Novel dental floss
By incorporating serrations on both sides of the floss body and using PE polyethylene plastic film, a variable width floss design was created, solving the problems of floss slippage and poor adaptability, and achieving efficient cleaning and comfortable use.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511683749.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-17
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-10
AI Technical Summary
Existing dental floss tends to slip when cleaning fine or tough debris, is difficult to adapt to different gap widths between teeth, and may damage gums. It is inconvenient to use and expensive.
Design a dental floss body with multiple serrations on both sides, made of PE polyethylene plastic film, with variable width and textured surface, thickened handles at both ends, serration angle of 30°~90°, and rounded corners.
It improves the cleaning efficiency of dental floss, adapts to different gap widths between teeth, reduces slippage, enhances comfort and convenience, and reduces costs.
Smart Images
Figure CN121489679A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of oral care products technology, specifically relating to a novel type of dental floss. Background Technology
[0002] Dental floss is a common tool in daily oral care, used to remove food debris and plaque from between teeth, preventing cavities and periodontal disease. Most dental floss on the market is a uniform thread, usually made of materials such as nylon, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), or silk. These flosses are flexible and easy to use, but they have some limitations in practical use.
[0003] First, uniform, thread-like dental floss tends to slip when cleaning finer or more stubborn food debris. Because of its smooth and even surface, the floss may glide across the debris without effectively removing it. For example, traditional dental floss is ineffective at cleaning tightly packed food fibers or plaque. Second, the fixed sizes of existing dental floss make it difficult to accommodate the varying widths of different users' gaps, especially those with narrow gaps, where the floss may be difficult to insert or cause discomfort. Furthermore, some dental floss materials are quite stiff and may damage the gums during use.
[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, existing technologies have proposed several improvements, such as adding a wax coating, changing the floss shape, or using elastic materials. However, these solutions still suffer from low cleaning efficiency, inconvenience of use, or high cost. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a new type of dental floss that can effectively adapt to interdental spaces, prevent slippage, and provide comfortable use. Summary of the Invention
[0005] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a novel dental floss that solves the problem of poor cleaning effect of dental floss in the prior art.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A novel dental floss is provided, comprising a long, narrow floss body with multiple serrations on both sides of its width direction. The presence of multiple serrations on both sides of the floss body in the width direction creates a non-uniform edge structure, increasing mechanical engagement with food residue and improving cleaning efficiency, thus solving the problem of poor cleaning effect in existing dental floss technologies.
[0007] Furthermore, the width of the floss body is 5mm, and the height of each serration is 2mm. By limiting the size parameters of the floss body, the ease of entry into the interdental spaces and the cleaning effect are balanced.
[0008] Furthermore, the multiple serrations are arranged continuously or discontinuously, with the included angle at the tips of the serrations ranging from 30° to 90°, and the tips of the serrations are rounded. Continuous serrations are suitable for general cleaning, while discontinuous serrations can be used for specific types of debris. The serration angle affects the gripping ability; a range of 30° to 90° can cover most debris shapes, significantly improving the floss's gripping force on debris, especially effective for small or tightly packed debris, reducing the number of cleaning cycles and time.
[0009] Furthermore, both the floss body and the plurality of serrations are made of PE polyethylene plastic film, with a thickness of 0.02mm-0.08mm. PE polyethylene plastic film possesses high flexibility, a low coefficient of friction, and stretchability, allowing it to thin and adapt to the shape of interdental spaces when stretched. By limiting the thickness of the PE polyethylene plastic film, sufficient strength to prevent breakage is ensured while easy thinning during stretching, achieving an optimal balance between flexibility and durability.
[0010] Furthermore, the floss body can be thinned to 10%-50% of its original width when stretched. The plastic deformation properties of PE material allow the floss to decrease in width and increase in length when stretched. The thinning range is based on a statistical design of common interdental gap widths, ensuring that the floss can enter the vast majority of interdental gaps. This enhances the adaptability of the floss, making it suitable for users of different ages and interdental gap conditions, improving ease of use and comfort.
[0011] Furthermore, the surface of the dental floss body is provided with a textured structure. The textured structure is formed by surface treatment technology (such as embossing or chemical etching), which increases the surface roughness, improves the static and dynamic friction with residues, further prevents slippage, and is especially effective for residues on smooth surfaces, thus improving the overall cleaning effect.
[0012] Furthermore, the dental floss body has handles at both ends, which are thickened or coiled. The handles increase the gripping area and friction, preventing slippage during use and improving ease of use and safety, especially suitable for users with low hand dexterity.
[0013] The novel dental floss of this invention has the following advantages: through its serrated shape and stretchable design, it effectively solves the problem of slippage in existing dental flosses and improves cleaning efficiency; the entire dental floss is made of PE polyethylene plastic film, which is flexible and durable, adaptable to different interdental conditions, and comfortable to use; the entire dental floss has a simple structure, low cost, and is easy to promote and commercialize. Attached Figure Description
[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a new type of dental floss.
[0015] Among them, 1. dental floss body; 2. serrations. Detailed Implementation
[0016] The specific embodiments of the present invention are described below to enable those skilled in the art to understand the present invention. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the scope of the specific embodiments. For those skilled in the art, various changes are obvious as long as they are within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined and determined by the appended claims. All inventions utilizing the concept of the present invention are protected.
[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a novel dental floss, comprising a long strip-shaped dental floss body 1, wherein multiple serrations 2 are provided on both sides of the dental floss body 1 in the width direction.
