Toothbrush with tongue cleaning member

Abstract

A toothbrush having a handle portion formed with a neck at one end thereof and extending along a first longitudinal axis. A head section is coupled to the neck. The head section includes a plurality of first cleaning members provided on a first head side thereof which extends outwardly from the first head side generally perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis. The head section further includes a second cleaning member provided on a second head side thereof opposite to the first head side. In order to reliably clean the tongue surface, the second cleaning member includes a plurality of flat-tipped conical-shaped cleaning elements which extend outwardly from the second head side of the head section generally perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis. Alternately, the second cleaning member can include a plurality of grated cleaning elements which extend outwardly from the second head side of the head section generally perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis.

Description

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention[0002] This invention relates generally to oral hygiene products, and more particularly, relates to a toothbrush having a tongue cleaning member provided on the head section thereof.[0003] 2. Discussion of Related Art[0004] Tongue cleaners have been in use for many years, with scraping type devices being one of the more popular solutions for improved cleaning of the tongue and soft cheek tissues. Scrapers exist as long, thin "blades" made of either plastic or metal which are bent into a "U" shape and dragged across the tongue.[0005] Tongue scraper configurations with linear wiping elements have been combined with toothbrushes in the past, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,818,856 and 6,119,296. Traditional tongue scrapers are formed of a tall flat "blade" or ribbon of either plastic or metal, which is dragged along the surface of the tongue. This type of construction is not well-suited for the back of the toothbrush head as it makes contact with surfac...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

0009] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a tongue scraper provided on a toothbrush which is soft for contact with soft tissues and without deep edges that might get caught on tooth surfaces.

0010] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tongue scraper provided on a toothbrush which provides for maximum penetration between papillae.

0011] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a tongue scraper for a toothbrush which keeps the height of the toothbrush head (from toothbrush bristle tips to tongue cleaning tips) to a minimum.

0012] It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a tongue scraper for a toothbrush which is made of a relatively soft material for gentle cleaning and minimizes manufacturing complexities.

Problems solved by technology

This type of construction is not well-suited for the back of the toothbrush head as it makes contact with surfaces other than the tongue.

Conventional tongue scrapers have also been inadequate with respect to the cleaning capacity of the tongue and the soft tissue-cleaning surface.

Anaerobic bacteria tends to collect in the recesses causing bad breath.

Broad flat scraping blades or wipers are not able to reach between the papillae where the bacteria has collected.

The use of nylon in bristles also makes the manufacturing processing complex.

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