JP5422415B2 - Interdental brush - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an interdental brush.

The interdental brush is mainly used as an auxiliary cleaning tool for cleaning a gap between teeth that is difficult to clean with a toothbrush (between adjacent teeth). In cleaning with such an interdental brush, a brush body is inserted between narrow adjacent teeth and reciprocated to remove plaque and the like accumulated between adjacent teeth while entwining with a filament.
Interdental brushes come in several sizes using SSSS (4S), SSS (3S), SS (2S), S, M, L, etc., or symbols and numbers from 1 to 6, depending on the shape between adjacent teeth. It is prepared and can be appropriately selected by the user in accordance with the shape and gap amount between adjacent teeth.

FIG. 13 shows a configuration of a general interdental brush 900. The interdental brush 900 includes a brush body 10 and a handle body 20 to which a proximal end of the brush body 10 is inserted and fixed. The brush body 10 includes a wire 14 twisted in a spiral shape and a filament 12 sandwiched between the wires 14. The handle body 20 includes a grip portion 22, a head portion 24 protruding from the grip portion 22 in the length direction, and a head The nozzle portion 26 protrudes from the portion 24 in the length direction.
In such an interdental brush 900, the exposed portion 15 where the wire 14 is exposed is usually formed between the flocked portion 11 provided with the filament 12 and the nozzle 26.

  In the interdental brush 900 having the above-described configuration, a thin metal of about 0.23 to 0.35 mm is used as the wire 14. In particular, in the interdental brush 900 of 4S or 3S size using the thin wire 14, the interproximal interdental brush 900 is used. The wire 14 is easily bent when inserted into the cable. When the wire 14 is bent, the user extends the wire 14 and uses it repeatedly. In addition, the wire 14 is repeatedly bent and stretched at the exposed portion 15 during cleaning between adjacent teeth. As the number of times of bending and stretching increases, stress concentrates on the embedded portion of the wire 14 (the tip portion of the nozzle 26), and there is a problem that the wire 14 is likely to be broken.

For such a problem, an interdental brush in which a substantially cylindrical protective body is formed by covering the base end side of the wire with a thermoplastic resin, and the protective body is embedded in the handle body in a state in which a part thereof is exposed. It has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).
Further, an interdental brush in which an elastic tube body is interposed between the lower end of the filament and the grip has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 4008284 JP 2002-253344 A

However, the interdental brush of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the brush body swings around the boundary between the wire and the protective body and easily breaks at the boundary between the wire and the protective body. Further, the interdental brush of Patent Document 2 also has a problem that the brush body is easily broken at the boundary between the wire and the elastic tube body because the brush body swings around the boundary between the wire and the elastic tube body. As described above, in the conventional technique, there remains a problem that the wire easily breaks at the boundary between the wire and the member that relieves stress on the wire, and further improvement of the durability of the wire has been demanded.
Then, this invention aims at the interdental brush which can aim at the further improvement of durability of a wire.

An interdental brush according to the present invention is an interdental brush comprising a brush body having a flocked portion in which a filament is sandwiched between twisted wires, and a handle body to which the wire portion of the brush body is attached. A loose fitting body is attached to the wire so as to be positioned between the flocked portion and the handle body, and the loose fitting body loosely fits the wire in a through-hole formed therein to extend the wire. It is possible to move in the present direction.
It is preferable that the through-hole has an inclined surface whose diameter gradually increases as the opening side of the through-hole moves from the inside to the outside of the loosely fitting body.

According to the interdental brush of the present invention, the loose fitting body is mounted on the wire between the flocked portion and the handle body, and the loose fitting body loosely fits the wire into the through hole formed therein. Since the wire is movable in the extending direction, the stress applied to the wire can be dispersed and the durability of the wire can be improved.
According to the interdental brush of the present invention, the through-hole of the loosely fitting body is an inclined surface whose diameter gradually increases as the opening side of the loosely fitting body moves from the inside to the outside of the loosely fitting body. The stress applied to the wire is relaxed, and the durability of the wire can be further improved.

It is an enlarged view of the interdental brush concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the usage aspect of the interdental brush of this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the usage aspect of the interdental brush of this invention. It is an enlarged view explaining the characteristic of the interdental brush of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the interdental brush concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the interdental brush concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the interdental brush concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the interdental brush concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the interdental brush concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the interdental brush concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the interdental brush concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the measuring method of the wire durability in an Example. It is an enlarged view of the conventional interdental brush.

