JP5422419B2 - 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.

  A typical interdental brush is composed of a brush body in which a filament is sandwiched between twisted metal wires and a handle body to which the wire of the brush body is attached. In such an interdental brush, in order to insert a brush body between narrow adjacent teeth, in addition to using a thin wire of about 0.23 to 0.35 mm, the wire is exposed at the tip of the brush body. .

When inserting a brush body between adjacent teeth, it is usual to first try to insert the brush body into the root portion of the tooth, that is, the region formed by the tooth and gum. At this time, if the operation of the interdental brush is mistaken and the tip of the brush body is brought into contact with the gingiva, the wire is exposed at the tip of the brush body, and depending on the force, stimulation such as pain and discomfort may occur. is there. In addition, the wire is easily bent when a physical load is applied, and the operation of the interdental brush becomes more complicated when the wire is bent.
In particular, in a 4S or 3S size interdental brush using a thin wire, the problem of irritation to the gingiva and the problem of bending of the wire are apparent.

Conventionally, an interdental brush in which the folded portion of the wire is covered with an elastic member such as silicon rubber has been proposed in order to reduce irritation to the user when the tip of the brush body contacts the gingiva (for example, Patent Literature 1).
In addition, from the viewpoint of protecting the wire during carrying, an interdental brush that includes an interdental brush and a storage body that stores the interdental brush and that allows the brush body of the interdental brush to be freely inserted and removed from the front end of the storage body is proposed. (For example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-9025 Utility Model Registration No. 3097244

However, in the invention of Patent Document 1, if a sufficiently large elastic member is provided to reduce irritation when the tip of the brush body contacts the gingiva, the brush body itself is difficult to enter between adjacent teeth. The problem of irritation can not be solved sufficiently. Moreover, although the invention of patent document 2 protects the wire of the interdental brush at the time of carrying, it does not consider about the irritation | stimulation to the user by the front-end | tip of a brush body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an interdental brush that can prevent the tip of a brush body from contacting a gum and giving a stimulus to a user, and can reduce a physical load on a wire during carrying.

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. The handle body covers the brush body, and a base end of a support body that is stretchable in the extending direction of the wire is fixed to the handle body, and the flocked portion is located at a position corresponding to the tip of the brush body. An opening for allowing insertion and removal of the wire, and a buffer portion is provided at a peripheral edge of the opening. It is located in the extending direction ahead.
It is preferable that the buffer portion slides on the flocked portion when the support extends, and the support includes a grip portion for operation when the support is extended. Preferably, the support body may be elastically stretchable in the extending direction of the wire, and the buffer portion may be formed by inserting the flocked portion when the support body is compressed. May be engaged with the handle body side.

According to the interdental brush of the present invention, the base end of the support body that covers the brush body and is extendable in the wire extending direction of the brush body is fixed to the handle body, and the brush body includes the brush body. An opening is formed at a position corresponding to the tip of the hair transplantation part, and a buffer part is provided at a peripheral part of the opening part, and the buffer part is provided when the support is extended. The tip of the brush body is positioned ahead of the tip of the wire in the extending direction, so that the tip of the brush body is prevented from coming into contact with the gingiva when the brush body is inserted between adjacent teeth, and the wire is carried during carrying. Can alleviate the physical load on
According to the interdental brush of the present invention, the buffer portion slides on the flocked portion when the support is extended, so that the plaque or the like entangled with the filament of the flocked portion is absorbed by the buffer portion. The removal feeling such as scraping and plaque can be improved.
According to the interdental brush of the present invention, the support body is formed with a grip portion to be operated when the support body is extended in the vicinity of the buffer portion. The brush body is covered (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a normal state), so that the wire can be protected during carrying.
According to the interdental brush of the present invention, the support body is elastically stretchable in the extending direction of the wire, so that the user does not perform an operation of extending the support body to make the support body normal. be able to.
According to the interdental brush of the present invention, the buffer portion is engaged with the handle body side of the flocked portion when the support is compressed, so that stress on the wire during use of the interdental brush is reduced. It can be relaxed and the durability of the wire can be improved.

It is a fracture view of an interdental brush concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a fracture view of an interdental brush concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the interdental brush concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the support body concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the support body concerning one embodiment of the present invention.

The interdental brush of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cutaway view showing a normal state of an interdental brush 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the interdental brush 1 is schematically constituted by a brush body 10, a handle body 20 to which the brush body 10 is fixed, and a support body 30 provided on the handle body 20 and covering the brush body 10. Yes.

