MXPA00000954A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

A toothbrush with a plastic head and standing plastic bristles which are individually embedded in the bristlehead and are mutually spaced apart by a small distance is characterised in that 400 to 800 individual bristles per square centimetre are arranged on the surface of the bristle head provided with bristles, and in that the overall height of the toothbrush, which results from the free length of the individual bristles and the thickness of the bristle head, is comprised between 6.5 and 11 mm.

Description

TOOTHBRUSH The present invention relates to a toothbrush of the type comprising a plastic brush head and individual plastic bristles included vertically in the brush head, said bristles being arranged with reduced spacing from each other.

Dental brushes of this type are known from the state of the art (WO 96/27 308). In contrast to conventional toothbrushes, in which the bristles are grouped in individual bunches and a plurality of bunches are fixed in the brush head, the toothbrushes mentioned above have the advantage that the bristle ends which are more active substantially during the cleaning they are uniformly distributed over the whole brushing surface so that during the cleaning method recommended by the dentists from red to white, that is to say a substantially vertical guided movement of the brush with a slight overlapping tilting movement, it is cleaned (the teeth) and the entire area swept by the bristle is massaged (gum), while in the case of toothbrushes with the usual bunches of bristles some parts of the gum and / or teeth are left untreated. It has already been tried to overcome this problem by arranging the bristles within the bundle in a non-parallel manner so that the bristles separate, which REF .: 32593 has as a consequence during cleaning that the bristles are located at different angles with respect to the surface to be cleaned. The above can cause lesions on the gum. Additionally, the inclined bristles are more active in their transition zone towards the cylindrical surface of the bristle than at its rounded end. Since these transition zones can present sharp edges in the case of perfectly rounded bristles, gum injuries or small lesions in the tooth enamel can occur.

For the effectiveness of the toothbrush it is fundamental, among other factors, the resistance to bending of the bristles. The same being substantially determined in the case of a bunch, by the length of the bunch and the packing density of the bristles in the bunch, as well as by the diameter of the individual bristles, the latter having the least influence since the bristles in the bundle supports each other being the resistance to the flexion of the bunch several times greater than that of the individual bristles. In the case of the known toothbrush mentioned above (WO 96/27 308) with upright individual bristles, the resistance to bending is further affected by the spacing between the bristles. The influence of the diameter of the bristles being more noticeable due to the separation between the bristles. With this measure, the bending strength can be varied in a finely stepped manner, particularly staggering in a finer form than the usual steps in toothbrushes: "soft", "medium", and "hard". Due to the shorter inclusion length of the individual bristles compared to the bundles, it is possible to reduce the height of the brush head.

According to dental knowledge, the care and cleaning state of the molar teeth, in particular on the outside of the denture (distal), is substantially more defective than the frontal tooth region. The aforementioned is due to the restricted accessibility to the molar teeth, to the frequently very narrow space conditions in the distal region, which in the case of abnormalities in the dental formation can result in serious conditions, and to the sensitivity and irritability frequently increased in the distal region of the molars, which can even induce vomiting depending on how the toothbrush is inserted. Also the red / white cleaning method recommended by dentists can not be carried out in the area of the molar teeth due to the confined space. Due to the fact that greater pressure is applied in this area, gum injuries and dental enamel injuries are also more easily produced.

The present invention has the purpose of providing a toothbrush that also allows an easy application of the red / white method in the molar region and in particular to facilitate an equally satisfactory cleaning of the molar regions in the distal area.

Starting from dental brushes according to the pre-characterizing part of claim 1 (WO 96/27 308), said inventive purpose is satisfied by the fact that approximately 400 to 800 bristles are provided on the surface provided with bristles in the brush head. individual per cm2 and importing the constructive height of the toothbrush, resulting from the free height of the individual bristles and the thickness of the brush head, between 6.5 and 11 mm.

The toothbrush according to the present invention is distinguished in the first place by an extremely reduced construction height formed by the free length of the bristles and the thickness of the brush head. This height takes values between 6.5 and 11 mm, while in conventional toothbrushes this height extends up to 20 mm. Due to this flat construction, it is also possible to clean the distal area of the molars without difficulty, the red / white method can be used there and the pressure applied exclusively by the user can be adjusted, since the inner side of the cheek no longer exerts pressure on the toothbrush Due to said plurality of individual bristles arranged with reduced spacing, the flexural strength can also be adjusted or can be scaled specifically to the needs of the user despite the small length of the individual bristles.

