JP4397057B2 - toothbrush - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention relates to a toothbrush, and more specifically, it is possible to clean the interdental portion deeply and without damaging the tooth surface and gums, and the teeth and gums whose gums are degenerated due to periodontal disease such as alveolar pyorrhea. The present invention relates to a toothbrush suitable for brushing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional technique related to a toothbrush, (1) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-10495 discloses a toothbrush in which a long tapered bristle and a short non-tapered bristle are planted in the same tuft, and (2) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-43129. Discloses a toothbrush in which a tapered bristle having a sharp tip is planted, and (3) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-15834 discloses a toothbrush in which a bristle tapered by a chemical treatment is planted, (4) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-143915 discloses a toothbrush in which a long taper bristle and a short rounded bristle are implanted in separate tufts, and (5) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-284212 is a long taper. A toothbrush is disclosed in which a bristle and a short spherical processed bristle are implanted in the same tuft.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, none of the conventional toothbrushes described in the above publications is suitable for brushing teeth or gums whose gums have degenerated due to periodontal diseases such as alveolar pyorrhea.
That is, when the gums degenerate due to periodontal disease such as alveolar pyorrhea, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), the thick part of the root of the teeth is exposed, and as shown in FIG. 7 (b), The tooth-to-tooth gap (hereinafter referred to as the interdental portion) becomes deeper, but, like the toothbrushes described in the above publications (1), (2), (3), and (5), a long tapered bristle and a short tapered bristle However, in a toothbrush that is not implanted for each tuft, it is difficult for the bristle to reach deep into the interdental portion, and it is difficult to sufficiently clean the interdental portion.
[0004]
In addition, the root portion a of the tooth exposed by alveolar pyorrhea and the like has weak dentin appearing on the surface of the tooth, the tooth surface is easily damaged by brushing, and the gum b is also easily inflamed. (1) (4) and (5) toothbrushes with a bristle that does not have a tapered tip, such as the toothbrushes described in (1), (4), and (5), may damage the tooth surface and gums, or worsen the symptoms of periodontal disease. is there.
[0005]
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to brush the teeth and gums that can clean the interdental portion deeply and do not hurt the tooth surface and gums, and the gums are degenerated due to periodontal disease such as alveolar pyorrhea. It is in providing a toothbrush suitable for.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that toothbrushes in which a long tapered bristle and a short tapered bristle are planted in different tufts and mixed with each other are used for teeth with degenerated gums due to periodontal disease such as alveolar pyorrhea. It was found to be suitable for gum brushing. In the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention based on the above knowledge, a long taper bristle and a short taper bristle are planted in a tuft and mixed with each other, and the long taper bristle is planted. The tufts in which the short taper bristle is implanted are arranged in a row or in a row extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flocking table, and alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction. The step d between the tip of the long tapered bristle and the tip of the short tapered bristle is 0.5 mm to 4.0 mm, and the long taper bristle is adjacent to each other across the row of tufts in which the short tapered bristle is implanted. by distance W between the rows between the tufts tapered bristles are implanted to provide a toothbrush which is a 5mm~10mm It is those that have achieved the above objects.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a toothbrush of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 4 show a toothbrush according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the whole, FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view showing a flocked portion, and FIG. 3 is an arrangement of tufts in the flocked portion. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a use state of the toothbrush.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 1, the toothbrush of the present embodiment connects the flocking table 1 in which a bristle is implanted, the gripping part 2, the flocking table 1 and the gripping part 2, as in the conventional toothbrush. It is formed from the neck 3.
[0014]
Thus, in the toothbrush of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a long tapered bristle 4 and a short tapered bristle 5 are implanted in the tuft 1 in a tuft and mixed with each other. .
[0015]
In the toothbrush of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, tufts 14 and 15, which are holes for planting bristles as bundles, are arranged in the width direction of the flocking table on the flocking table 1 having a flat surface. Is provided. Each of the tufts 14 and 15 is provided with a long tapered bristle 4 or a short tapered bristle 5 as a bundle for each tuft. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, only two bristle to be implanted in each tuft 14 and 15 are shown for easy understanding of the configuration of the flocked part 2, but in practice, a normal toothbrush is shown. It goes without saying that a large number of bristle is planted as a bundle on all the tufts 14 and 15 as well. The flocking method includes a method of fusing the bristles with a bundle in addition to driving the bristles with a flat wire.
[0016]
In the toothbrush of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a tuft 14 in which a long tapered bristle 4 is implanted and a tuft 15 in which a short tapered bristle 5 is implanted are respectively in the longitudinal direction of the flocking table 1. A row a of tufts 14 in which long tapered bristle 4 is implanted and a row b of tufts 15 in which short tapered bristle 5 are implanted are arranged in a row perpendicular to the above. They are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction of the table 1.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 2, both bristles 4 and 5 in the toothbrush of the present embodiment are tapered bristle formed so as to be tapered toward the tip. Such a tapered bristle can be obtained by processing the tip of the bristle by various commonly known means, for example, mechanical means by polishing or chemical means by chemical treatment.
