Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1 TOOTHBRUSH WITH CONTOURED HEAD
2
3 FIELD OF THE INVENTION
4 [0001] The present invention relates to toothbrushes.
6 DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
7 [0002] To effectively clean teeth, various areas should be targeted to
properly remove
8 plaque, debris and bacteria. Orthodontic patients whose teeth have
orthodontic brackets attached
9 to them (commonly known as "braces") have cleaning areas where plaque
removal is particularly
challenging. These areas are the gingival margin which is the area of the
tooth along the gum
11 line, the bracket base around the periphery of the orthodontic bracket and
the interproximal areas
12 which are the spaces between contiguous teeth.
13
14 [0003] Human teeth have a curvature to them in two directions. These are
the
occlusogingival direction which is the up-and-down direction and the
mesiodistal direction
16 which is the side-to-side direction. With the attachment of an orthodontic
bracket in the case of
17 an orthodontic patient, properly cleaning all the necessary areas becomes
quite difficult. It has
18 been proposed by dental practitioners for their patients to use a modified
brushing technique to
19 clean teeth and orthodontic brackets using several brush angulations.
21 [0004] Generally a toothbrush includes a substantially planar head with
bristles attached to
22 the head and projecting outward. The modified technique proposed by dental
practitioners as
23 discussed above is based upon this toothbrush structure. In prior art
toothbrushes, the bristles
24 have been created with various profiles with the intention of improving the
cleaning efficiency of
the toothbrush. The substantially planar shape of the toothbrush head does not
properly take into
26 account the occlusogingival and mesiodistal curvatures of the tooth and
with this design, a
27 modified brushing technique is needed to clean the areas around an
orthodontic bracket.
28
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1 [0005] Prior art toothbrushes have attempted to alter the shape of the
toothbrush's head to
2 achieve improved cleaning coverage. A "V" or "U" shaped head has been used
to angle the
3 bristles in such a way as to target both sides of the tooth at the same
time. U.S. Patent No.
4 4,137,593 to Porper and U.S. Patent No. 4,131,967 to Northemann are both
examples of a
toothbrush with a twin-banked, "V" shaped head. This design is intended to
reach the inner and
6 outer surfaces of the tooth simultaneously. With the presence of an
orthodontic bracket, the
7 bristles targeting the outer surface of the tooth would be impeded and may
result in ineffective
8 cleaning. The orientation of the bristles as a result of this design would
not be able to effectively
9 clean the mesial and distal wings (the left and right edges) of the
orthodontic bracket.
Furthermore, due to the presence of a bracket, the bristles are prevented from
reaching the
11 gingival margin or the upper surface of the bracket base. A complete
cleaning would require a
12 modified technique and the additional bank of bristles could become
awkward. Similarly, U.S.
13 Patent No. 4,625,357 to DeMartino uses a "U" shaped head that is one
continuous piece as
14 opposed to a "V" shaped twin-bank design. Again, this design fails to
target the mesial and
distal wings of an orthodontic bracket and would not be effective in cleaning
the gingival margin
16 due to the orientation of the bristles.
17
18 [0006] U.S. Patent No. 5,230,118 to Chamma teaches a "U" shaped channel on
the posterior
19 side of the toothbrush head intended to surround an orthodontic bracket.
Bristles are arranged to
target the outwardly facing surface and the top and bottom edges of the
bracket base with
21 auxiliary bristles positioned outside of the channel to target the
remaining tooth surface and
22 gingival margin. This design as before fails to target the mesial and
distal wings of the bracket
23 and furthermore the "U" shaped channel is fixed in size and therefore may
not accommodate the
24 various sizes of orthodontic brackets available. There is additionally a
risk of inadvertent contact
between the toothbrush's "U" shaped channel and the bracket due to the
surrounding fit which
26 could cause undesired de-bonding of the bracket from the tooth.
27
28 [0007] Alternatively there exists prior art toothbrushes which angle the
bristles in a particular
29 manner so as to improve the cleaning efficiency of the toothbrush. U.S.
Patent No. 4,706,322 to
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1 Nicolas discloses an orthodontic toothbrush using inclined groups of
bristles to specifically target
2 the upper and lower edges as well as the outwardly facing surface of the
orthodontic bracket.
