Tooth polishing brush

Details Tooth polishing brush Tooth polishing brush

1997-11-13

2001-03-13

Graham, Gary K. (Department: 1744)

Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning

Implements

Brush or broom

C015S207200, C015SDIG006, C428S364000, C428S373000, C424S049000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06199242

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel filaments (or fibers) for toothbrushes. More precisely, this invention relates to an improved filament for cleaning the oral cavity and polishing the teeth. The present invention also relates to a method of cleaning the oral cavity and polishing the teeth utilizing a brush containing said novel, improved filaments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Commercially available toothbrushes typically have elongated handles with monofilament or co-extruded filament bristles mounted on a generally flattened, laterally-facing head at the distal end of a handle. The thin flexible bristles are smooth members of which the ends are cut off at right angles and are often rounded to dome-like tips. Toothbrushes of this type and the mechanism of toothbrushing play an important part in oral hygiene. It has been shown unequivocally that toothbrushing is instrumental in reducing dental decay. See, for example, Fosdick, L. S.
J. Am. Dent. Assoc.,
40, 133 (1950). Furthermore, regular brushing with a cosmetic dentifrice further reduces the incidence of decay among susceptible subjects.
Regular toothbrushing with a dentifrice is further touted as being effective in reducing or preventing periodontal disease, removing food debris, and massaging the gums. Most commercial dentifrices include a mild abrasive powder to improve the composition's ability to remove adherent soiling matter, to free accessible plaque, to dislodge accessible debris and to remove superficial stain from the teeth.
Attempts have been made to embed abrasive materials or adhere abrasive materials on fiber strands for use in toothbrushes. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,470,710 to Davis and U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,961 to Hoagland. These attempts did not meet the needs of the consumer due to their tendency to (a) lose embedded abrasive; (b) abrade the gums; and (c) lack mechanical durability. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,154 to Muhler et al. describes a one piece integrally molded brush with tapered bristles. The entire brush/bristle combination is made of plastic containing up to 30% (wt.) abrasive material. This attempt has not met with success due to the difficulty of molding such a brush. In addition, molded, i.e. unoriented, bristles tend to leave poor mechanical properties, e.g. stiffness, bend recovery, etc., and tend to splay.
Also, abrasive materials have been added to the elastomeric material used in prophylactic cleaning cups. These power driven cups are used to polish and clean the teeth by a highly skilled dental practitioner. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,084 to Sloan and U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,559 to Hammar et al.
Attempts have been made to provide a toothbrush with a roughened irregular surface to make the bristle wall more abrasive. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,671,381 to Hansen. This attempt requires costly subsequent etching of the bristle with caustic or high pressure steam and results in a loss of mechanical properties. Others have attempted to provide bristles with more regular abrasive protrusions. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,541 to Nishioka. These attempts have not met with commercial success due to the inconvenience and increased processing cost associated with molding each bristle individually. Furthermore, these bristles exhibit extremely poor mechanical properties.
Abrasive containing filament materials are widely used in non-oral care, industrial applications such as metal polishing, street sweeping, vacuum cleaner brushes, etc. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,336,797 to Maxwell; U.S. Pat. No. 2,609,642 to Peterson; U.S. Pat. No. 2,711,365 to Price et al; U.S. Pat. No. 2,712,987 to Storrs et al; U.S. Pat. No. 2,836,517 to Gruber et al; U.S. Pat. No. 2,920,947 to Burk et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,401 to Downing et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,915 to Rands; U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,752 to Wilson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,839 to Charvat et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,563 to Rands; U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,234 to Pichelman; U.S Pat. No. 4,627,950 to Matsui; U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,407 to Rhodes; U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,823 to Steinback; U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,311 to Young et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,496 to McGurran; U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,091 to Abrahamson et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,267 to Nicely et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,840 to Young; U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,155 to Hettes et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,725 to Fowlie et al; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,229 to McMahan et al.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
We have discovered that by fabricating a toothbrush with uniform diameter bristles containing a polishing agent with a particle size of from about 0.01 to about 100 &mgr;m, that cleaning of the teeth is improved without any of the adverse side effects associated with over aggressive abrasion. An embodiment of the present invention includes a toothbrush including a handle associated with a head having at least one tuft securely affixed in or attached to the head, said tuft including a plurality of filaments comprised of (a) a thermoplastic filament base material and (b) an effective polishing amount of a polishing agent having a particle size of from about 0.1 &mgr;m to about 10 &mgr;m. Particles less than 0.1 &mgr;m can be used if aggregation occurs such that the aggregate size on the bristle is as described.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a method of cleaning the oral cavity comprised of: (A) providing a toothbrush including a handle associated with a head having at least one tuft securely affixed in or attached to the head, said tuft including a plurality of filaments comprised of (a) a thermoplastic filament base material and (b) an effective polishing amount of a polishing agent having a particle size of from about 0.10 to about 10 microns; (B) applying an effective amount of an abrasive-free and polishing agent-free dentifrice to the free ends of said bristles; and, (C) brushing the teeth, gums, etc. of said oral cavity.
An object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art toothbrushes described above.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush with improved mouth-feel.
Still, another object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush which provides good polishing and cleaning to the teeth even when used with a non-abrasive toothpaste.
Another object of the present invention is to decrease wear and splaying.
Another object is to decrease brushing time need to achieve good oral hygiene.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush bristle material with easier material handling characteristics. We have observed that the bristles utilized in the present invention may be grabbed by the picker mechanism more easily and handled more effectively during the tufting operation.
And yet another object of the present invention is to provide a bristle filament which results in a generally more uniformly rounded end (i.e., end-rounded) when processed with conventional abrasive end-rounding equipment.
These and other objects will be evident from the following:


REFERENCES:
patent: 564497 (1896-07-01), Babis
patent: 2110371 (1938-03-01), Radford
patent: 2279355 (1942-04-01), Wilensky
patent: 2328998 (1943-09-01), Radford
patent: 2920947 (1960-01-01), Burk et al.
patent: 2976554 (1961-03-01), Hromoko et al.
patent: 3050072 (1962-08-01), Diener
patent: 3252775 (1966-05-01), Guilbert
patent: 3522342 (1970-07-01), Nungesser et al.
patent: 3577839 (1971-05-01), Charvat et al.
patent: 3613143 (1971-10-01), Muhler et al.
patent: 3618154 (1971-11-01), Muhler et al.
patent: 3671381 (1972-06-01), Hansen
patent: 3977084 (1976-08-01), Sloan
patent: 4037369 (1977-07-01), Campbell
patent: 4305234 (1981-12-01), Pichelman
patent: 4373541 (1983-02-01), Nishioka
patent: 4507361 (1985-03-01), Twilley et al.
patent: 4666323 (1987-05-01), Kessler
patent: 4712936 (1987-12-01), Kessler
patent: 4963046 (1990-10-01), Eguchi
patent: 5211725 (1993-05-01), Fowlie et al.
patent: 5249961 (1993-10-01), Hoagland
patent: 5273559 (1993-12-01), Hammar et al.
paten

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Tooth polishing brush does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Tooth polishing brush, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Tooth polishing brush will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2510234