The interdental brush of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the interdental brush 1 is schematically configured by a brush body 10 and a handle body 20 to which a proximal end of the brush body 10 is inserted and fixed. The brush body 10 includes a wire 14 that is folded back by a folding portion 16 and twisted in a spiral shape, and a filament 12 that is sandwiched between the wires 14. A handle body 20 is elongated from the elongated gripping portion 22. The head portion 24 protrudes in the length direction and the nozzle portion 26 protrudes in the length direction from the head portion 24.
In the brush body 10, the wire 14 is inserted and fixed to the handle body 20 from the tip of the nozzle portion 26, and the brush body 10 is exposed to the hair-planted portion 11 in which the filament 12 is held between the wires 14 and the wire 14 is exposed. A portion 15 is formed. The exposed portion 15 is about 0.6 to 7 mm.

  In the exposed portion 15 formed between the flocked portion 11 and the nozzle 26, the wire 14 is loosely fitted to a substantially spherical loosely fitting body 50, and the loosely fitting body 50 extends in the extending direction of the wire 14, that is, the wire 14. It is mounted so as to be movable in the length direction. This loosely fitting body 50 is formed with a through hole 52 into which the wire 14 is inserted, and the through hole 52 has an inclination in which the diameter gradually increases from the inside of the loosely fitting body 50 to the outside on the opening side. A surface 54 is formed.

  The material of the handle body 20 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), and ABS.

The size of the flocked portion 11 can be determined in consideration of the application of the interdental brush 1, that is, the assumed shape between adjacent teeth. For example, the length in the extending direction of the wire 14 is about 5 to 15 mm. The
The material of the filament 12 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include nylon, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT).

The material of the wire 14 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include austenitic stainless steel, martensitic stainless steel, ferrite stainless steel, and Co—Co alloy.
The thickness of the wire 14 can be determined in consideration of the use of the interdental brush 1 and the like, and is determined in the range of 0.18 to 0.35 mm, for example.

  The material of the loosely fitting body 50 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include resin, metal, ceramic, a lump of medicine (tablet), a porous body, and the like. Among these, when using the interdental brush 1, an elastic resin or a porous body that does not easily irritate the user even when it comes into contact with the teeth or gums is preferable. Examples of the elastic resin include elastomer resins such as styrene thermoplastic elastomer, olefin thermoplastic elastomer, and polyamide thermoplastic elastomer, nylon such as 6 nylon, 6-6 nylon, 6-10 nylon, and 6-12 nylon, PE, and the like. Polyolefin, silicon rubber, urethane rubber, fluoro rubber, natural rubber, soft foamed resin, and the like. Further, for the purpose of applying a medicine to a periodontal spot or the like during cleaning between adjacent teeth, the loosely fitting body 50 may be a tablet or a porous body impregnated with a chemical solution.

In the case of using a porous body impregnated with a tablet or a chemical solution as the loosely fitting body 50, a drug can be selected depending on the purpose (caries, periodontal disease, bad breath prevention, other treatment), for example, sodium fluoride, Examples include triclosan, cetylpyridinium chloride, lauroyl sarcosine Na, ε-aminocaproic acid, xylitol, various herbs, menthol, and the like, which are used for oral cleaning and treatment.
When the tablet is used as the loosely fitting body 50, an arbitrary drug is formed by tableting with an excipient or the like, and this molded product can be used as the loosely fitting body 50. Such a tablet may be prepared so as to disappear after a single use, or may be prepared so as to disappear after a plurality of uses.
Thus, the loosely fitting body 50 can be appropriately selected according to the purpose of use.

  The size of the loosely fitting body 50 can be determined according to the length of the exposed portion 15. For example, 10 to 90% of the length of the exposed portion 15 is preferable. Specifically, the diameter of the loosely fitting body 50 is preferably 0.5 to 5 mm, more preferably 0.5 to 2 mm. If it is 0.5 mm or more, the durability of the wire 14 can be improved, and if it is 5 mm or less, the movement at the exposed portion 15 is sufficient and the durability of the wire 14 can be improved.

The shape of the through hole 52 is not particularly limited, and the cross section perpendicular to the axis of the through hole 52 may be any shape such as a circle, an ellipse, or a polygon.
The opening diameter of the through hole 52 is a size that allows the loosely fitting body 50 to move in the extending direction of the wire 14 in the exposed portion 15, and can be determined according to the thickness of the wire 14. If it is circular, the minimum diameter is about 0.3 to 1 mm.
The degree of inclination of the inclined surface 54 is not particularly limited, but is about 30 to 60 ° with respect to the cross section perpendicular to the axis of the through hole 52.