3 The outwardly inclined bristles would also target the gingival margin and
remaining surface of
4 the tooth. However this design fails to target the mesial and distal wings
of the bracket and
furthermore would not properly clean the interproximal areas between
contiguous teeth with the
6 head arrangement given and subsequently, an auxiliary instrument would be
required.
7
8 [0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to obviate or
mitigate at least one of
9 the above mentioned disadvantages.
11 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
12 [0009] In one embodiment, a toothbrush has a head, shank and handle, the
head being
13 contoured in both the transverse and longitudinal directions. 'The
contoured head has bristles
14 orthogonally attached to its surface so that the orientation and
inclination of the bristles is
dictated by the contour of the head. These bristles are inclined and oriented
to follow the natural
16 curvature of the human tooth, clean the periphery of an orthodontic bracket
attached to the tooth
17 and target the gingival margin and interproximal areas.
18
19 (0010] In one aspect, a toothbrush having an elongated body with a
longitudinal axis running
lengthwise through the toothbrush is provided. The toothbrush comprises a
toothbrush head
21 located towards a lateral end of the elongated body, and a ridge extending
upwardly from an
22 undersurface of the head. The ridge is transverse to the longitudinal axis
and has a set of bristles
23 projecting outwardly therefrom.
24
[0011] The toothbrush may include a second ridge extending upwardly from the
26 undersurface transverse to the longitudinal axis. The second ridge may be
in spaced relationship
27 with the ridge and have a second set of bristles projecting outwardly
therefrom.
28
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1 [0012] The toothbrush may further include a third ridge extending upwardly
from the
2 undersurface transversely of the ridge. The third ridge may be located on
one longitudinal side
3 of the longitudinal axis and extend generally along the longitudinal axis.
The third ridge may
4 have a first lateral end located near a lateral end of the ridge located on
the one longitudinal side
of the longitudinal axis and a second lateral end located near a lateral end
of the second ridge
6 located on the one longitudinal side of the longitudinal axis. The third
ridge may have a third set
7 of bristles projecting outwardly therefrom.
8
9 [0013] The toothbrush may further include a fourth ridge extending upwardly
from the
undersurface transversely of the ridge. The fourth ridge may be located on
another longitudinal
11 side of the longitudinal axis and extend generally along the longitudinal
axis. The fourth ridge
12 may have a first lateral end located near another lateral end of the ridge
located on the another
13 longitudinal side of the longitudinal axis and a second lateral end located
near another lateral end
14 of the second ridge located on the another longitudinal side of the
longitudinal axis. The fourth
ridge may have a fourth set of bristles projecting outwardly therefrom.
16
17 [0014] The undersurface of the toothbrush may have a fifth set of bristles
projecting
18 outwardly therefrom. The ridge, second ridge, third ridge and fourth ridge
may be spaced to
19 form a continuous rim around the undersurface. The undersurface may be
concave, and may be
smoothly curved. Each of the ridge, second ridge, third ridge and fourth ridge
may be smoothly
21 curved. The rim may be oval or circular in shape.
22
23 [0015] The ridge, second ridge, third ridge, fourth ridge and undersurface
of the toothbrush
24 may be mounted on a rotatable body for rotating in an angular direction
about the rim.
26 [0016] The fifth set of bristles of the toothbrush may project orthogonally
from the
27 undersurface.
28
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1 [0017] In another aspect, a replaceable toothbrush head for attachment to a
toothbrush is
2 provided. The toothbrush has a longitudinal axis running lengthwise through
the toothbrush, and
3 the toothbrush head comprises a ridge extending upwardly from an
undersurface of the head.
4 The ridge is transverse to the longitudinal axis and has a set of bristles
projecting outwardly
therefrom.
6
7 [0018] The toothbrush head may further comprise a second ridge extending
upwardly from
8 the undersurface transverse to the longitudinal axis. The second ridge may
be in spaced
9 relationship with the ridge and have a second set of bristles projecting
outwardly thereform.
11 [0019] The toothbrush head may further comprise a third ridge extending
upwardly from the
12 undersurface transversely of the ridge. The third ridge may be located on
one longitudinal side
13 of the longitudinal axis and extend generally along the longitudinal axis.
The third ridge may
14 have a first lateral end located near a lateral end of the ridge located on
the one longitudinal side
of the longitudinal axis and a second lateral end located near a lateral end
of the second ridge
16 located on the one longitudinal side of the longitudinal axis. The third
ridge may have a third set
17 of bristles projecting outwardly therefrom.
