Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02557709 2006-08-25
Interdental Cleaning Device
Background
It has been found that cleaning the teeth with dental floss on all surfaces,
and particularly
between the teeth and below the gum line, is important in the prevention and
control of
gum disease and tooth decay. The recommended procedure is to guide the floss
between
two teeth, hold the floss in a taut loop around half the side of the tooth,
and reciprocate
the floss in a seesaw manner across the tooth while at the same time moving
the floss
from the bottom of the tooth to the top. This procedure is repeated for the
front and back
of each tooth so that cleaning is accomplished from bottom to top on all sides
of each
tooth.
At present such flossing is accomplished by holding the floss with the
fingers. This
requires considerable dexterity, patience and time. It is also necessary to
insert the fingers
into the mouth in order to accomplish the proper scrubbing motion of the floss
on all
teeth. This can be difficult, especially when flossing the teeth in the back
of the mouth.
Various tools have been devised to hold the floss to help facilitate flossing.
Most of
these tools utilize two prongs which are spaced apart and fixed in relation to
one another,
and in turn are connected to a single handle. A strand of floss is held taut
between the tips
of these prongs, and, using one hand, the device is inserted into the mouth.
The floss is
then guided carefully between each pair of teeth and the required flossing
motions are
performed.
The concept of holding a strand of floss between two prongs has several
disadvantages:
1) because the floss is typically held in a taut manner, it is difficult to
guide the floss
between each pair of teeth, especially if the teeth are spaced tightly
together 2) if
excessive pressure is needed to force the strand of floss between the teeth,
the floss can
be accidentally pushed into and damage the gum 3) with the floss held in a
taut fashion,
it is not possible to wrap the floss around each tooth so that all tooth
surfaces, as well as
gum surfaces immediately surrounding the tooth, are effectively cleaned 4) the
prongs,
when connected to a rigid handle, can be difficult to position anywhere in the
mouth to
easily and successfully guide the strand of floss between any given pair of
teeth 5)
because the prongs are fixed in relationship to one another, the floss cannot
be easily
manipulated 6) the floss strand between the prongs is fixed in length, which
may not be
desirable for those who use that particular tool.
Description of the Invention
The object of this invention is to provide an easy and effective way to floss
with a
device that is simple and economical in design.
CA 02557709 2006-08-25
The present invention provides a means for manipulating a strand of floss
using two
elongated handles held independently in each hand. The handles are preferably
moulded
from a plastics material. The tips of the handles are generally spherical in
shape so they
feel comfortable when brought into contact with the mouth and gums. A single
strand of
floss is inserted through generally round holes which go through these
spherical tips.
Because the hole and spherical tip have a common center point, the material
surrounding
the hole is uniform in thickness to provide optimum material strength. The
handle body
gradually tapers in size as it approaches the spherical tip, thus allowing the
tip and floss
to be brought closer to the teeth and gums when flossing.
The floss in turn is secured to each handle by winding the floss a few times
around a
button shaped anchor integrally moulded to the body of each handle. The button
on each
handle is positioned far enough from the tip such that the button does not
enter the mouth
when flossing. The button is elevated in relation to the handle body to
facilitate winding.
Each button has a narrow slot found directly underneath. The floss is wound
under the
button and guides easily into each slot, by utilizing a pair of tapered ribs
that also define
the bottom plane of the slot. The narrow slot design causes the floss windings
to bind
against each other to hold the strand of floss securely to each handle. A
secondary hole is
found near the anchor/button apparatus. The end of a strand of floss can be
inserted
through this hole, to help prevent unintended unwinding of the floss from
around the
anchor during flossing.
The strand of floss can be adjusted in length between the tips as desired. The
tension on
the strand of floss between the two handle tips can be controlled by holding
the handles
farther apart or closer to each other, to facilitate easy insertion of the
floss between the
teeth and to allow the floss to be wrapped around the tooth surfaces and
safely guided
below the gum line. The independent handles can be orientated in a number of
different
ways to allow easy access to all areas of the mouth.
As an option, a supply of floss can loaded onto the device by simply enlarging
or
elongating the button on one of the two handles. A longer strand of floss can
be wound
underneath this button, thereby creating a way of storing a quantity of floss,
and
eliminating the need to replace the floss after each use. When a clean length
of floss is
needed, a short length of floss can be unwound from the elongated button found
on the
supply handle, while the spent section of floss can be wound onto the
secondary button
found on the take up handle. Because the button on the supply handle is longer
and
therefore larger than that found on the take up handle, the handle is easy to
identify. The
handles can be further distinguished by making them in different colours.
Parts of the Flossing Tool and Description of Drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a single handle, showing the components.
Part 1 is a handle body.
Part 2 is a spherical shaped tip.
CA 02557709 2006-08-25
Part 3 is a hole through the spherical tip; plastics material surrounding hole
is uniform is
thickness.
Part 4 is a tapered transition between the handle body and the spherical tip.
Part 5 is a button.
Part 6 is a narrow slot which the floss is wound into, to secure the floss to
the handle.
Part 7 is a stud which joins the button to the handle, and elevates the button
in relation to
the handle.
Part 8 is a tapered rib which guides the floss into the slot when winding the
floss.
Part 9 is a secondary hole through which the loose end of a floss strand is
inserted.
Part 10 is the back of a handle which may rest in the palm of the hand during
flossing,
and is therefore round for added comfort.
Figure 2 is a top view of a handle.
Figure 3 is a close up view of the front end of a handle.
Figure 4 shows a strand of floss threaded through the tips, wound into the
slots (hidden)
under the buttons, and threaded through the secondary holes of the two
handles.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of two handles, one of which can accommodate a
supply
of floss. Again, floss is shown attached and secured to handles.
Part 1 is a supply handle.
Part 2 is an elongated supply button.
Part 3 is a take up handle.
Part 4 is a take up button.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of a take up handle.
Figure 7 is a side elevation of a supply handle, showing an elongated button
with added
space under it to accommodate a supply of floss.
