Light-based toothbrush

Abstract

A toothbrush uses light to deliver an oral care benefit such as the detection of plaque or the whitening of teeth. In one embodiment, a toothpaste formulation contains ultraviolet brighteners as a whitening ingredient that has a whitening or bleaching effect when in contact with ultraviolet radiation. The activation of the brighteners may occur through the use of a toothbrush having a UV source. In yet another embodiment, a toothpaste formulation contains an oxidizing agent as a whitening ingredient, the activation of which occurs through the use of a toothbrush having a source of light energy which includes LEDs in the bristle field.

Description

[0001] This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 767,573, filed Jan. 29, 2004 (7191-00), and U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 776,972, filed Feb. 11, 2004 (7190-00), and U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 776,554, filed Feb. 11, 2004 (7422-00), all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Various techniques have been used to deliver an oral care benefit to one's teeth. In some cases, techniques have been used attempting to detect the presence of plaque on one's teeth. Such techniques include, for example, the application of various compositions to the teeth which are intended to visually indicate the presence of plaque. It would be highly advantageous for a person brushing one's teeth to obtain feedback immediately upon brushing regarding the brushing effectiveness. [0003] Various techniques have also been used for creating a whitening effect of a user's teeth. Current at home tooth whitening techniques require several day...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] In accordance with another embodiment of this invention, optical brighteners are incorporated in a carrier, such as toothpaste. The brighteners have the characteristic of being able to have a whitening or bleaching effect when coming into contact with ultraviolet radiation. The carrier would also include an adhering agent which would adhere to the teeth while the brighteners adhere to the adhering agent. As a result the brighteners remain on the outer surface of the teeth. In the broad practice of this embodiment, an ultraviolet light source is used for directing ultraviolet light against the teeth so that the whitening effect would be created and easily visible to the user. In a preferred practice of this embodiment, the ultraviolet light source is incorporated in a toothbrush. The carrier for the brightener is preferably the toothpaste on the toothbrush cleaning head.

Problems solved by technology

Current at home tooth whitening techniques require several days for the user to see the effect of the treatment and are generally considered to be inconvenient and in some cases difficult to use.

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