The brush body 10 includes a wire 14 that is folded back at a tip 16 thereof and twisted in a spiral shape, and a filament 12 that is sandwiched between the wires 14. The cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the wire 14 is substantially circular, that is, the wire 14 is centered. Each filament 12 is provided as an axis so as to extend radially. The handle body 20 includes a grip portion 22 formed in an elongated shape, a head portion 24 protruding in the length direction from the grip portion 22, and a nozzle portion 26 protruding 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 flocked portion 11 in which the filament 12 is held between the wires 14 and the wire 14 are exposed to the brush body 10. An exposed portion 15 is formed.
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 length of the exposed portion 15 in the extending direction of the wire 14 is preferably 0.1 to 3.0 mm, more preferably 1.0 to 2.0 mm.

The support 30 has a so-called bellows shape in which valley portions 42 and peak portions 44 are alternately formed and can be expanded and contracted in the length direction, and the base end 38 of the support 30 is an end of the grip portion 22 on the head portion 24 side. It is fixed to the part. The support body 30 is formed with an opening portion 32 through which the brush body 10 can be inserted and removed at an end portion opposite to the base end 38, and a peripheral portion of the opening portion 32 serves as a buffer portion 34. A grip portion 36 adjacent to the base end 38 is formed. In the usage method to be described later, when the compressed support 30 is extended and returned to the normal state, the opening 32 slides on the flocked portion 11 to scrape plaque and the like adhering to the filament 12. It is said that it can be taken.
As a whole, the support 30 is shaped so that its diameter gradually decreases from the base end 38 toward the opening 32, and in a normal state, the buffer portion 34 is ahead of the tip end 16 of the brush body 10 in the direction in which the wire 14 extends. It is supposed to be located in

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

The material of the filament 12 can be determined in consideration of the assumed size between adjacent teeth. For example, nylon such as 6-10 nylon and 6-12 nylon, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene terephthalate (PPT), poly Examples thereof include polyesters such as butylene terephthalate (PBT).
Further, the filament 12 may be a monofilament made of a single filament yarn, or may be a multifilament in which two or more filament yarns are twisted together.

The thickness of the filament 12 can be determined in consideration of the assumed size between adjacent teeth, for example, about 0.062 to 0.254 mmφ.
The quantity of the filaments 12 of the flocked part 11 can be determined in consideration of the assumed size between adjacent teeth, the individual thicknesses of the filaments 12, and the like, for example, about 150 to 400.

  The material of the wire 14 can be determined in consideration of the strength required for the wire 14, for example, metals such as austenitic stainless steel, martensitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, Co-Co alloy, and the like, and nylon, polyurethane Or what was coat | covered with the fluororesin etc. is mentioned.

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 cross-sectional shape of the wire 14 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a circle or an ellipse, or a polygon such as a quadrangle or a hexagon.

  The material of the support 30 may be an accordion-like shape as long as it can be expanded and contracted in the extending direction of the wire 14 and can protect the brush body 10 from external impacts. For example, PET, elastomer, urethane resin, silicon resin, A relatively soft material can be mentioned.

The shape of the opening 32 formed in the support 30 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a circle, an ellipse, a polygon such as a quadrangle and a hexagon, and a circle is preferable. This is because, when the opening 32 is circular, the plaque and the like attached to the filament 12 can be easily scraped off when the compressed support 30 is in a normal state.
If the magnitude | size of the opening part 32 is smaller than the magnitude | size of the cross section orthogonal to the extension direction of the wire 14 in the flocked part 11, it will not specifically limit, For example, it shall be about 0.5-4.0 mmphi. .

  In the usage method described later, the grip portion 36 may be anything that can be gripped with fingers when the support body 30 in a compressed state is extended to be in a normal state. A ridge may be sufficient and the protrusion provided in the outer peripheral surface of the support body 30 may be sufficient.

  Next, the usage method of the interdental brush 1 is demonstrated using FIGS. FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of the interdental brush 1 when the brush body 10 is inserted between adjacent teeth, and FIG. 3 shows the interdental brush 1 with the support 30 in a normal state after cleaning between adjacent teeth. It is a front view.

