set in advance, or the time can be freely set by the user.

The light emitting element 17 is preferably an LED, but is not limited to an LED. A laser may be used as the light emitting element. Further, an EL lamp may be used in addition to the LED and the laser.

When an LED is used as the light emitting element, there is an advantage that irradiation can be performed over a wide range because the spread of irradiation light is large. In addition, it is safe and easy to handle due to the nature of light, has a longer life than a laser, and can be used semi-permanently. It is easy to use, it can be made into a simple shape, so it is inexpensive to manufacture, there is no danger that the light source generates heat and the temperature rises, it is hard to break, there is directivity,
It can be molded integrally with an optical system such as a lens, and has an advantage that an early effect cannot be expected, but an effect is exhibited by repeated use, so that an excessive effect can be prevented. On the other hand, since laser is coherent light, it has the feature that the effect of irradiation appears early, but care must be taken in handling.

The wavelength of the light emitted from the light emitting element 17 can be widely used from visible light to invisible light.
m to 20,000 nm is effective.

When the light emitting element 17 is incorporated in the neck 12, the angle can be freely set within a range in which the irradiation of the head 13 to the flocked portion 18 can be avoided. No light is emitted from the bristles of the brush of the flocked portion 18 at all, and the light is irradiated from portions other than the flocked portion, so that light is uniformly irradiated over a wide area in the oral cavity. The light emitting part 19 is moved from the boundary between the head part 13 and the neck part 12 to the handle part 11.
It is preferable to locate in a range of 3 cm toward the eye because light can be efficiently applied to the oral cavity.

When the above toothbrush is used, a commercially available dentifrice can be used. The bleaching effect can be obtained by using a bleaching agent or a bleaching agent, a dentifrice containing the bleaching agent, or a chemical that increases the bleaching effect by reacting with light.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a toothbrush.
It is a front view of an example. The handle 11 of the toothbrush 20,
The head 13, the power supply 14, the switch 15, the sensor 16, and the flock 18 are the same as those in the embodiment of FIG.

The neck 21 is provided with a plurality of grooves 22 for receiving a light emitting element (not shown) (which may be the same as the light emitting element 17). The groove 22 is perpendicular to the neck 21,
A light inclined toward the flocking portion 18 is provided to emit light. It is desirable to provide a plurality of inclined grooves 22 having different angles.

Since the light emitting device of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is replaceable, it emits blue-green or blue light, which is said to have a bleaching effect, and promotes wound healing, analgesia, sterilization, hemostasis and the like. A light-emitting element that emits red light with the effect of
Alternatively, several types of light-emitting elements can be prepared according to the application, such as a light-emitting element that emits infrared rays having a thermal effect or a massage effect.

With such a configuration, when the effect to be obtained differs depending on the user, it is possible to combine several types of light emitting elements to simultaneously obtain the respective effects. Also, according to the size of the oral cavity of the user,
Since the groove 22 into which the light emitting element is fitted can be selected, it can be used from children to adults.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a third embodiment of the present invention. The handle 11, the power supply 14, the switch 15, the sensor 16, the light emitting element 17, and the flock 18 of the toothbrush 30 as the oral care product are the same as those in the embodiment of FIG.

In this embodiment, a plurality of light emitting portions 19 are provided on the back surface of the head 31. The light emitting element 17 passes through the neck 32 from inside the head 31 and is electrically connected to the power source 14 in the handle 11. The switch 15 and the sensor 16 are electrically connected between the power supply 14 and the light emitting element 17. Thus, light can be radiated to a wide area on the opposite side of the brushing portion, so that light can be uniformly diffused from there into the oral cavity.

As shown in the front view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention in FIG.
2, the same object as the light emitting element 17 can be fitted. The groove 42 is provided perpendicularly to the head 41, and a plurality of grooves 42 are provided at an angle other than perpendicular to the left, right, front and rear by an arbitrary angle. The light emitting element may be fitted into all of them, or may be fitted into any one of them.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The handle 11, the power source 14, the switch 15, the sensor 16, the light emitting element 17, and the flock 18 of the toothbrush 50 are shown in FIG.
This is the same as the embodiment.

In this embodiment, the light emitting element 17 has a head 51
And is electrically connected to the power supply 14. As a result, light can be applied to the inside of the oral cavity.

FIG. 6 shows a sixth embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a toothbrush.
In the embodiment, (a) is a view from the tip of the toothbrush, (b)
FIG. A plurality of light emitting elements 17 are incorporated on both sides of the head 61, and light is emitted from both sides. Thereby, it is possible to irradiate the whole oral cavity over a wide area.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a seventh embodiment of the present invention. The handle 11, the power supply 14, the switch 15, the sensor 16, the flock 18, and the light emitting element 17 of the toothbrush 70 are shown in FIG.
This is the same as the embodiment of FIG.

The light emitting element 17 is incorporated at the end of the neck 71 on the head 72 side. A reflector 73 is attached to the head 72 obliquely on the back side of the flocking portion 18. The head 72 of this embodiment is made of a material that transmits light. The light emitted from the light emitting element 17 is reflected by the reflection plate 73,
Light is emitted from the back surface of the head 72, and the inside of the mouth opposite to the flocked portion 18 is irradiated.

