Patent Application
20200086355
The primary implement for self-cleaning teeth is the tooth-brush, however, the tooth-brush cannot sufficiently reach and therefore clean interproximal areas located between teeth. Cleaning the interproximal areas is essential for removing plaque at those areas and maintain a healthy mouth. Plaque buildup between teeth can lead to numerous dental diseases, such as gingivitis, cavities, and periodontal disease.
Cleaning interproximal areas is challenging because implement access is difficult. Dental floss is perhaps the most common implement for self-care of interproximal areas. However, dental floss is time-consuming to use and therefore can efficacy can suffer for less-patient patients. Dental floss is also subject to fray and break during use. These sorts of frustrations ultimately dissuade many persons from flossing their teeth regularly or at all. Even when used, dental floss may not be effective because of improper technique, for example the American Dental Hygienist Association recommends a detailed 4-step process for effectively using floss.
The alternative to regular flossing is regular cleaning by a dental hygienist using professional scaling devices, such as metal-tipped ultrasonic and hand scalers. However, that would be unavailable to most persons due to cost and time, and hence impractical.
Embodiments of the invention relate to devices for cleaning interproximal areas of teeth. As used herein, the term “interproximal area” is defined as areas traditionally cleaned with dental floss, including areas between the teeth large occupied by gums and periodontal spaces that can be caused by gum recession. The devices can be configured to attached to commercially available electrically powered handles intended for powering tooth-brushes. The devices can include an interdental member that has flat profile for fitting with interproximal spaces between teeth. The interdental member can be formed from a flexible polymer material.
Some embodiments relate to an apparatus for cleaning teeth. The apparatus can include a coupling body including a coupling portion. The coupling portion can be configured to removeably couple with and receive energy from a handle apparatus. At least one interdental member extends from the coupling body and is in energy communication with the coupling member such that the energy is transferable from the coupling member to the at least one interdental member. The at least one interdental member can have a profile for fitting within and cleaning an interproximal area. The at least one interdental member can be formed from a flexible polymer material.
In some embodiments, the flexible polymer material is resilient.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can include positive cleaning members that extend above one or more surfaces of the interdental member.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can include at least one interdental member having negative cleaning members that extend below one or more surfaces of the interdental member.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can have a cross-sectional area that is perpendicular to the first direction, the cross-sectional area being defined by a first length and a second length, the first length being longer than the second length to define a flat profile.
In some embodiments, the interdental member can have a tapered tip.
In some embodiments, the first length and/or second length can reduce in size to define the tapered tip.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can be a first interdental member and the interproximal area can be a first interproximal area. A second interdental member can extend from the coupling body and be in energy communication with the coupling member such that the energy is transferable from the coupling member to the second interdental member. The second interdental member can have a profile for fitting within and cleaning a second interproximal area simultaneously while the first interdental member is cleaning the first interproximal area.
In some embodiments, the second interdental member can be configured substantially identical to the first interdental member.
In some embodiments, the second interdental member can be longer or shorter than the first interdental member.
In some embodiments, the first interdental member can extend from the coupling body along a first path and the second interdental member can extend from the coupling body along a second path, where the first path and second path can diverge from one another.
In some embodiments, the first path and second path can diverge such that mid-portions of each of the first and second interdental members are separated according to a first distance, wherein the first path and the second path converge after diverging from the coupling body such that distal ends of the first and second interdental members can be separated according to a second distance that is less than the first distance.
In some embodiments, the flexible polymer material can have a durometer suitable to remove materials plaque from dental surfaces.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can include a bend between a distal-most end and a proximal-most end.
In some embodiments, the bend can be an angle between 0 and 90 degrees.
In some embodiments, the bend includes a radius.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can be substantially thicker between the proximal-most end and the bend as compared to the distal-most end and the bend.
In some embodiments, the flexibility of the at least one interdental member between the proximal most-end and the bend can be substantially less than flexibility of the at least one interdental member between the distal-most end and the bend.