18
19 [0020] The toothbrush head may further comprise a fourth ridge extending
upwardly from
the undersurface transversely of the ridge. The fourth ridge may be located on
another
21 longitudinal side of the longitudinal axis and extending generally along
the longitudinal axis.
22 The fourth ridge may have a first lateral end located near another lateral
end of the ridge located
23 on the another longitudinal side of the longitudinal axis and a second
lateral end located near
24 another lateral end of the second ridge located on the another longitudinal
side of the
longitudinal axis. The fourth ridge may have a fourth set of bristles
projecting outwardly
26 therefrom.
27
28 [0021] The undersurface of the toothbrush head may include a fifth set of
bristles projecting
29 outwardly therefrom. The ridge, second ridge, third ridge and fourth ridge
may be spaced to
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1 form a continuous rim around the undersurface. The undersurface may concave,
and the rim
2 may be cicular in shape.
3
4 [0022] The ridge, second ridge, third ridge, fourth ridge and undersurface
of the toothbrush
head may be mounted on a rotatable body for rotating in an angular direction
about the rim.
6
7 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
8 [0023] These and other features of the preferred embodiments of the
invention will become
9 more apparent in the following detailed description in which reference is
made to the appended
drawings wherein:
11 [0024] Figure 1 is an oblique view of a toothbrush relating to an
embodiment;
12 [0025] Figure 2 is a view of the toothbrush of Figure 1 from one side;
13 [0026] Figure 3 is a sectional view of the toothbrush of Figure 2 along
line A-A;
14 [0027] Figure 4 is a sectional view of the toothbrush of Figure 2 along
line B-B;
[0028] Figure 5 is a partial front view of a human mouth with a tooth
including an
16 orthodontic bracket;
17 [0029] Figure 6 is a partial oblique view of a human mouth showing the
curvature of the
18 tooth of Figure 5 without the orthodontic bracket;
19 [0030] Figure 7 is a side view of the orthodontic bracket attached to the
tooth of Figure 5
during cleaning;
21 [0031] Figure 8 is a top view of the attached orthodontic bracket of Figure
7 during cleaning;
22 [0032] Figure 9 is an oblique view of an electric toothbrush with contoured
cup-head relating
23 to another embodiment;
24 [0033] Figure 10 is a top view of the electric toothbrush of Figure 9 with
a contoured cup-
head;
26 [0034] Figure 11 is a sectional view of the toothbrush of Figure 10 along
line C-C.
27
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1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
2 [0035] In the preferred embodiment, a manual toothbrush 10, as shown in
Figures 1 and 2,
3 includes a shank 14, a handle 16 and a head 12. Head 12 is contoured in both
the longitudinal
4 and the transverse directions to define a concave undersurface 18. The
plurality of bristles 19
project from the undersurface 18 which in their orientation and inclination
define a concavity
6 generally complementary to the recess 18.
7
8 [0036] The curvature of the head 12 can best be seen in reference to both
Figure 3 and Figure
9 4. The head 12 has a "C" shaped transverse and longitudinal curvature having
a uniform
thickness with the undersurface 18 terminating at an upstanding smoothly
curved rim 20 that
11 extends about the periphery of the undersurface 18 and forms a perimeter
for a cavity formed
12 within head 12 by undersurface 18. When head 12 is viewed from the top (see
Figure 2), surface
13 18 may also be seen as a top surface of a cavity formed within head 12 by
rim 20 upwardly
14 extending around the perimeter of surface 18. For consistency, surface 18
will be referred to as
"undersurface" 18 throughout this description.
16
17 [0037] Rim 20 may be seen to have different sections or ridges extending
upwardly from the
18 undersurface 18, such as transverse ridges 20a and 20b, longitudinal ridges
20c and 20d.
19 Transverse and longitudinal is in relation to a longitudinal axis 55, such
axis 55 generally
extending lengthwise along the elongated body, including handle 16 and shank
14, of toothbrush
21 10. As ridges 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d may be curved, "transverse" refers to a
direction that
22 crosses longitudinal axis 55, and "longitudinal" refers to a direction that
does not cross axis 55.