The manufacturing method of the interdental brush 1 of this invention is not specifically limited, For example, it can manufacture by insert molding by injection molding. In the insert molding, first, the filament 12 is sandwiched between the wires 14 folded by the folded portion 16 and the wires 14 are twisted to produce the brush body 10. The base end of the manufactured brush body 10, that is, the distal end on the opposite side of the folded portion 16 of the wire 14 is inserted into the through hole 52 of the loosely fitting body 50. Next, the base end of the brush body 10 is placed in the mold, and the material of the handle body 20 is injected and molded.
Thus, the interdental brush 1 including the handle body 20 in which the nozzle portion 26, the head portion 24, and the grip portion 22 are integrally formed can be obtained.

  Next, the usage mode of the interdental brush 1 is demonstrated using FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the interdental brush 1 inserted between adjacent teeth as viewed from the side of the folded portion 16. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 60 indicates a tooth (the same in FIG. 3), and reference numeral 62 indicates an adjacent. Shown between teeth. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the interdental brush 1 inserted between adjacent teeth as viewed from the side, and FIG. 4 illustrates the movement of the loosely fitting body 50 and the wire 14 during cleaning with the interdental brush 1. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the interdental brush 62 is cleaned by inserting the flocked portion 11 of the interdental brush 1 into the adjacent interdental 62 and inserting the interdental brush 1 in the direction of the arrow X (FIG. 3), that is, By reciprocating in the extending direction of the wire 14, the interdental space 62 is cleaned. At this time, the filament 12 of the flocked portion 11 entangles the plaque adhering to the inside of the adjacent teeth 62 or the side surface of the tooth 60. In addition, when the flocked portion 11 is inserted deeply between the adjacent teeth 62, the loosely fitting body 50 contacts the tooth 60 and moves toward the nozzle 26 side. At this time, the tip of the nozzle 26 can be prevented from coming into contact with the gums.
Further, during the operation of the interdental brush 1, the wire 14 bends and operates in the vicinity of the exposed portion 15, particularly the through hole 52 on the side of the flocked portion 11 in the loosely fitting body 50, and stress is applied to the wire. At this time, since the loosely fitting body 50 moves between the nozzle 26 and the flocked portion 11 due to the angle at which the interdental brush 1 is operated or the vibration to be operated, the wire 14 is moved according to the movement of the loosely fitting body 50. The bending position changes sequentially.

  This operation will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 10a denotes a brush body bent according to the loosely fitting body 50a, and reference numeral 10b denotes a brush body bent according to the loosely fitting body 50b. During use of the interdental brush 1, the loose fitting body moves from the loose fitting body 50a to the loose fitting body 50b or from the loose fitting body 50b to the loose fitting body 50a as indicated by an arrow Y. When the loosely fitting body 50a is positioned in the vicinity of the nozzle 26, the wire 14a bends and the brush body 10a bends with the opening of the through hole 52a on the side of the flocked portion 11a as a base point, and the loosely fitted body 50b is on the flocked portion 11b side. If it positions, the bending position of the wire 14b will change to the opening part by the side of the hair transplant part 11b in the through-hole 52b, and the brush body 10b will be bent. As described above, when the loosely fitting body 50 changes its position during use of the interdental brush 1, the bending position of the wire 14 also sequentially changes, and the stress on the wire 14 is dispersed in the range of the exposed portion 15. .

Conventional interdental brushes have a structure in which stress is concentrated at the joint between the brush body and the nozzle portion. For this reason, there existed a problem that a wire was easy to cut in the junction of a brush body and a nozzle part.
In the interdental brush of the present invention, since the loosely fitting body moves in the extending direction of the wire during use and the bending position of the wire sequentially varies, the stress applied to the wire is dispersed. As a result, the durability of the wire is improved and the period of use of the interdental brush is extended.
In addition, since the through hole of the loosely fitting body is formed with an inclined surface whose diameter gradually increases from the inside to the outside of the loosely fitting body, when the wire is bent, it contacts the loosely fitting body. Stress is relieved at points. As a result, the durability of the wire is further improved.

In addition, when the exposed part where the wire is exposed contacts the tooth, a galvanic current flows between the wire and the oral cavity using saliva or the like as an electrolyte solution, which may give the user a sense of incongruity.
In the present invention, the portion where the wire is exposed at the exposed portion is reduced as much as the loosely fitted body is mounted. Therefore, when the loosely fitting body is made of a material other than metal (resin, ceramic, tablet, etc.), the probability that the wire approaches a dental restoration such as a tooth, particularly a metal crown, can be reduced, and generation of a galvanic current can be prevented.

  In general, commercially available interdental brushes are color-coded according to their sizes and specifications. Therefore, by setting the loose fitting color to a plurality of color variations, even an interdental brush having the same specifications can be used properly by a plurality of people.