Some embodiments relate to a a method for cleaning interproximal locations of teeth. At least one interdental member can be inserted into at least one interproximal area. The at least one interdental member can be formed from a flexible polymer material and can have a flat profile for fitting within and cleaning the at least one interproximal area. The at least one interdental member can extend from a coupling body that can include a coupling member. The coupling member can be removeably coupled to a handle apparatus. Energy can be provided to the coupling member from the handle apparatus. The energy can be transferred to the at least one interdental member from the coupling member to cause movement of the at least one interdental member within the at least one interproximal area.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can be resiliently deformed by moving the handle apparatus while the at least one interdental member is within the at least one interproximal area.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can include positive cleaning members that extend above one or more surfaces of the interdental member, where the cleaning members can be vibrated to remove materials from teeth surfaces of at the at least one interproximal area.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can include negative cleaning members that extend below one or more surfaces of the interdental member, where the cleaning members can be vibrated remove materials from teeth surfaces of at the at least one interproximal area.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can include a tapered tip that facilitates entry of the at least one interdental member into the interproximal area.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can be a first interdental member and the interproximal area is a first interproximal area. The second interdental member can be inserted into a second interproximal area. The second interdental member can be configured similarly to the first interdental member. Energy can be provided to the coupling member from the handle apparatus. The energy can be transferred to the at least one coupling member from the coupling member to cause movement of the second interdental member within the second interproximal area.
In some embodiments, the second interdental member can be within the second interproximal area while the first interdental member is inserted into the first interproximal area, such that energy can be simultaneously transferred to both the first and second interproximal areas to affect simultaneous cleaning of first and second interproximal areas.
In some embodiments, the flexible polymer material can have a flexural modulus greater than or equal to 1 GPa.
In some embodiments, the flexible polymer material can have a flexural modulus ranging from 3.5-4.5 GPa.
In some embodiments, the at least one interdental member can be formed from a plurality of fibers.
In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers can taper to a point.
In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers can have a flat profile.
In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers can be coated with a cleaning product prior to inserting the at least one interdental member into the at least one interproximal area.
The figures depict various embodiments for purposes of illustration only, where the figures use like reference numerals to identify like elements. Alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated in the figures may be employed without departing from the principles described herein.
The coupling body 102 includes a coupling portion 104, which in this example is an interior surface configured to removably interface with a male interface of a toothbrush handle. Alternatively, the coupling portion can be configured as a male interface for fitting onto a female interface of a toothbrush handle. For the most part, the coupling body 102 can be constructed (e.g., printed, cast, injection molded, extruded) from a polymer material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), nylon, polycarbonate. Although the coupling body 102 is depicted as one sold body, it can be constructed from multiple components.
In this example, the coupling portion 104 can include a damper 106, which is used to tune the amount of energy transferred from the handle. The damper 106 can be constructed from metal and has a specific damping mass. However, the damper 106 is not required, and in some embodiments is not used. In some embodiments, an elastic material, such as a layer of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), such as polydimethylsiloxane (silicone) polymer or a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) (e.g., PELLETHANE), can be used to dampen energy transferred by the handle. The thickness of the elastic material can be varied to tune the amount of energy transferred from the handle.
An elongated interdental member 108 extends from the coupling body 102. The interdental member 108 can be formed (e.g., co-molded) with the coupling body 102 or mechanically attached (e.g., adhered, force-fit, fastened) as a separate component. In some embodiments, the interdental member 108 is of the same material as, and integral to, coupling body 102. In all cases, the interdental member 108 is attached to the coupling body 102 to be in energy communication with the coupling portion 104. Hence, when energy provided by the handle to the coupling portion, the energy is transferred to the interdental member 108 to provide the interdental member 108 with movement to aid in removing plaques between teeth.
The interdental member 108 can be constructed (e.g., printed, cast, injection molded, extruded) from a polymer material to provide the interdental member 108 with flexibility. Generally, the polymer material with have a durometer suitable to allow the interdental member 108 to effectively remove materials plaque from dental surfaces when energy is being applied to it. The interdental member 108 can be very flexible, for example the distal tip can be drawn back 180 degrees and twisted without significant deformation occurring. Hence, the interdental member can be deformed during use to provide access to hard to reach teeth of the mouth, such as the molars. This flexibility also provides a safety benefit if the handle is dropped during use because the interdental member 108 will simply bend and not dangerously torque the teeth.
In some embodiments, the polymer is a nylon (e.g., 6, 4-6, 6-6, 6-10, 6-12, 11, 12), polyoxymethylene (POM), ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE, UHMW), or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The material can be selected to provide the interdental member 108 with elastic resiliency, such that the interdental member 108 does not significantly inelastically deform over many uses. Alternatively, the material can be selected to provide the interdental member 108 with inelastic characteristics, such that the interdental member 108 does deform during use, for example, to allow the interdental member 108 to permanently reduce in thickness through inelastic deformation as it is drawn between teeth, thus avoiding discomfort to the user. The material can also be selected provide the interdental member 108 with lubricity to help prevent the interdental member from getting lodged between teeth. In some embodiments, the material has a flexural modulus equal to or greater than 1.0 GPa (per ASTM D790). In some embodiments, the material has a flexural modulus ranging from 3.5-4.5 GPa (per ASTM D790).