23
24 [0038] A ridge may simply be a section of rim 20. For the embodiment,
ridges 20a to 20d
are arranged to be continuous to form rim 20, with each ridge being a section
of rim 20. It will
26 be appreciated that in other embodiments, ridges 20a to 20d need not be
continuous and may be
27 spaced apart with lateral ends of a ridge located near a lateral end of
another ridge, or that a
28 toothbrush head will only have ridges 20a or 20b in combination with one or
more other ridges.
29
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1 [0039] A set of the bristles 19e are attached to extend outwardly from the
undersurface 18 of
2 the head 12, and sets of bristles 19a to 19d project outwardly, or radially
in case of a generally
3 smoothly curved ridge, from each of ridge 20a to 20d of the rim 20. In a
preferred embodiment,
4 the set of bristles 19e extends substantially orthogonally from undersurface
18. This
arrangement allows the transverse and longitudinal curvature of the head 12 to
determine the
6 inclination of the bristles in the transverse plane. It is appreciated that
the views given in Figure
7 3 and Figure 4 are exaggerated to illustrate the effect that the curvature
of the toothbrush head 12
8 imposes on the brush profile. It may also be appreciated that the number of
bristles shown in
9 either view does not represent the actual number of bristles that would be
used. The bristles are
intentionally enlarged and exaggerated to illustrate the bristle arrangement
and overall brush
11 profile.
12
13 [0040] A partial view of a human mouth 24 is shown in Figure 5. A tooth 25
within the
14 mouth 24 has fixed to it, an orthodontic bracket 27. The orthodontic
bracket 27 includes a front
face 42 and a base which is more specifically defined by a gingival surface
26, a incisal or
16 occlusal surface 32, a distal surface 30 and a mesial surface 28. The
mesial surface 28 and the
17 distal surface 30 are defined as such assuming in the preferred embodiment
that the toothbrush
18 10 will travel across the mouth 24 from left to right (right to left on the
page) as operated by a
19 human which is right-handed. It is appreciated that the mesial surface 28
and distal surface 30
may be defined in the opposite sense in the case that the toothbrush 10 is
travelling from right to
21 left across the mouth.
22
23 [0041] The important areas to be cleaned around an orthodontic bracket 27
include the four
24 surfaces defined by the bracket base 26, 28, 30 and 32, the front face 42,
the gingival margin 36
and the interproximal areas 34. The difficulty in targeting the important
areas to be cleaned with
26 a prior art toothbrush is increased due to the natural curvature of the
human tooth 25. As can
27 been seen more clearly in Figure 6, the tooth 25 has curvature in both the
occlusogingival
28 direction 38 and the mesiodistal direction 40. The benefit of both the
transverse and longitudinal
29 curvature of the undersurface 18 of toothbrush head 12 is that the bristles
19 will follow the
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1 natural curvatures of the tooth 25 while targeting the areas around the
orthodontic bracket 27, the
2 gingival margin 36 and the interproximal areas 34. The concavity of the
bristles is provided by
3 the curvature of the undersurface 18 by the substantially orthogonal
attachment of the individual
4 bristles to the curved toothbrush head 12.
6 [0042] To illustrate the operation of the toothbrush 10, reference is now
made to Figure 7. In
7 Figure 7, it is evident that the curvature of the toothbrush head 12 is
beneficial in allowing the
8 bristles 19 to follow the occlusogingival direction 38 of the tooth. It can
also be seen that the
9 orthogonally attached bristles positioned on undersurface 18 and rim 20 are
effective at targeting
the gingival surface 26 and the incisal/occlusal surface 32 of the bracket
base as well as the
11 gingival margin 36 and the exposed lower surface 41 of the tooth 25. The
bristles 19 attached
12 along the innermost surface of the undersurface 18 create a substantially
flat profile and it is
13 evident that this bank of bristles 19 is effective in cleaning the front
surface 42 of the orthodontic
14 bracket 27.
16 [0043] To further illustrate the operation of the toothbrush 10, reference
is now made to
17 Figure 8. Figure 8 shows a top view of the toothbrush 10 while cleaning
around an orthodontic
18 bracket 27. It is evident from this view that the longitudinal curvature of
the brush head 12 is
19 beneficial in allowing the longitudinal brush profile to follow the
mesiodistal curvature 40 of the
tooth 25. The bristles 19 orthogonally attached to the fore and after limits
of the longitudinal
21 head 12 are effectively angled towards the mesial surface 28 and the distal
surface 30 of the
22 bracket base as well as the interproximal areas 34 and remaining exposed
marginal surfaces 43
23 of the tooth 25. It can also be seen in this view that the substantially
flat bank of bristles located
24 on the innermost surface of the longitudinal curvature 22 is effective in
targeting the front
surface 42 of the orthodontic bracket 27.
