KR100280204B1 - Sterilizing tooth brush used by laser - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a toothbrush for sterilization and whitening of teeth using a laser when brushing teeth, the end of which is closed by a brush in which bristles are formed and a concave lens coupled to a laser source at the center of the brush Is formed, the laser source is inserted into the head of the toothbrush is made to irradiate the laser through the concave lens, the laser source is made to receive power from the light emission control interpolated in the handle of the toothbrush by the bacteria in the oral cavity Breeding is suppressed, bad breath does not occur, and the prevention of various gum diseases not only makes the teeth and gums more healthy, but also has an effect of doubling the whitening effect of the whitening toothpaste.

Description

Sterilizing tooth brush used by laser}

The present invention relates to a sterilized toothbrush using a laser, and more specifically, to irradiate the laser when brushing the teeth to inhibit the bacteria and bacteria remaining in the teeth, gums, and bristles, and to suppress the growth of bacteria, the components contained in the whitening toothpaste It relates to a sterile toothbrush with a laser that allows for more effective deposition on the body.

A device that amplifies light using induced emission of electromagnetic waves is called a laser, and according to a medium for generating a laser as light, carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), Gas lasers using a gas such as helium-neon (He-Ne), liquid lasers such as Dye Laser, and solid-state lasers using Ruby, YAG, and the like, may be classified as gallium arsenide There is a semiconductor laser such as (GaAs). Various devices are used in many fields using such various lasers, and examples thereof include laser printers, laser diodes, laser disks, and laser radars.

In recent years, the laser is applied to the medical field by using the physical properties of the laser beam. That is, since the laser is absorbed by a specific tissue that reacts with a light of a specific wavelength and destroys the tissue, the wavelength of the laser beam having a therapeutic effect is different depending on the tissue to be treated. Treatment of skin diseases using laser beams that selectively destroy only the tissues to be treated using these characteristics, especially in the field of dentistry, the utilization rate is growing remarkably, and the existing hand piece (Hand Piece) It is known to replace.

In general, in order to prevent tooth decay and to clean teeth, there is a method of brushing teeth using a toothbrush, a floss, an interdental toothbrush, a plaque control agent, and the like. Toothbrushes are the most common of these methods. Various toothbrushes can be selected according to age and condition. That is, the toothbrush suitable for the user is selected in consideration of the size of the brush head, the number of bristles, the length and width of the bristles, and the like. In addition, electric toothbrushes for the handicapped and long-term inpatients are commercially available. In addition, many bacteria live in the oral cavity, leaving harmful and harmless, and in order to prevent contamination by the bacteria and obtain a fresh feeling, oral cleaning agents that kill the bacteria present in the oral cavity may be used.

Toothbrush after brushing, bacteria exist. Conventionally, in order to prevent the growth of bacteria and to prevent contamination from the outside, the toothbrush is stored in a separate sterilizer such as infrared / ultraviolet rays and used if necessary or soaked in hot water. Disinfection by the method of taking out or disinfecting the toothbrush with chemicals.

The sterilization method of the toothbrush performed as described above has to use a separate sterilizer, a medicine, or a separate additional equipment, which is cumbersome and inconvenient to use.

In addition, when the teeth are yellowed or the original teeth are not white, and whitening is desired, the following various methods have been used.

First of all, home bleaching is the easiest way to do this. Every time you brush your teeth, you can brush your teeth using whitening toothpaste. The whitening effect is slow, so the user is not satisfied easily and the effect is small.

Next, as a method that can be performed in a dentistry such as a hospital, there is a method of applying a medicine with a retainer or a mouth guard of a tooth to bite a retainer or a mouth guard coated with the medicine at bedtime. This method is able to obtain a certain whitening effect by the drug penetrates the teeth during sleep time, but has a problem that makes the user feel uncomfortable to prevent a good night's sleep. In addition, there is a method using a medical device, such as laser whitening (Laser Bleaching), whitening using Ultra Light (Ultra Light), this method can achieve a whitening effect in a short time compared to the above-described method, There was a burden.