The interdental brush of this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.
For example, you may employ | adopt the loose fitting body from which the opening diameter of a through-hole differs in the flocked part 11 side and the nozzle 26 side like the interdental brush 100 shown to Fig.5 (a).
The loose fitting body 150 in the interdental brush 100 has a through hole 152 formed therein, and the through hole 152 has an opening diameter of the opening 156 on the nozzle 26 side than an opening diameter of the opening 154 on the flocking part 11 side. Is also considered to be large. The opening diameter of the opening 156 is set to a size that allows the nozzle 26 to be inserted, and when the loose fitting 150 moves to the nozzle 26 side, the nozzle 26 is inserted into the opening 156 (FIG. 5B). )).
Thus, the movable distance of the loosely fitting body 150 in the exposed portion 15 is increased by setting the opening 156 on the nozzle 26 side to a size that allows the nozzle 26 to be inserted. During use of the interdental brush 100, the wire 14 swings around the opening 154.
When the movable distance of the loosely fitting body 150 becomes longer, the bending position of the wire 14 in the exposed portion 15 becomes wider, and further, stress is dispersed and the durability of the wire 14 can be further improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the through hole of the loosely fitting body is formed with an inclined surface whose diameter gradually increases from the inside toward the outside at both the nozzle side and the flocked portion side openings. 6, the inclined surface may not be formed in any opening portion of the through hole 252 as in the loosely fitting body 250 shown in FIG. The inclined surface 354 may be formed only at the opening on the side of the flocked portion 11. From the viewpoint of relieving the stress on the wire 14, it is preferable that an inclined surface is formed at least in the opening on the side of the flocked portion of the through hole.

In the above-described embodiment, the loosely fitted body is substantially spherical, but the shape of the loosely fitted body in the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the loosely fitted body has a single diameter as shown in FIG. A substantially cylindrical loosely fitting body 450 in which a through hole 452 is formed may be used.
Further, for example, the loosely fitting body may be a substantially cylindrical loosely fitting body 550 in which a through hole 552 is formed, as shown in FIG. This loosely fitting body 550 is formed with an inclined surface 554 whose diameter gradually increases from the inside toward the outside at the flocked hole 11 side and the opening on the nozzle 26 side in the through hole 552.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10, the loosely fitting body may be a bellows-like loosely fitting body 650 in which a through hole 652 is formed. The bellows-like loosely fitting body 650 is formed with a constricted portion 654 whose diameter is reduced. Therefore, when the brush body 10 is swung, the constricted portion 654 is bent and stress applied to the wire 14 is applied. Can be relaxed. In addition, as a material of the bellows-like loosely fitting body 650, it is preferable to use a material having elasticity, such as an elastomer resin, in order to make use of its shape characteristics.

As shown in FIG. 11, the loosely fitting body may be a loosely fitting body 750 in which a through hole 752 is formed and the diameter gradually increases from the both end faces toward the center.
As described above, the shape of the loosely fitted body is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of improving wire durability and suppressing a sense of incongruity at the time of contact with gums or teeth, a spherical shape, an elliptical spherical shape, a cylindrical shape, and a bellows shape are preferable.

  In the above-described embodiment, one loose fitting body is attached to the wire, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of loose fitting bodies may be two or more. By setting the number of loose fitting bodies to two or more, the wire is bent even between the loose fitting bodies, so that the stress to the wire can be further dispersed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the head body and the nozzle section are provided in the handle body, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the head body and / or the nozzle section may not be provided in the handle body. . However, it is preferable that the handle body is provided with a head portion or a nozzle portion from the viewpoint of alleviating the stress generated at the junction between the wire and the handle body.

  In the above-described embodiment, the brush body is described as an example of the interdental brush that extends in the length direction of the handle body. However, the shape of the present invention is not limited as long as it is an interdental brush including the brush body. The present invention can also be applied to, for example, an interdental brush in which a brush body is connected in a direction intersecting the length direction of the handle body.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example is shown and this invention is demonstrated in detail, this invention is not limited by the following description.

