Claims
- 1. A dental floss comprising a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiber having a denier between 100 and 3500 and a density of less than about 0.7 g/cc.
- 2. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said density is less than about 0.6 g/cc.
- 2. A dental floss as defined in claim 1 wherein said density is less than about 0.5 g/cc.
- 3. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said density is less than about 0.4 g/cc.
- 4. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said density is less than about 0.3 g/cc.
- 5. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said density is less than about 0.2 g/cc.
- 6. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said density is about 0.6 g/cc.
- 7. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber comprises expanded PTFE.
- 8. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a strength suitable for use as a dental floss.
- 9. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a strength greater than about 1.5 lbs.
- 10. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a strength greater than about 2.0 lbs.
- 11. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a strength greater than about 2.5 lbs.
- 12. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a strength greater than about 3.0 lbs.
- 13. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a strength greater than about 5.0 lbs.
- 14. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a strength greater than about 7.5 lbs.
- 15. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a strength greater than about 10 lbs.
- 16. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber is hollow.
- 17. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a substantially elliptical cross-section.
- 18. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a substantially circular cross-section.
- 19. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a substantially rectangular cross-section.
- 20. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber is abrasion resistant.
- 21. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has an average abrasion break strength greater than 2.8×10−3 lbs per denier.
- 22. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has an average abrasion break strength greater than 3.0×10−3 lbs per denier.
- 23. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has an average abrasion break strength greater than 4.0×10−3 lbs per denier.
- 24. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has an average abrasion break strength greater than 5.0×10−3 lbs per denier.
- 25. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has an average abrasion break strength of about 6.0×10−3 lbs per denier.
- 26. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a strength decay of less than 35%.
- 27. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a strength decay of less than 10%.
- 28. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiber has a strength decay of less than 5%.
- 29. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of said fibers.
- 30. A dental floss as defined in claim 1, wherein said fibers contain a filler.
- 31. A dental floss as defined in claim 31, wherein said fiber has a structure of an expanded PTFE matrix defining interconnected passages and pathways, and said filler is disposed in said passages and pathways.
- 32. A dental floss as defined in claim 31 wherein said fiber has a structure of an expanded PTFE matrix defining interconnected passages and pathways, and said filler is disposed in said expanded PTFE matrix.
- 33. A dental floss as defined in claim 31, wherein said fiber has a center bore and said filler is disposed in said center bore.
- 34. A dental floss as defined in claim 31 wherein said filler comprises a grip enhancing material.
- 35. A dental floss as defined in claim 31 wherein said filler comprises a bioactive ingredient.
- 36. A dental floss as defined in claim 31 wherein said filler is selected from the group consisting of colorant and a flavorant.
- 37. A dental floss as defined in claim 1 further comprising at least one coating over said fiber.
- 38. A dental floss comprising at least one fiber as defined in claim 1 and at least one other fiber, wherein said one fiber and said at least one other fiber are twisted together or joined together by a binder.
- 39. A method of making a dental floss comprising the steps of (a) providing a PTFE resin, (b) extruding said resin to form an extrudate, and (c) expanding said extrudate into a fiber suitable for use as a dental floss.
- 40. A method as defined in claim 41, wherein said step of extruding said resin includes using a reduction ratio of greater than 150:1.
- 41. A method as defined in claim 41, wherein said step of extruding said resin includes using a reduction ratio of greater than 200:1.
- 42. A method as defined in claim 41, wherein said step of extruding said resin includes using a reduction ratio of greater than 250:1.
- 43. A method as defined in claim 41, wherein said step of extruding said resin includes using a reduction ratio of greater than 300:1.
- 44. A method as defined in claim 41, wherein said step of extruding said resin includes using a reduction ratio of greater than 500:1.
- 45. A method as defined in claim 41 wherein said step of expanding said extrudate includes simultaneous non-contact heating of said extrudate.
- 46. A dental floss as defined in claim 1 used in a floss device.
- 47. A floss device comprising a dental floss as defined in claim 1.
- 48. A sewing thread comprising expanded PTFE having a denier between 100 and 3500, a density of less than about 0.7 g/cc and a strength of greater than about 1.5 lbs.
- 49. A bearing comprising expanded PTFE having a denier between 100 and 3500, a density of less than about 0.7 g/cc and a strength of greater than about 1.5 lbs.
- 50. A bushing comprising expanded PTFE having a denier between 100 and 3500, a density of less than about 0.7 g/cc and a strength of greater than about 1.5 lbs.
- 51. A weaving fiber comprising expanded PTFE having a denier between 100 and 3500, a density of less than about 0.7 g/cc and a strength of greater than about 1.5 lbs.
- 52. A dental floss comprising an expanded PTFE fiber having surface characteristics of an average roughness of greater than 0.3 microns, a root mean square roughness of greater than 0.35 microns, and a peak to valley distance of greater than 1.7 microns.
- 53. A dental floss as defined in claim 53 wherein said average roughness is about 1.306 microns.
- 54. A dental floss as defined in claim 53 wherein said peak to valley distance is about 1.570 microns.
- 55. A dental floss as defined in claim 53 wherein said peak to valley distance is about 6.316 microns.
- 56. A method of flossing teeth comprising the steps of (a) providing a dental floss comprising a fiber having a denier between 100 and 3500 and a density of less than about 0.7 g/cc, and (b) inserting said dental floss between the teeth.
- 57. A dental floss as defined in claim 1 wherein said dental floss has a surface with an average roughness of about 1.306 microns, a root mean square roughness of about 1.570 microns, and a peak to valley distance of about 6.316 microns.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/449/078, filed Nov. 24, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/387,691, filed Aug. 31, 1999.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09449078 |
Nov 1999 |
US |
Child |
10339787 |
Jan 2003 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09387691 |
Aug 1999 |
US |
Child |
09449078 |
Nov 1999 |
US |