First, the interdental brush 1 is set in a normal state, the buffer portion 34 is brought into contact with the entrance between adjacent teeth to be cleaned, and the position where the brush body 10 is inserted is determined. At this time, the buffer portion 34 located in the extension direction of the wire 14 from the tip 16 of the brush body 10 is in contact with the gingiva existing on the peripheral edge of the entrance between adjacent teeth, while the tip 16 is in contact with the gingiva. Absent.
Next, the handle body 20 is operated so that the brush body 10 is inserted between the adjacent teeth, and the tip 16 is pushed out from the opening 32 toward the adjacent teeth to be inserted between the adjacent teeth. At this time, the support 30 is not inserted between adjacent teeth because the buffer portion 34 is in contact with the tooth or gingiva at the entrance between adjacent teeth, and the buffer body 10 is buffered as the brush body 10 is inserted between adjacent teeth. The portion 34 is compressed in the extending direction of the wire 14 so as to move between the flocked portion 11 and the handle body 20, that is, to the exposed portion 15, and the state shown in FIG. 2 is obtained.

  The support body 30 is maintained in a state where the buffer section 34 is hooked on the handle body 20 side in the flocked section 11, that is, in a compressed state, once the buffer section 34 is positioned on the exposed section 15. By reciprocating the brush body 10 that is exposed when the support 30 is in a compressed state, the plaque between the adjacent teeth is entangled with the filament 12 and the adjacent teeth are cleaned. After cleaning, the brush body 10 is extracted from between adjacent teeth. At this stage, the support 30 remains in the compressed state (FIG. 2).

Next, while gripping the grip portion 36 with fingers, the buffer portion 34 is moved toward the tip 16 of the brush body 10 to extend the support 30. At this time, the buffer part 34 is slid on the flocked part 11, so that the plaque or the like adhering to the filament 12 is scraped off by the buffer part 34. Thus, by returning the support 30 to the normal state, the plaque 50 scraped from the filament 12 and adhered to the vicinity of the buffer portion 34 can be visually confirmed (FIG. 3).
After returning the support 30 to the normal state, the interdental brush 1 is cleaned by removing the plaque 50 adhering to the vicinity of the buffer portion 34.

According to the interdental brush of the present invention, since the support body covering the brush body is provided, the physical impact from the outside can be reduced during carrying, the wire can be prevented from bending, and the filament can No strong external force is applied, and the bending and breaking of the filament can be prevented.
In addition, since the opening is formed in the support and the periphery of the opening is used as a buffer, the tip of the brush contacts the gingiva when the brush is inserted between adjacent teeth. Can be prevented, and the insertion position of the brush body can be determined without stimulating the gums.

In the conventional interdental brush, while the brush body is reciprocated between adjacent teeth, the brush body is swung around the boundary between the wire and the nozzle portion due to the operating angle of the interdental brush or the vibration to be operated. There was a problem that it was easily broken at the boundary between the nozzle part and the nozzle part.
In the interdental brush of the present invention, the base end of the extendable support body is fixed to the handle body, and the buffer portion engages with the handle body side of the flocked portion. The compressed state of the support is maintained in the vicinity of the boundary. As a result, the stress applied to the wire during the cleaning is relieved by the compressed support and the durability is improved.

According to the interdental brush of the present invention, since the buffer portion is sized to slide on the flocked portion when the support is extended, the plaque adhered to the filament is scraped off by the buffer portion. Improves removal of dirt and the like.
According to the interdental brush of the present invention, since the holding part is formed in the vicinity of the buffer part in the support body, the user can easily set the support body to the normal state.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.
For example, the buffer portion may be a member formed separately from the support and attached to the periphery of the opening. When using a buffer part as a member different from a support body, the material of a buffer part may be the same as a support body, and may differ. When using a buffer part as a member different from the support, the material of the buffer part is preferably an elastomer, a urethane resin, a silicon resin, or the like from the viewpoint of reducing irritation to the gums.

  Further, for example, the gripping part may be formed by attaching a ring-shaped member or projection formed separately from the support body in the vicinity of the buffer part, or the gripping part may not be formed. When the gripping part is a separate member from the support, the material of the gripping part may be the same as or different from the support.

