Patent Application
20070022552
This invention relates to dental hygiene devices and, more particularly, to a dental hygiene device which is in part disposable and which is adapted for use by a caretaker of young children, handicapped persons, and the elderly when cleaning the teeth and gums of such persons in their care. It can, however, be used by anyone and also by a person to clean animal's teeth.
Persons who do not possess good motor skills often have difficulties when brushing their teeth using a conventional toothbrush. Due to their lack of refined motor skills, and dentists know that teeth are often not cleaned properly and injuries to gums resulting in ulcers are common. Such problems are especially prevalent amongst young children, handicapped persons, and the elderly.
Even when having their teeth brushed by a caretaker, brushing with a conventional toothbrush easily results in too much pressure being applied to teeth and gums which, especially amongst young children, can lead to an aversion against a daily dental hygiene routine.
The inventor therefore believes that a need exists for a dental hygiene device that permits a caretaker or the person whose teeth are to be cleaned to do so in a relatively non-invasive manner whilst being able to control the pressure applied to teeth and gums during such cleaning better than when using a conventional toothbrush.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a dental hygiene device including:-
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a dental hygiene device including:-
The cleaning pad may be provided with bristles suitable for cleaning teeth and gums. The bristles may be manufactured from rubber or may be conventional nylon bristles as can be found on a conventional toothbrush.
Alternatively, the cleaning pad may be provided with a resiliently deformable sponge-like layer suitable for cleaning teeth and gums.
The bristles or layer may be coated with a flavourant. The flavour may, for example, be mint.
The cleaning pad may be attached to the finger-receiving portion by means of a hook-and-loop arrangement also known as Velcro®.
Alternatively, the cleaning pad may be is attached to the finger-receiving portion by means of an adhesive.
The device may be provided in colours and with images printed thereon which appeal to young children.
The device may be manufactured from any suitable flexible synthetic plastics material or flexible natural rubber.
The finger-receiving portion may in use be fitted onto an index finger of the user.
The user and the person whose teeth and gums are to be cleaned by the device may be the same person.
Alternatively, the user may be a caretaker and the person whose teeth and gums are to be cleaned by the device may be selected from the group including: a young child, a handicapped person, and an elderly person. For example, the device may be used by a mother when cleaning the teeth of her young child.
The device may be provided as part of a kit which kit includes a plurality of cleaning pads.
According to a yet further aspect of the invention, there is provided a dental hygiene device including:-
The cleaning pads may be provided with bristles suitable for cleaning teeth and gums. The bristles may be manufactured from rubber or may be conventional nylon bristles as can be found on a conventional toothbrush.
Alternatively, the cleaning pads may be provided with a resiliently deformable sponge-like layer suitable for cleaning teeth and gums.
The bristles or layer may be coated with a flavourant. The flavour may, for example, be mint.
The cleaning pads may be attached to the glove by means of a hook-and-loop arrangement also known as Velcro®.
Alternatively, the cleaning pads may be attached to the glove by means of an adhesive.
The device may be provided in colours and with images printed thereon which appeal to young children.
The glove may be manufactured from any suitable flexible synthetic plastics material or flexible natural rubber.
The user and the person whose teeth and gums are to be cleaned by the device may be the same person.
Alternatively, the user may be a caretaker and the person whose teeth and gums are to be cleaned by the device may be selected from the group including: a young child, a handicapped person, and an elderly person. For example, the device may be used by a mother when cleaning the teeth of her young child.
The device may also be used to clean the teeth and gums of an animal such as, for example, a dog.
The device may be provided as part of a kit which kit includes a plurality of cleaning pads and one glove.
The invention will now be described by way of the following non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings:-
In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a dental hygiene device in accordance with the present invention.
The finger-receiving portion 12 includes a cleaning pad 16 for cleaning teeth and gums of a person. The pad 16 is fixedly or removably mounted on the finger-receiving portion 12.
The cleaning pad 16 is provided with bristles 18 suitable for cleaning teeth and gums. The bristles 18 are manufactured from rubber or they can be conventional nylon bristles as can be found on a conventional toothbrush.
The bristles 18 are coated with a flavourant, typically a mint flavour.
The cleaning pad 16 can be attached to the finger-receiving portion 12 by means of a hook-and-loop arrangement also known as Velcroo to permit easy removal of the pad 16 from the device 10.
The device 10 is provided in colours and with images printed thereon which appeal to young children.
The device 10 is manufactured from any suitable flexible synthetic plastics material or flexible natural rubber.
The finger-receiving portion 12 is in use fitted onto an index finger of the user.
The user and the person whose teeth and gums are to be cleaned by the device 10 can be the same person or the user can be a caretaker and the person whose teeth and gums are to be cleaned by the device can be selected from the group including: a young child, a handicapped person, and an elderly person. For example, the device 10 can be used by a mother when cleaning the teeth of her young child.
The device 10 can be provided as part of a kit which kit includes a plurality of cleaning pads 16. In this manner, the device 10 can be re-used and the cleaning pads 16 can be disposed of after use.
As can be seen from
Referring now to
The cleaning pads 16 are provided with a resiliently deformable sponge-like layer 26 suitable for cleaning teeth and gums.
The layer 26 is coated with a mint flavourant.
The cleaning pads 16 are attached to the glove 20 by means of a hook-and-loop arrangement also known as Velcro® to permit easy removal of the pads 16 from the glove 20.
The device 10 is typically provided in colours and with images printed thereon which appeal to young children.
The glove 20 is manufactured from any suitable flexible synthetic plastics material or flexible natural rubber.
The user and the person whose teeth and gums are to be cleaned by the device 10 can be the same person or the user can be a caretaker and the person whose teeth and gums are to be cleaned by the device can be selected from the group including: a young child, a handicapped person, and an elderly person. For example, the device 10 can be used by a mother when cleaning the teeth and gums of her young child.
The device 10 can also be used to clean the teeth and gums of an animal such as, for example, a dog.
The device 10 can provided as part of a kit which kit includes a plurality of cleaning pads 16 and one glove 10.
It is to be appreciated, that the invention is not limited to any specific embodiment or configuration as hereinbefore generally described or illustrated.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005/6080 | Jul 2005 | ZA | national |