Example 1
An interdental brush similar to the interdental brush shown in FIG. 7 was produced with the following specifications. An inclined surface whose diameter gradually increases from the inside toward the outside is formed only at the opening on the side of the flocked portion of the through-hole in the loosely fitting body. About the produced interdental brush, wire durability and a usability | use_condition are evaluated and the result is shown in Table 1.
Size: SSS
Wire: φ0.23 mm, stainless steel filament: 2 mil (φ0.05 mm), nylon exposed part length: 1.5 mm
Length of planted part: 10mm
Free fitting body: One mounted on the exposed part, φ1.2 mm spherical, made of silicon rubber, minimum diameter of through hole; φ0.3 mm, maximum diameter of through hole (diameter of opening); φ0.45 mm, through hole The angle of the inclined surface of the opening relative to the plane perpendicular to the axis; 45 °

(Example 2)
An interdental brush similar to the interdental brush 1 shown in FIG. 1 was produced with the following specifications. The two openings in the loosely fitting body were formed with inclined surfaces whose diameter gradually increased from the inside toward the outside. About the produced interdental brush, wire durability and a usability | use_condition are evaluated and the result is shown in Table 1.
Size: SSS
Wire: φ0.23 mm, stainless steel filament: 2 mil (φ0.05 mm), nylon exposed part length: 1.5 mm
Length of planted part: 10mm
Free fitting body: One mounted on the exposed part, φ1.2 mm spherical, made of silicon rubber, minimum diameter of through hole; φ0.3 mm, maximum diameter of through hole (diameter of opening); φ0.45 mm, through hole Angle of the inclined surface of the opening with respect to the plane perpendicular to the axis; 45 °)

(Comparative Example 1)
An interdental brush similar to the interdental brush 900 shown in FIG. About the produced interdental brush, wire durability and a usability | use_condition are evaluated and the result is shown in Table 1.
Size: SSS
Wire: φ0.23 mm, stainless steel filament: 2 mil (φ0.05 mm), nylon exposed part length: 1.5 mm
Length of planted part: 10mm

(Evaluation method)
<Wire durability>
As shown in FIG. 12, the wire 14 of the brush body 10 is fixed to a chuck 820 provided on the reversing shaft 810, and a weight 812 having a mass of 100 g is suspended from the folded portion 16 of the brush body 10 via a thin thread 811. The reversal axis 810 was repeatedly reversed 90 degrees to the left and right at a speed of 30 times / minute, and the number of times until the wire 14 broke was measured.

<Usage>
Five panelists used the interdental brush of each case, and evaluated three items of “discomfort”, “pain”, and “control” according to the following criteria.

≪Discomfort≫
The brush body was inserted between adjacent teeth, and the uncomfortable feeling when the tip of the nozzle or the loosely fitting body contacted the gingiva or tooth was evaluated.
○: No sense of incongruity
Δ: Little uncomfortable feeling.
×: Uncomfortable feeling is great.

≪pain≫
The brush body was inserted between adjacent teeth, and the pain when the tip of the nozzle or the loosely fitting body contacted the gingiva or the tooth was evaluated.
○: I do not feel pain.
Δ: Somewhat painful.
X: I feel pain.

≪Control≫
In cleaning between adjacent teeth, it was evaluated whether or not the operation of the interdental brush could be controlled so that the nozzle of the interdental brush did not contact the gums or teeth.
○: The nozzle tip can be operated without colliding with the gums or teeth.
(Triangle | delta): It is difficult to operate, without making a nozzle tip collide with gums or a tooth.
X: The nozzle tip collides with gums or teeth.

As shown in Table 1, in Examples 1 and 2 to which the present invention was applied, the wire durability was 120 times or more. In particular, Example 2 using a loosely fitting body in which inclined surfaces were formed on both sides of the through hole had a wire durability of 135 times. In addition, in Examples 1-2, all the evaluation items of the feeling of use were “◯”. That is, by providing the loose fitting, the interdental brush could be operated without causing the nozzle to collide with the gums or teeth.
On the other hand, the comparative example 1 which does not have a loosely fitted body has a wire durability of 100 times, and the durability is significantly inferior to those of Examples 1 and 2. In addition, since no loose fitting was provided, the tip of the nozzle directly collided with the gums and teeth, and felt uncomfortable and painful.

1, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 900 Interdental brush 10, 10a, 10b Brush body 11, 11a, 11b Flocked part 12 Filament 14, 14a, 14b Wire 20 Handle body 50, 50a, 50b , 150, 250, 350, 450, 550, 650, 750 Free fitting bodies 52, 52a, 52b, 152, 252, 352, 452, 552, 652, 752 Through holes 54, 354, 554 Inclined surfaces 154, 156 Openings

Claims (2)

In an interdental brush comprising a brush body having a flocked portion in which a filament is sandwiched between twisted wires, and a handle body to which the wire portion of the brush body is attached,
A loose fitting body is mounted on the wire between the flocked portion and the handle body,
The interdental brush is characterized in that the loosely fitting body is configured such that the wire is loosely fitted into a through-hole formed therein and is movable in the extending direction of the wire. 2. The interdental brush according to claim 1, wherein the through-hole is an inclined surface whose diameter gradually increases as the opening side of the through-fit body moves from the inner side to the outer side. .

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