Plain toothbrushes (DE 93 03 339 Ul) have already been proposed, for which the length of bristles is simply shortened in a conventional brush provided with bundles. With this measure, however, rigidity is increased in the case of conventional toothbrushes provided with bunches of bristles. This was, in fact, the specific intent of this state of the prior art in order to achieve a better mechanical scrubbing effect. The above however is particularly unwanted for medical reasons.

Another known conventional embodiment (EP 0 060 592) leads to the same negative effects. In this embodiment, the individual bristles are arranged with reduced spacing from one another and are maintained in a brush head structure in the form of a frame. In this case, the resistance to bending is further increased in the case of brushes with bunches of bristles, since the individual bristles bear against each other along their entire length.

In another known toothbrush (DE 296 00 139 Ul), in the brush head, in addition to the usual bunches of bristles, microfibers are also provided. These microfibers have low resistance to bending and consequently they are extremely soft and can not exert any mechanical effect on the dental deposits. These have, at most, a polishing effect. Due to their extremely small diameter, said microfibers can not be fixed directly on the brush head.

The configuration according to the present invention is equally effective for manual toothbrushes having a handle fixed to the brush head as well as for electrically operated toothbrushes in which the brush head is plugged onto a drive.

The free length of the individual bristles preferably imports when they assume a value between 5 and 9.5 mm and the thickness of the brush head a value between 1.5 and 3.0 mm. The reduced thickness of the brush head is in particular possible because the individual bristles have to be included on only a very small length in the plastic of the brush head to achieve the necessary resistance to tearing.

The inventive configuration also makes it possible to confer on the effective brush surface a shape, in which the free ends of the individual bristles lie on a constantly curved or intermittent wrapping surface whose spacing with respect to the upper face of the brush head varies up to in 3 mm.

This topography ensures that the bristles not only reach and clean the dental surfaces but also the interdental regions. In the vicinity of the gum special massage effects are achieved by the fact that the longer bristles are deflected by applying pressure to act together with the external portion of the bristles and cause a type of friction massage. The shorter bristles are active at their ends.

An additional variation for the flexural strength can be achieved when the diameter of the individual bristles is between 0.095 and 0.225 mm while the effective diameter selected is smaller, the smaller the free length of the individual bristles.

In this context, it is advantageously provided that, in the case of a free length of the individual bristles of 5 to 7 mm, their diameter is between 0.095 and 0.175 mm and, in the case of a free length of 7 to 9.5 mm, their diameter matters between 0.125 and 0.225 mm.

A preferred embodiment of the inventive toothbrush is characterized by the fact that the constructive height of the toothbrush imports approximately 8.5, with the free length of the individual bristles of 7 mm and a thickness of the brush head of 1.5 mm being imported, with approximately 600 sows per cm2.

In another particularly advantageous configuration of the present invention, it is provided that the individual bristles are included by means of an injection method by surrounding their ends on the plastic attachment side of the brush head.

This method of fixing the individual bristles leads on the one hand to the greatest possible tear strength with the shortest possible inclusion length. The individual bristles are firmly surrounded by the plastic of the brush head in the area of its fixing point, ensuring a free surface of interstices. This is desirable for hygienic reasons.

The inventive configuration also confers the possibility that the brush head has on its bristle side an upper face domed in a convex shape with the individual bristles arranged approximately perpendicular to the surface.

In this configuration, the ends of the bristles as long as they have the same length, are on a corresponding convex envelope surface. This facilitates, with respect to the red-white method with which the toothbrush is normally slightly tilted, a better attack position of the bristle ends. In the case of conventional bristle toothbrushes, it has been tried to obtain the same effect by arranging the bundles only in the longitudinal central axis of the brush head perpendicular to the outer face and in an inclined manner towards the sides with a pronounced simultaneous shortening of the bundles that meet externally. Due to this inclined position, individual bunches have different brushing and cleaning effects. In addition, the danger is caused by the bristles arranged obliquely that they turn against the direction of the cleaning movement and act as barbs. The convex configuration of the brush head within the scope of the present invention is facilitated, without a noticeable increase in height, due to the small space of the brush head.

In this embodiment, the back of the brush head can be simultaneously domed in a concave shape whereby the brush head has approximately the same thickness over its entire length without the brush head becoming excessively rigid because of this profile. In this embodiment, the individual bristles arranged perpendicular to the outer face of the head have substantially the same length.