This can be configured as in the eighth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. That is, the light emitting element 17 is incorporated at the end of the neck 81 on the connection side with the head 82,
A reflector 83 is attached immediately behind it. The support portion 84 for supporting the flocking portion 85 and the outer head portion 82 are formed of different materials, and light emitted from the light emitting element 17 is
The light is reflected by a boundary surface 82a between the head 4 and the head 82. The boundary surface 82a may be provided with an appropriate gradient as needed. Thus, by using the seventh embodiment and the eighth embodiment, it is possible to efficiently irradiate a wide area with one light emitting element. Note that the reflection plate 73 and the boundary surface 82a shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 can be applied in both cases.

The toothbrushes shown in the first to eighth embodiments can be easily replaced by removing the neck 12 from the handle 11. By doing so, heads of various sizes according to the purpose are prepared, and the user can select a head according to the desired effect and size.

By emitting light from the positions described in the plurality of embodiments, even if the oral care product is deformed by use, the irradiation light is not blocked and irradiation can be performed. Furthermore, when a convex portion for massage is provided on the back surface of the head, a hole is formed in the center of the convex portion, and light is irradiated from the hole, the change of the convex portion for massage may cause the hole to spread. Such a position is also included in the scope of the present invention since the light will not be blocked if it changes.

FIG. 9 is a front view of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a toothpick. Power supply 92 and switch 9 inside handle 91
3. A sensor 94 is incorporated. A floss 96 is stretched over the U-shaped holder 95. Floss 96
Instead of being stretched to the lowermost end of the holder 95, the light emitting element 9
A portion corresponding to the size of 7 is stretched inside the holder portion 95. A part below the floss 96 of the holder part 95 in the figure, that is, the light emitting part 1 at the entrance part of the U-shaped holder part 95
The light is emitted from 9.

The power supply 92 and the light emitting element 97 are electrically connected. The switch 93 is connected between the power supply 92 and the light emitting element 97, and turns on and off the light emission of the light emitting element 97. The sensor 94 is connected between the power supply 92 and the light emitting element 97 to prevent erroneous light irradiation.

When the toothpick as described above is used, the gingiva and the lower part between the teeth between which the floss 96 is flossed can be reliably irradiated. Therefore, after the irradiation with light, the floss 96 is used for flossing. , Is more effective.

FIG. 10 is a front view of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an interdental brush 100. Power supply 1 inside handle 101
02, switch 103, sensor 104, light emitting element 105
Is incorporated.

The power supply 102 and the light emitting element 105 are electrically connected. A sensor 104 for preventing erroneous light irradiation is connected between the power supply 102 and the light emitting element 105.
The switch 103 is connected between the sensor 02 and the sensor 104. A flocked portion 106 is formed at one end of the handle portion 101. The flocked portion 106 has a smaller diameter than the handle portion 101, and becomes a brush having a smaller diameter toward the tip. However, the present invention is not limited to this shape.
The present invention is also applicable to a case in which 6 is inclined or perpendicular to the handle 101.

One or more light emitting elements 105 are attached to the right end of the handle 101 so as to surround the flocked part 106, and light is emitted from the light emitting part 19. With such a configuration, when the interdental brush is used, light is radiated around the used portion, which is effective. The oral care product according to the embodiment of the present invention described above can always irradiate the same intensity of light into the oral cavity, regardless of whether the product is deformed by use.

[0054]

According to the present invention as described above,
An oral care product including a light emitting element capable of irradiating light for promoting health into the oral cavity, wherein the light emission is provided at a position where light can be radiated into the oral cavity regardless of deformation due to use of the oral care product. Since the light emitting portion of the element is provided and it is possible to irradiate light into the oral cavity when using the above oral care product, it is possible to irradiate light over a wide area in the oral cavity, such as biostimulating action and bioactivity. The effect can be obtained efficiently.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing a configuration of a toothbrush according to a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a toothbrush as an oral care product.

FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing a configuration of a toothbrush according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view schematically showing a configuration of a toothbrush according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view schematically showing a configuration of a toothbrush according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view schematically showing a configuration of a toothbrush according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view schematically showing a configuration of a toothbrush according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a view from the tip of the toothbrush,
(B) is a principal part front view.

FIG. 7 is a front view schematically showing a configuration of a toothbrush according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view schematically showing a configuration of a toothbrush according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG.
(B) is a top view of the main part, and (c) is a front view of the main part.

FIG. 9 is a front view schematically showing a configuration of a toothpick in an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a toothpick.

FIG. 10 is a front view schematically showing a configuration of an interdental brush in an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an interdental brush.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Toothbrush (oral care product) 11 Handle 12 Neck 13 Head 14 Power supply 15 Switch 16 Sensor 17 Light emitting element 18 Flocked part 19 Light emitting part

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An oral care product comprising a light emitting element capable of irradiating light into the oral cavity for promoting health, wherein light can be radiated into the oral cavity irrespective of whether the oral care product is deformed or not. A light emitting portion of the light emitting element is provided at an appropriate position to enable irradiation of light into the oral cavity when the oral care product is used.