In the above-described embodiment, the bellows-like support body is provided. However, the support body covers the brush body and is extendable in the extending direction of the wire, and the buffer portion is formed in the opening portion and the periphery of the opening portion. If it is a thing, it will not specifically limit.
For example, like the support body 130 shown in FIG. 4, a hollow main body 140 that sequentially stores small-diameter pipes in a large-diameter pipe, and a distal end (opening 132 side) of the main body 140 are formed to form the opening 132. What is provided with the buffer part 134 made and the holding part 136 formed in the vicinity of the buffer part 134 is mentioned.
The main body 140 includes a substantially cylindrical first pipe 141, a substantially cylindrical second pipe 142 having a larger diameter than the first pipe 141, and a substantially cylindrical third pipe having a larger diameter than the second pipe 142. And a substantially cylindrical fourth pipe 144 having a diameter larger than that of the third pipe 143. Each of the first pipe 141, the second pipe 142, the third pipe 143, and the fourth pipe 144 has a shape that gradually decreases in diameter from the base end 138 toward the opening 132. Since the support body 130 includes the main body 140, the third pipe 143, the second pipe 142, and the first pipe 141 are sequentially stored in the fourth pipe 144 and compressed, or the fourth pipe 144 is compressed. , The third pipe 143, the second pipe 142, and the first pipe 141 are sequentially drawn out and extended.
Examples of the material of the main body 140 include PE, PS, PC, ABS, and the like.

The buffer portion 132 is a member having a shape that gradually decreases in diameter from the base end 138 side of the support 130 toward the opening portion 132. Examples of the material of the buffer part 132 include PET, an elastomer, a urethane resin, and a silicon resin.
The gripper 136 is a ring-shaped resin member attached to the periphery of the tip (opening 132 side) of the first pipe 141. The material of the holding part 136 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include PE, PS, PC, ABS, PET, elastomer, urethane resin, and silicon resin.

The support body 130 covers a brush body (not shown), and a base end 138 thereof is fixed to the handle body (not shown). In the interdental brush provided with the support body 130, the support body 130 is extended by gripping the grip portion 136.
The support 130 is a combination of pipes 141 to 144 whose main body 140 is substantially cylindrical, but the shape of the main body 140 is not limited to this, and the cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the expansion and contraction direction is elliptical. A combination of pipes may be used, or a combination of pipes having a polygonal cylinder shape such as a triangle, a quadrangle, or a hexagon.

Further, for example, like a support body 230 shown in FIG. 5, a spiral main body 240 and a buffer portion 234 formed at the tip (opening portion 232 side) of the main body 240 and having an opening portion 232 are provided. As a whole, a shape whose diameter gradually decreases from the base end 238 toward the opening 232 can be cited. The buffer portion 234 is formed on the side of the main body 240 of the mouth portion 235, and the mouth portion 235 having a substantially cylindrical shape whose diameter gradually decreases from the base end 238 side of the support body 230 toward the opening portion 232. It is comprised with the ring-shaped base 236 extended in radial direction.
The main body 240 is a so-called resin spring, and is elastically stretchable in a direction connecting the base end 238 and the opening 232, that is, a wire extending direction (not shown). Examples of the material of the main body 240 include PE, PS, PC, ABS, and the like.
The material of the buffer part 234 is the same as that of the buffer part 134.

  The support body 230 includes an elastically stretchable body 240 so that it is compressed when cleaning between adjacent teeth. When the brush body is extracted from between adjacent teeth and the pressing force is released, the body 240 elastically expands and becomes normal. Restore to. For this reason, the user can use a normal interdental brush for the cleaning between adjacent teeth, without performing special operation after use of an interdental brush.

  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.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Interdental brush 10 Brush body 11 Flocked part 12 Filament 14 Wire 16 Tip 20 Handle body 30, 130, 230 Support body 32, 132, 232 Opening part 34, 134, 234 Buffer part 36, 136 Grasping part 38, 138, 238 Base

Claims (5)

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,
The handle body covers the brush body, and a base end of a support body that is extendable in the extending direction of the wire is fixed.
The support is provided with an opening that allows the hair transplant part to be taken in and out at a position corresponding to the tip of the brush body, and a buffer part is provided at the periphery of the opening.
The interdental brush is characterized in that the buffer portion is located further in the extending direction of the wire than the tip of the brush body when the support body is extended.   The interdental brush according to claim 1, wherein the buffer portion slides on the flocked portion when the support body extends.   The interdental brush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a grip portion for operation when the support body is extended is formed in the vicinity of the buffer portion.   The interdental brush according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support body is elastically stretchable in an extending direction of the wire.   The interdental brush according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the buffer portion is engaged with the handle body side of the flocked portion when the support body is compressed.

Images