Therefore, in the past, disinfecting while using a toothbrush as described above was not generally done, using a toothbrush in a state exposed to bacteria, brushing teeth, it was cumbersome to use a separate disinfection device, and infecting bacteria It was also a factor. In addition, various methods for whitening have a problem that the effect is slow, or the cost is high even if the effect is fast.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems by using a laser to sterilize the bacteria present in the oral cavity during use, or the bacteria present in the bristles after using the laser, and sterilization using a laser to suppress bacterial growth To provide a toothbrush.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a sterilized toothbrush using a laser that can increase the whitening effect of the component for tooth whitening is smoothly deposited on the teeth by laser irradiation.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a sterile toothbrush using a laser according to the present invention.

2 is an exploded view of a toothbrush in accordance with the present invention.

3 is a perspective view of the brush of FIG.

4A is a bottom view of FIG. 3, FIG. 4B is a front view of FIG. 3, and FIG. 4C is a side view of FIG.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the holder portion of Fig. 2.

FIG. 6A is a plan view of FIG. 5, FIG. 6B is a rear view of FIG. 5, and FIG. 6C is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which the brush and the holder of FIG. 2 are combined.

8 is a block diagram for controlling light emission of a laser diode.

9 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing another embodiment of a sterile toothbrush using a laser according to the present invention.

※ Explanation of codes for main parts of drawing

10 toothbrush 12 head

14 switch 16: charger

18: light emitting body 20, 56: brush

22: brush head 24, 58: hook

26, 59: concave lens 28, 34, 40, 54: hole

29, 55: Holder 30: Groove

32: laser diode 36: jamming jaw

38, 45: cover 42: control box

43: battery 44: the handle

46: coil 47: charging box

50: light emission control unit 51: optical system

52: flat mirror 60: connection portion

Sterilizing toothbrush using a laser according to the present invention for achieving the above object, in the toothbrush consisting of a handle and a head extending to the handle and the bristles are planted on one side, the laser to be irradiated in front of the planted bristles Laser generating means for generating is installed in the toothbrush.

In one embodiment of the laser generating means, a laser source for inserting a predetermined length into a brush hole drilled in the center of the head, a concave lens is attached to the front end to irradiate the laser, the laser source is inserted into the handle It may be composed of a switch to determine whether to irradiate the laser by intercepting the power supplied to the driving power and the power supplied to the laser source, the head is divided into a holder and a brush, the locking jaw on the holder and the brush And hook is formed can be configured to facilitate separation / coupling. In addition, a head having the laser source embedded therein is equipped with a concave lens for dispersing the laser irradiated from the laser source, the laser source is used for dental treatment as a laser diode, a diode laser (Diode Laser), a semiconductor laser, etc. Preferably, a means for generating a laser is provided.

Further, as another embodiment of the laser generating means, inside the head portion And a laser source for irradiating a laser beam through a hole formed in the core of the toothbrush in a direction from the handle toward the plane mirror, the flat mirror installed to face the front of which the bristles are planted, and the hole from the laser source. It can be composed of an optical system for forming the laser to be irradiated into a parallel beam, a switch interpolated to the handle to supply driving power to the laser source, and a switch to determine whether to irradiate the laser by intermittent the power supplied to the laser source. have.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A representative use example as an embodiment of the sterilized toothbrush using a laser according to the present invention is shown in Figure 1, the toothbrush 10 is a brush 44 which is held by hand when brushing teeth with a head 12 having bristles formed thereon. It is composed of, the charger 16 for inserting the handle 44 of the toothbrush 10 to charge the battery (not shown) built in the handle 44 is provided. The charger 16 is provided with a light-emitting body 18 for visually showing whether the charge, and a switch 14 for controlling the supply of power for sterilizing the toothbrush 10 is formed in the neck of the toothbrush 10. It is.

Hereinafter, a sterilizing toothbrush using a laser will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8.

First, Figure 2 is an exploded view of the toothbrush 10 according to the present invention, the brush 20 and The holder 29 is coupled to each other, and a hole 28 is formed at the center of the brush 20 made of a transparent material. And the bristles 22 are not planted in the center part of the brush 20. The holder 29 is formed with a hole 34 through which the center part is perforated, and the concave lens 26 is attached to the front end of the laser diode 32. The laser diode 32 is bonded to the jaw formed in the holder 29 with a bonding agent so that moisture does not flow into the holder 29. When the concave lens 26 is attached to the laser diode 32 and coupled to the holder 29, the predetermined length is protruded so that the predetermined length is inserted into the hole 28 formed in the brush 20. The laser diode 32 is connected to the control box 42 configured in the handle 44 through the hole 40 formed in the longitudinal direction in the toothbrush 10 to receive power and to control the intensity of the laser. do.