[0018] Preferably, but not limited to, the dental floss body 1 and the plurality of serrations 2 are both made of PE polyethylene plastic film, the thickness of which is 0.02mm-0.08mm, preferably 0.05mm. PE polyethylene plastic film has high flexibility, low coefficient of friction, and stretchability, allowing it to be thinned and adapt to the shape of interdental spaces when stretched. By limiting the thickness of the PE polyethylene plastic film, sufficient strength to prevent breakage is ensured while easy thinning during stretching, achieving an optimal balance between flexibility and durability.
[0019] The floss body 1 has a width of 5mm, and each of the serrations 2 has a height of 2mm. By limiting the size parameters of the floss body 1, the ease of entry into the interdental spaces and the cleaning effect are balanced.
[0020] The multiple serrations 2 can be arranged continuously or discontinuously, with the included angle at the tips of the serrations 2 ranging from 30° to 90°, and the tips of the serrations 2 are rounded. Continuous serrations 2 are suitable for general cleaning, while discontinuous serrations 2 can be used for specific types of debris. The angle of the serrations 2 affects the gripping ability; a range of 30° to 90° can cover most debris shapes, significantly improving the floss's gripping force on debris, especially effective for small or tightly packed debris, reducing the number of cleaning cycles and time.
[0021] Specifically, the floss body 1 can be thinned to 10%-50% of its original width when stretched. The plastic deformation properties of PE material allow the floss to decrease in width and increase in length when stretched. The thinning range is based on statistical design of common interdental widths, ensuring that the floss can enter the vast majority of interdental gaps. This enhances the adaptability of the floss, making it suitable for users of different ages and interdental gap conditions, thus improving ease of use and comfort.
[0022] The thinning performance of the dental floss of this invention was tested. A dental floss body 1 with a thickness of 0.05 mm and a width of 5 mm was taken, and tensile forces of 0.5 N, 1 N, 1.5 N, and 2 N were applied respectively. The width of the dental floss body 1 after thinning was measured. The results are as follows: When a tensile force of 0.5 N is applied, the width of the dental floss body 1 becomes thinner to 3.5 mm, which is 70% of the original width; When a 1N stretching force is applied, the width of the floss body 1 decreases to 2.5 mm, which is 50% of the original width; when a 1.5N stretching force is applied, the width of the floss body 1 decreases to 1.5 mm, which is 30% of the original width; when a 2N stretching force is applied, the width of the floss body 1 decreases to 1.0 mm, which is 20% of the original width. The tests show that the floss can effectively decrease in width under stretching force without breaking. A stretching force of 1N to 1.5N is preferred, corresponding to a width decrease of 2.5 mm to 1.5 mm, which can accommodate most interdental spaces.
[0023] Preferably, the surface of the dental floss body 1 has a textured structure. The textured structure is formed by surface treatment technology (such as embossing or chemical etching), which increases the surface roughness, improves the static and dynamic friction with residues, further prevents slippage, and is especially effective for residues on smooth surfaces, thus improving the overall cleaning effect.
[0024] The dental floss body 1 has handles at both ends, which are thickened or coiled. The handles increase the gripping area and friction, preventing slippage during use and improving ease of use and safety, especially suitable for users with low hand dexterity.
[0025] This invention provides a novel type of dental floss that can be wound into a coil or packaged in a box for easy storage and retrieval. When using the dental floss, hold both ends of the floss body 1 with both hands; stretch the floss body 1 slightly to make it thinner; insert the thinned portion into the gap between the teeth; pull the floss body 1 back and forth, causing the floss body 1 and the serrated teeth 2 to move back and forth within the gap, removing any residue. Discard the floss after use.
[0026] The cleaning efficiency of this invention's dental floss was compared with that of commercially available uniform thread-like dental floss (made of nylon). The test samples simulated standard residues (starch granules and meat fibers) found between teeth. Each test was conducted 10 times, and the cleaning rate was recorded. This invention's dental floss achieved a cleaning rate of over 95% with no slippage. Commercially available dental floss achieved a cleaning rate of 70%-80%, and slippage occurred multiple times. The results demonstrate that this invention's dental floss is significantly superior to existing products in terms of cleaning efficiency.
[0027] In summary, the present invention provides a novel dental floss that effectively solves the slippage problem of existing dental flosses and improves cleaning efficiency through its serrated shape and stretchable design. The entire dental floss is made of PE polyethylene plastic film, which is flexible, durable, adaptable to different interdental conditions, and comfortable to use. The entire dental floss has a simple structure, low cost, and is easy to promote and commercialize.
Claims
1. A novel dental floss, characterized in that, It includes a long strip-shaped dental floss body, with multiple serrations on both sides of the floss body in the width direction.
2. The novel dental floss according to claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the floss body is 5mm, and the height of each of the serrations is 2mm.
3. The novel dental floss according to claim 1, characterized in that, The saw teeth are arranged continuously or discontinuously, with the included angle at the tips of the saw teeth being 30° to 90°, and the tips of the saw teeth being rounded.
4. The novel dental floss according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dental floss body and the plurality of saw teeth are both made of PE polyethylene plastic film, and the thickness of the PE polyethylene plastic film is 0.02mm-0.08mm.
5. The novel dental floss according to claim 4, characterized in that, The floss body can be thinned to 10%-50% of its original width when stretched.
6. The novel dental floss according to claim 5, characterized in that, The surface of the dental floss body has a textured structure.
7. The novel dental floss according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The dental floss body has handles at both ends, and the handles are thickened or curled.