[0018]
The long tapered bristle (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a long bristle) 4 and the short tapered bristle (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a short bristle) 5 are relatively “long” or “ It is expressed as “short”, and a step d (see FIG. 2) of 0.5 to 4.0 mm is formed between the position of the tip of the long bristle 4 and the position of the tip of the short bristle 5. that it has been made. If this level difference d is outside the above range, it will be difficult for the hair tips to enter the interdental portion with a depth due to alveolar pus leakage or the like.
[0019]
Moreover, it is preferable that the height h1 (refer FIG. 2) of the said long bristle 4 is 7 mm-16 mm, and 9 mm-14 mm are especially preferable. When the height h1 is less than 7 mm, it is difficult for the bristle to reach the back of the interdental portion where the gums have contracted and become deeper. On the other hand, if it exceeds 16 mm, the length becomes an obstacle at the time of brushing, and it becomes difficult to brush the teeth.
[0020]
The short bristle 5 preferably has a height h2 (see FIG. 2) of 6.5 mm to 15.5 mm, particularly preferably 8.5 mm to 13.5 mm. If the height h2 exceeds 15.5 mm, it is difficult to secure the required step d with the long tapered bristle 4.
[0021]
In the toothbrush of this embodiment, a spherical portion is not formed at the tip of either the long bristle 4 or the short bristle 5, but as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), the long bristle 4 and Spherical portions 4a and 5a may be formed at either one of the short bristle 5 or at the tips of both the long bristle 4 and the short bristle 5 as shown in FIG. By providing the spherical portion 4a and / or the spherical portion 5a, dirt and plaque adhering to the tooth surface can be scraped well, and the burden on the tooth surface and gums can be reduced while maintaining a good cleaning effect. be able to. In particular, it is preferable to provide a spherical portion 5a at the tip of the short bristle 5, which can reduce the risk of damaging the tooth surface where the weak dentin is exposed, and provides an excellent tooth surface cleaning effect. The effect of massage is obtained. In addition, the spherical part said here means what is formed so that the largest horizontal outer diameter of this spherical part is larger than the outer diameter of the base part of this spherical part.
[0022]
In addition, when the said spherical part 4a is formed in the front-end | tip of the said long bristle 4, it is preferable that the lateral maximum outer diameter of this spherical part 4a is 0.3 mm or less. When the maximum outer diameter exceeds 0.3 mm, the tip of the bristle becomes difficult to enter between the teeth or between the teeth and the gums, and it is easy to leave unpolished. When the spherical portion 5a is formed at the tip of the short bristle 5, it is preferable that the maximum outer diameter in the lateral direction of the spherical portion 5a is 0.15 mm to 0.38 mm. If the maximum outer diameter of the spherical portion 5a is less than 0.15 mm, the effect of forming the spherical portion 5a is not sufficiently exhibited, and if it exceeds 0.38 mm, not only is the production difficult, but a bundle of bristle Becomes difficult to bend and becomes impractical.
[0023]
The taper forms of both the taper bristle 4 and 5 can be various forms as shown in FIG. 6, and are formed in a gentle arc shape as shown in FIG. 6 (a). Alternatively, it may be formed in a straight line as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), it may be formed in a taper shape close to the tip, or in two steps as shown in FIGS. 6 (d) and 6 (e). It may be formed. 6 (a) to 6 (e) show the spherical portions 4a and 5a formed at the tip of the bristle.
[0024]
Moreover, when providing a spherical part at the front-end | tip of the said long bristle 4 and / or the short bristle 5, the form of this spherical part 4a, 5a is not only a normal spherical form, but the vertically long shape which extended the spherical form to the longitudinal direction of the bristle. Various forms such as a form and a flat form obtained by crushing in reverse can be used.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 3, the row a of tufts 14 in which the long bristle 4 is planted and the row b of tufts 15 in which the short bristle 5 are planted in the toothbrush of this embodiment are They are alternately arranged in a line in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, a row b of the tufts 15 in which the short bristle 5 is implanted is arranged between the row a and the row a of the tufts 14 in which the long bristle 4 is implanted. The distance W between the row a and the row a is 5 mm to 10 mm . If the distance W is less than 5 mm, particularly less than 4 mm, the long bristle 4 and the short bristle 5 provided for each tuft are likely to interfere with each other, and the tip of the long bristle 4 is reliably inserted into the interdental portion. It becomes difficult to make it. On the other hand, when the distance W exceeds 10 mm, particularly 13 mm, an interdental portion where the bristle 4 is inserted deeply and an interdental portion where it is not inserted easily occur. The inner diameter of the tuft 14 or the tuft 15 is appropriately determined according to the thickness of the bristle 4 or the bristle 5 to be planted or the number of tufts to be planted in one tuft. It is preferably 4 mm.