The handle 44 is inserted into the above-described control box 42 and the battery 43, the switch 14 for controlling the power supply of the battery 43 is configured in the handle 44, the control box 42 And it can be seen that the cover 45 is provided with a charge box 47 and a coil 46 for maintaining the airtight of the battery 43 and the charge. The coil 46 supplies power to the charging box 47 by an induction action with a coil (not shown) provided in the charger 16 so that the battery 43 is charged, and the toothbrush 10 is used. It is designed so that there is no danger of electricity in the environment that is easily exposed to water. The handle 44 and the cover 45 are made to be screwed so that moisture does not flow in, and at the same time, the filling box 47 and  The battery 43 is made to be connected.

In addition, a lead is inserted through the hole 40 so that the laser diode 32 and the control box 42 are electrically connected to the deep portion of the toothbrush 10.

In addition, the brush 20 is formed with a hook 24 for coupling with the holder 29, it is made to fit in the groove 30 formed in the holder 29 to be coupled, the inside of the holder 29 A latching jaw 36 for supporting the brush 20 is formed therein, and a lid for supporting the laser diode 32 and sealing the hole 34 to the rear in which the laser diode 32 of the hole 34 is inserted. 38 is formed.

In the sterilized toothbrush 10 using the laser as described above, the laser diode 32 is inserted into the brush 20 by a predetermined length while the brush 20 and the holder 29 are combined, and brushing teeth using the toothbrush 10. If the power is supplied to the laser diode 32 by the operation of the switch 14 during or as necessary, the sterilization by the laser is performed, the characteristics of the toothpaste to be used more effectively appear.

In more detail, when the user operates the switch 14 while brushing teeth using the toothbrush 10 to supply power to the laser diode 32, a laser of a predetermined intensity is irradiated from the laser diode 32. During brushing, various bacteria present in the bristles 22 or the oral cavity are sterilized. In this case, the irradiated laser is harmless to the human body and has a bactericidal effect having the characteristics of a laser normally used in dentistry. It is made to adjust the intensity of the laser accordingly. In addition, in the case of using a whitening toothpaste, the rate at which the whitening component contained in the toothpaste is deposited on the teeth by the laser irradiated from the laser diode 32 increases, so the whitening effect is excellent.

The detailed shape of each of the above-described components will be described.

First, the shape of the brush 20, as shown in Figure 3, four hooks 24 are formed, the bristles 22 are evenly planted, in particular the concave lens 26 is installed in the center bristle brush 22 It is understood that the structure is such that the laser is irradiated directly into the oral cavity from the laser diode 32 without being planted. As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, a plurality of hooks 24 bent in an 'L' shape are formed in a bottom view of the brush 20, a hole 28 is formed in a central portion thereof, and a hole 28 is formed. ) Is configured such that the laser diode 32 with the concave lens 26 is inserted into the predetermined length.

As shown in FIG. 5, grooves 30 hooking a plurality of hooks 24 formed on the brush 20 are formed at both sides of the holder 29, and holes are formed at the center of the holder 29. 34 is formed, the upper end is formed with a locking jaw 36 for supporting the brush 20 while having the same height as the thickness of the brush 20, the core (hole) is inserted into the length (in the longitudinal direction) 40) is formed. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6C, a hole 34 having an appropriate space is formed in the holder 29 so that the laser diode 32 can be inserted. Cover grooves for holding the milk is formed.

7 schematically shows the state irradiated from the laser diode 32. That is, the laser is irradiated from the laser diode 32 while the power is supplied by the operation of the switch 14, is inserted into the brush 20 from the holder 29 by a predetermined depth and distributed at a predetermined angle through the concave lens 26. The laser beam is irradiated to the bristles 22 as a whole. In addition, the bristle 22 may be directly irradiated through the part that is not planted to obtain a higher sterilization effect.