The inclusion length of the ends on the fixing side of the individual bristles is substantially less than 10 times the diameter of the bristle. The inclusion length assumes values, with the aforementioned diameter range of 0.125 to 0.225, of no more than 1.25 to 2.25 mm.

The invention is described below in connection with embodiments shown in the drawings.

Figure 1 illustrates a plan view on the bristle field of the toothbrush; Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the brush according to Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged elevational view of a longitudinal section through the area of the brush head.

Figure 4 illustrates a view on the representation of Figure 3; and Figure 5 illustrates a cross section through another brush head embodiment. Figures 1 and 2 show a toothbrush 1 intended for manual use. It has a handle 2 and a preferably flexible neck 3 and a brush head 4 with a bristle endowment 5. The bristle endowment 5 is constituted by a plurality of individual bristles arranged in an upright manner and with a small spacing from each other, as it emerges of figures 3 and 4. The individual bristles 6 are anchored with their ends 7 in the head of the brush 4. The individual bristles have by way of example, thickenings 8 molded at their ends 7 being anchored under said thickenings by inclusion by injection in the plastic of the brush head 4.

The bristles 6 have a diameter comprised between 0.095 and 0.225 mm and a free length "1" between 5 to 9.5 mm. The diameter is selected so much smaller, the smaller the free length "1". Practical tests have shown the following relationships to be particularly advantageous: diameter 0.095 to 0.175 mm with a free length "1" of 5 to 7 m and diameter of 0.125 to 225 mm with a free length of 7 to 9.5 mm.

The total height of the toothbrush in the region of the brush head is between 6.5 and 11 mm, the thickness "d" of the brush head being between 1.5 and 3.0 mm. The inclusion depth "a" of the individual bristles imports between 0.2 and 0.8 mm, preferably approximately 0.4 mm. The spacing between the individual bristles 6 is preferably selected so that there are about 600 bristles per cm 2.

In the embodiment according to Figure 5, the brush head has a domed cross section whereby the ends of the individual bristles 6 lie on a curved wrapping surface. This wrapping surface can also be corrugated or staggered by different lengths of the individual bristles 6. The individual bristles are perpendicular with respect to the upper face of the brush head 4.

Described that it has been the nature of the present invention and the manner of putting it into practice, it is declared that what is claimed as invention and exclusive property is

Claims (3)

REI INDICATIONS

1. Toothbrush, of the type comprising a plastic brush head and individual plastic bristles included vertically in the brush head, said bristles being arranged with reduced separation from each other, characterized in that the brush surface is provided on the surface provided with bristles approximately 400 to 800 individual bristles per cm2 and importing the constructive height of the toothbrush, resulting from the free height of the individual bristles and the thickness of the brush head, between 6.5 and 11 n-im.

2. Dental brush according to claim 1, characterized in that the free length of the individual bristles is between 5 and 9.5 m and the thickness of the brush head between 1.5 and 3 mm.

3. Toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the free ends of the individual bristles lie on a constantly curved or intermittent wrapping surface, their spacing varying with respect to the upper face of the brush head by up to 3 mm. Dental brush according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the diameter of the individual bristles is between 0.095 and 0.225 mm and the effective diameter selected is smaller when the free length of the individual bristles is smaller. Dental brush according to claim 4, characterized in that in the case of a free length of the individual bristles from 5 to 7 mm, their diameter matters between 0.095 and 0.175 mm and in the case of a free length of 7 to 9.5 mm, their diameter imports between 0.125 and 0.225 mm. A toothbrush according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the construction height of the toothbrush is approximately 8.5, by importing the free length of the individual bristles of 7 mm and a thickness of the brush head of 1.5 mm. Dental brush according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that approximately 600 bristles per cm 2 are provided. A toothbrush according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the individual bristles are included by means of an injection method by surrounding their ends on the plastic attachment side of the brush head. A toothbrush according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the brush head has on its bristle face an external face domed in a convex shape and the individual bristles being arranged approximately perpendicularly with respect to said upper face. A toothbrush according to claim 9, characterized in that the brush head with an approximately constant thickness across its entire cross section is domed on the side of the bristles in a convex shape and on its back in a concave shape. Dental brush according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the individual bristles have the same length. A toothbrush according to at least one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the individual bristles are included at their ends to be fixed at a length that is less than 10 times the diameter of the individual sow.