26
27 [0044] In another embodiment of the present invention, an electric
toothbrush 44 is shown in
28 Figures 9 and 10. The electric toothbrush 44 primarily consists of a head
46, a shank 48 and a
29 handle 50. The handle 50 contains the required battery powered components
(not shown) to
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1 circularly rotate the head 46 at a suitable speed. The handle 50
additionally may include a switch
2 52 to put the electric toothbrush 44 in an "ON" or "OFF" position. Since the
head 46 has a
3 circular profile as seen from above, the top portion of the head 46 is
symmetrically concave to
4 form a "cup" shaped contour or cavity. The circular, symmetrical shape is
preferred to facilitate
a circular rotation of the toothbrush head 46. Similar to head 12 described
earlier, head 46 can
6 be seen to have a rim 56 that frames the perimeter of an undersurface 57 of
head 46. There
7 exists a plurality of bristles attached to the "cup" shaped contour head 46
extending outwardly
8 from undersurface 57 and rim 56 to define a brush profile 54. This brush
profile 54 is three
9 dimensional due to the "cup" shape defined by the upper portion of the head
46. In a preferred
embodiment, the plurality of bristles are substantially orthogonal to the
surface from which they
11 project.
12
13 [0045] For the embodiment, rim 56 may also be divided into sections, or
ridges 56a, 56b, 56c
14 and 56d that may be described in relation to a longitudinal axis 58 of
toothbrush 44. As head 46
is circular, each of ridges 56a-56d is a quadrant of the circumference of a
circle. As shown in
16 Figure 10 when head 46 is not in motion, ridges 56a and 56b are transverse
relative to axis 58 as
17 they cross the longitudinal axis 58, and ridges 56c and 56d are
longitudinal relative to axis 58 as
18 they do not cross axis 58. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments
ridges 56a to 56d may
19 not continuous and have a lateral end of one ridge located near a lateral
end of another ridge, or
that in other embodiments ridges 56a to 56d may not be curved, or that rim 56
may not contain
21 the full complement of four ridges.
22
23 [0046] Reference is now made to Figure 11 showing a cross-sectional view of
line C-C of
24 Figure 10. Similar to the manual toothbrush 10, the bristles of the
electric toothbrush 44 are
dictated by the curvature of the head 46, effectively targeting the exposed
areas of the tooth 25,
26 the gingival margin 36, the interproximal areas 34 and the surfaces of the
base 26, 28, 30 and 32
27 of an orthodontic bracket 27 as mentioned in reference to the manual
toothbrush 10. It is
28 understood that the angled nature of the bristles will target areas similar
to that of the manual
29 toothbrush 10. The electric toothbrush 44 is beneficial in that it will
rotate around the base of the
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1 orthodontic bracket 27 at a suitable speed and can clean the areas targeted
by the bristles at an
2 increased rate. The circular "cup" shaped head 46 will surround the
orthodontic bracket 27 and
3 the bristles located on the outer surface of the curved head 46 will target
the remaining desired
4 areas similar to that accomplished by the manual toothbrush 10.
6 [0047] In further embodiments, it is understood that the "C" shape defining
the curvature of
7 the head 12 may be modified to suit teeth 25 which do not have orthodontic
brackets 27 attached
8 thereto. A modification of the bristle length and a flattening of the "C"
shape would allow the
9 head 12 to clean the entire outer surface of the tooth 25. This would allow
the brush profile 18 to
follow the occlusogingival curvature 38 and mesiodistal curvature 40 of the
tooth 25 while
11 continuing to clean the gingival margin 36 and the interproximal areas 34.
In still further
12 embodiments, it will be appreciated that toothbrush heads 12 or 46 may be
detachable from
13 toothbrush 10 or 44, respectively, to facilitate replacement of heads 12 or
46 as bristles are worn
14 out.
16 [0048] Although the invention has been described with reference to certain
specific
17 embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those
skilled in the art without
18 departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the
claims appended hereto.
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