A schematic block diagram for power supply and intensity control with the laser diode 32 is shown in FIG. 8, wherein a switch 14 for intermittent power is installed between the power supply and the light emission control unit, and the light emission control unit has a laser. The diodes 32 are connected to be made to adjust the intensity.

In addition, another embodiment according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 9, in which a flat mirror 52 is provided inside the head of the toothbrush, and a hole 54 is formed in the core portion facing the head from the handle 44. The laser irradiated from the laser diode 32 provided in the 44 is configured to be reflected by the plane mirror 52 through the optical system 51 for forming the parallel beam and irradiated with the brush 56. The holder 55 in the direction reflected and irradiated to the planar mirror 52 is provided with a concave lens 59 so that the reflected laser is distributed and irradiated.

According to the toothbrush configured as described above, the laser beam irradiated onto the planar mirror 52 formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle is dispersed through the concave lens 59 of the brush 56. It can be seen from the wider side that the laser is irradiated. As such, the laser is irradiated from the wide surface of the brush 56 to enhance the disinfecting and whitening effect during brushing. The brush 56 and the holder 55 may form the hook 58 and the groove 30 to be separated / combined, and the handle and the head including the optical system 51 may be separated / combined. The entire head portion including the brush 56, which is a consumable part, may be replaced and used.

As described above, the toothbrush 10 according to the present invention can be integrally formed with the brush 20 and the holder 29 to protect the laser diode 32 from being easily exposed to moisture. In addition, since the brush 20 and the holder 29 can be easily combined and separated as described above, it is also advantageous to manufacture the brush 20 and the bristles 22 which have reached the end of their service life so as to be replaced.

And, the power supplied to the laser diode 32 may be configured to be capable of charging, it is more preferable to manufacture to use a common battery together, the laser diode used in the present invention is irradiated laser is safe for human body Having an intensity, it is a laser source usually used for therapeutic use, and a diode laser, a semiconductor laser, or the like can be used.

According to the embodiment according to the present invention as described above, the bacterial growth in the oral cavity is suppressed by the laser irradiated from the laser diode to significantly reduce the number of harmful bacteria, especially the plaque is suppressed because of the reproduction of anaerobic bacteria Decreases bad breath significantly. In addition, because the bacterial breeding in the oral cavity is inhibited, there is an effect of preventing tooth decay, it is effective in preventing various gum diseases.

In addition, when using the toothbrush according to the present invention when using a whitening toothpaste for whitening teeth, there is an advantage such that the whitening agent contained in the whitening toothpaste can be more effectively deposited on the teeth.

Therefore, according to the present invention, bacteria propagation in the oral cavity is suppressed, and bad breath does not occur, and the prevention of various gum diseases not only makes the teeth and gums more healthy, but also doubles the properties contained in the toothpaste, so that the whitening agent is applied to the teeth. The deposition rate is improved and the whitening effect can be obtained in a short time. It also has the effect of getting refreshed after brushing your teeth.

Although the present invention has been described in detail only with respect to the described embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations are possible within the technical scope of the present invention, and such modifications and modifications are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (4)

In the toothbrush comprising a handle and a head extending to the handle and the bristles are planted on one side, Sterilizing toothbrush using a laser, characterized in that the laser generating means for generating a laser so that the brush head is irradiated to the front in which the bristles are implanted. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser generating means, A laser source for inserting a predetermined length into a brush hole drilled in the center of the head and irradiating a laser by attaching a concave lens to a front end; A power source inserted into the handle to supply driving power to the laser source; And A switch which determines whether to irradiate a laser by interrupting power supplied to the laser source; Sterilized toothbrush using the laser, characterized in that consisting of. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser generating means, A flat mirror formed inside the head and installed to face the front of which the bristles are planted; A laser source for irradiating a laser through a hole formed in the core portion of the toothbrush in a direction from the handle toward the plane mirror; An optical system for forming a laser beam irradiated through the hole from the laser source into a parallel beam; A power source inserted into the handle to supply driving power to the laser source; And A switch which determines whether to irradiate a laser by interrupting power supplied to the laser source; Sterilized toothbrush using the laser, characterized in that consisting of. The method of claim 2 or 3, The laser source is a sterile toothbrush using the laser, characterized in that the laser diode providing a therapeutic laser.