[0026]
The ratio of the tuft 14 and the tuft 15 in the toothbrush of this embodiment is 12 tufts 14 and 14 tufts 15 and the tuft of the long bristle 4 is about 46% of the entire tuft. The ratio of 4 tufts 14 is preferably 10% to 18%, more preferably 25% to 75%. When the ratio is less than 10%, an interdental part into which a bristle is inserted and an interdental part that is difficult to insert are generated, and the possibility of damaging the tooth surface or gum is increased. On the other hand, when the ratio exceeds 80%, the long bristle 4 becomes too dense, and it is difficult to reliably insert the bristle into the interdental portion.
[0027]
There are no particular restrictions on the material of the both bristle 4 and 5, and various commonly known materials can be used as the material of the bristle. For example, nylon (6-12, 6-10, 6 -6), PET (polyethylene terephthalate resin), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), AS (acrylonitrile styrene resin), PP (polypropylene resin), thermoplastic elastomer and the like. The forms of the flocking table 1, the gripping part 2, and the neck part 3 can be appropriately formed in a generally known toothbrush.
[0028]
According to the toothbrush of the present embodiment configured as described above, since the long bristle 4 and the short bristle 5 are planted by tufts and mixed with each other in the flocking table 1, the long bristle 4 and the short bristle 5 The advantages of the long bristle 4 and the short bristle 5 can be exhibited without interfering with each other and losing the advantages of each other. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both high-level cleaning between the back of the interdental region, which was difficult with a conventional toothbrush, and cleaning that does not damage the tooth surface and gums. According to the toothbrush of this embodiment, the tooth surface and gums are damaged. Therefore, the interdental portion where the gums are degenerated due to periodontal diseases such as alveolar pyorrhea can be satisfactorily cleaned deeply.
[0029]
Further, according to the toothbrush of this embodiment, the tuft 14 in which the long bristle 4 is implanted and the tuft 15 in which the short bristle 5 is implanted are arranged in a row on the flocking table 1. By brushing by appropriately adjusting the direction of the rows and the direction of the gap between the teeth, it is possible to perform cleaning to the back of the interdental portion with a smaller force.
[0030]
The toothbrush of this invention is not restrict | limited by the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention, it can change suitably. For example, the arrangement of the tuft 14 and the tuft 15 can be another arrangement in which both are mixed.
For example, when the tuft 14 of the long bristle 4 and the tuft 15 of the short bristle 5 are arranged in a row on the flocking table 1, the row a of the tuft 14 and the row b of the tuft 15 are Like the toothbrush of the said form, you may arrange by 1 row alternately, may arrange 2 rows alternately, or may arrange in another aspect. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the tufts 14 and the tufts 15 are alternately arranged in a row or a plurality of rows in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flocking table 1. Even with such a toothbrush, the same effect as the above-described toothbrush can be obtained.
[0033]
For the other planting base shape or the like of its, and it can be appropriately changed without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the toothbrush of the present invention, it is possible to clean the interproximal portion deeply and without damaging the tooth surface and gums, and brushing teeth and gums whose gums are degenerated due to periodontal disease such as alveolar abscess The toothbrush suitable for can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an entire embodiment of a toothbrush of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view showing a flocked portion of the toothbrush of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an arrangement of tufts in a flocked portion of the toothbrush of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state of a bristle during use.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing a flocked portion in another embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing various forms of bristle in the toothbrush of the present invention.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are a front view and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIGS.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an arrangement of tufts in another embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flocking table 14 (Long taper bristle planted) Tuft 15 (Short taper bristle planted) Tuft 2 Neck part 3 Gripping part 4 Long taper bristle 4a Spherical part 5 Short taper bristle 5a Spherical part 7 Tooth d ( Step S between teeth of long bristle 4 and short bristle 5

Claims (1)

A long taper bristle and a short taper bristle are planted by tufts and mixed together on the flocking table.
The tuft in which the long tapered bristle is implanted and the tuft in which the short tapered bristle is implanted form a row or a plurality of rows extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flocking table, respectively. Alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction,
The step d between the tip of the long tapered bristle and the tip of the short tapered bristle is 0.5 mm to 4.0 mm,
A toothbrush characterized in that a distance W between rows of tufts adjacent to each other across the row of tufts in which the short taper bristle is implanted is 5 mm to 10 mm.

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