In some embodiments, the material can be doped with one or more types of particles (e.g., ceramic, salts, relatively harder polymers, relatively softer polymers, water-dissolvable minerals, metals (e.g., silver)) to provide the interdental member with one or more certain qualities while retaining one or more of the material characteristics listed above. Such particles can be micro or/or nanoparticles. The particles can provide abrasive, anti-biotic, or/or lubricous qualities to the interdental member 108.
The interdental member 108 as shown includes a proximal portion 110, distal portion 112, and a bend portion 114 in between. The bend portion 114 is shown relatively closer to the coupling body 102 rather than the distal end of the interdental member 108, however in other embodiments the bend can be placed centrally on the interdental member 108 or closer to the distal end. The bend portion 114 can be configured such that the proximal portion 110 and the distal portion 112 are separated by an angle that ranges from 0 to 90 degrees. Here, the bend portion 114 is configured to separate the proximal portion 110 and the distal portion 112 at an approximate 30-degree angle.
The cross-sectional area of the interdental member 180 can be rectangular and defined by first and second lengths, which as shown are a width w and a thickness t. Here, the thickness t is relatively smaller than width w to provide the interdental member with a substantially flat profile that allows insertion of the interdental member into interproximal areas between teeth. The width w and thickness t can be selected to fit within common sizes of interproximal areas, for example, thickness t can range from 0.1-0.8 mm and width w can range from 0.5-2.0 mm. The distal portion 112 can be configured to taper such that one or both of width w and thickness t reduce in size to aid in insertion into interproximal spaces between teeth. Here, thickness t is shown to gradually reduce in size from the bend portion 114, while width w remains constant. Alternatively, both width w and thickness t reduce in size, or only width w reduces in size to provide the taper.
The first interdental member 204 and the second interdental member 206 can be configured in the same manner as recited herein with respect to the interdental member 108 of the device 100. The first interdental member 204 and the second interdental member 206 are not required to be configured in identical manner with respect to one another, but in some embodiments can be. Here, the second interdental member 206 has a shorter length with respect to the first interdental member 204. In other embodiments, the first interdental member 204 and the second interdental member 206 are of the same length.
The first interdental member 204 and the second interdental member 206 can be separated by a gap, which here is defined by a length L1 and a length L2. The length L1 and the length L2 can be the same or different in value. Here, the length L1 and length L2 are substantially the same. However, the length L1 can be less or greater than length L2 to provide a desired tooth-fitting characteristic. In some embodiments, length L1 is greater than length L2, and the axis A-A of the first interdental member 204 and the axis B-B of the second interdental member 206 converge. In some embodiments, the length L1 is less than length L2, then axis A-A of the first interdental member 204 and axis B-B of the second interdental member 206 will diverge. The length L1 the length L2 can be selected according to average widths of teeth of various age groups of persons. For example, the length L1 can be from 0-3 mm and L2 can be 1-4 mm.
The shapes of the various cleaning members are illustrative and other shapes are possible, such as triangular shapes for example. Further, the cleaning members can extend with the same shape across the width of the interdental member 600 or have discrete beginnings and ends. For example, the circular shapes shown at
It is noted that, as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is further noted that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element. As such, this statement is intended to serve as antecedent basis for use of such exclusive terminology as “solely,” “only” and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements or use of a “negative” limitation.
As will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, each of the individual embodiments described and illustrated herein has discrete components and features which can be readily separated from or combined with the features of any of the other several embodiments. Any recited method can be carried out in the order of events recited or in any other order that is logically possible.
Throughout the foregoing description, and for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the described techniques. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that these techniques can be practiced without some of these specific details. Although various embodiments that incorporate these teachings have been shown and described in detail, those skilled in the art could readily devise many other varied embodiments or mechanisms to incorporate these techniques. Also, embodiments can include various operations as set forth above, fewer operations, or more operations; or operations in an order.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/733,033, filed on Sep. 18, 2018, which is incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62733033 | Sep 2018 | US |
