Toothbrush bristles with double structure and toothbrush comprising same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a toothbrush bristle having a core-sheath dual structure, comprising: a core part which is formed on the inner side of the dual structure; a sheath part formed around the core part; and a clay mineral additive added to the core, the clay mineral additive may have a structure in the form of a hollow tube.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to toothbrush bristles having a dual structure and a toothbrush including the same. Background Art

[0002] A conventional toothbrush is configured by planting a plurality of toothbrush bristles (monofilaments, filaments) on a brush head connected to a handle. The toothbrush bristles perform functional operations, such as physically removing dental plaque or chemically performing toothbrushing, whitening, bad breath removal, etc. by applying a cleaning liquid to the teeth.

[0003] If the toothbrush bristles are soft and lack rigidity, it is difficult to sufficiently remove interdental plaque. Therefore, in order to improve the toothbrushing effect of the toothbrush bristles, the toothbrush bristles need to be made of a material having a rigidity above a certain level. However, if the rigidity is too high, the toothbrush bristles will not bend along the toothbrushing direction, thus limiting access to all corners of the teeth, and when the toothbrush bristles come into contact with the user's gums, it may damage the gums.

[0004] On the other hand, the rigidity of the toothbrush bristles can be adjusted by changing the thickness (diameter) or length of the toothbrush bristles. However, when increasing the thickness of the toothbrush bristles, although the rigidity of the toothbrush bristles can also be increased, it is difficult for the toothbrush bristles with a large thickness to approach the interdental or gingival sulcus portion. Therefore, it is also limited to adjust the rigidity of the toothbrush bristles by adjusting the thickness of the toothbrush bristles, etc.

[0005] Therefore, there is an increasing demand for toothbrush bristles that have a toothbrushing effect of the toothbrush bristles and have appropriate rigidity, thickness, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical Problem

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush bristle made of fine hairs, and by adding a clay mineral additive to the toothbrush bristle, the rigidity of the toothbrush bristle is improved, thereby having an excellent toothbrushing effect.

[0008] The problems of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the following description.

[0009] Technical Solution

[0010] A toothbrush bristle having a dual structure according to one aspect of the present invention, as a core-sheath dual structure toothbrush bristle, includes: a core part formed inside the dual structure; a sheath part formed to surround the core part; and a clay mineral additive added to the core part, and the clay mineral additive may have a structure in the form of a hollow tube.

[0011] Specifically, the clay mineral additive may be halloysite.

[0012] Specifically, 0.5 to 3.5% by weight of the clay mineral additive may be added relative to the total weight of the toothbrush bristles.

[0013] Specifically, the cross-sectional area ratio of the core part to the sheath part may be 5:5 to 8:2.

[0014] Specifically, in the toothbrush bristles with a dual structure according to one aspect of the present invention, the ends of the toothbrush bristles may be in the form of fine hairs through tapering.

[0015] Specifically, the diameter of the toothbrush bristles with a dual structure according to one aspect of the present invention may be 5 mils or more.

[0016] In addition, a toothbrush according to one aspect of the present invention may include the toothbrush bristles with a dual structure.

[0017] Advantages of the Invention

[0018] The toothbrush bristles with a dual structure of the present invention have a dual structure, and a clay mineral additive is added to the core, thereby improving rigidity, and thus excellent brushing effects can be provided.

[0019] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram briefly showing the cross-section of the raw fiber used in the toothbrush bristles with a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 A is an electron micrograph of halloysite used in the core part of the toothbrush bristles with a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 B is a diagram showing the structure of halloysite.

[0022] Figure 3 is an electron micrograph of montmorillonite used as a comparative example of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 is an electron micrograph of kaolinite used as a comparative example of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 A is a diagram showing toothbrush bristles with blunt ends, Figure 5 B is a diagram showing toothbrush bristles with sharp ends.

[0025] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a method of manufacturing a toothbrush bristle having a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention by fine hair treatment (tapering).

[0026] Figure 7 FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating positions for measuring the rigidity of a toothbrush bristle having a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 8 Graph A shows the rigidity of a toothbrush bristle with a diameter of 7.5 mils at a position 1 mm from the end of the toothbrush bristle. Figure 8 Graph B shows the rigidity of a toothbrush bristle with a diameter of 9 mils at a position 1 mm from the end of the toothbrush bristle.

[0028] Figure 9 Graph A shows the rigidity of a toothbrush bristle with a diameter of 7.5 mils at the position where the fine hair structure ends. Figure 9 Graph B shows the rigidity of a toothbrush bristle with a diameter of 9 mils at the position where the fine hair structure ends. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Hereinafter, when a certain part is described as "including" a certain component, this means that unless there is a particularly contrary description, other components may also be included, rather than excluding other components.

[0030] On the other hand, each description and embodiment disclosed in the present application can also be applied to each other description and embodiment. That is, all combinations of various elements disclosed in the present application fall within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific descriptions below.

[0031] In addition, those skilled in the art can recognize or confirm multiple equivalents of specific embodiments of the present invention described in the present application only by using conventional experiments. In addition, such equivalents are intended to be included in the present invention.

[0032] In addition, unless otherwise specifically indicated in the context, the singular forms used in the specification and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms.

[0033] Hereinafter, for the purpose of understanding the present invention, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Figure 1 FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the cross-section of the raw filament used in a toothbrush bristle having a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 2 Graph A is an electron micrograph of halloysite used in the core of a toothbrush bristle having a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.Figure 2 Figure B shows the structure of halloysite.

[0036] *Reference Figure 1 The toothbrush bristle (1) having a dual structure may include a core part (10) and a sheath part (20).

[0037] The toothbrush bristle (1) can be manufactured by melting the raw material and spinning it, and various forms of the toothbrush bristle (1) can be manufactured according to the type of the spinning nozzle. At this time, if a nozzle having a dual structure is used, a toothbrush bristle (1) having a core-sheath structure with different materials can be manufactured.

[0038] The core part (10) may include one or more than two kinds of rigid resins selected from polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, cyclohexanedimethylene terephthalate or their copolymers, and the sheath part (20) may include one or more than two kinds of elastic resins selected from ethylene-α-olefin elastomers, propylene-α-olefin elastomers, thermoplastic olefin elastomers, thermoplastic styrene elastomers, urethane thermoplastic elastomers or their mixtures. However, the present invention is not limited to the components of the core part (10) and the sheath part (20) constituting the toothbrush bristle (1), and known materials used in the core part (10) and the sheath part (20) can be used.

[0039] The cross-section of the core part (10) can be configured in various forms such as circular, elliptical, polygonal, etc., but the present invention is not limited to the form of the core part (10). The core part (10) may be a structure located at the center part of the sheath part (20) in the cross-section. As described later, the core part (10) can be formed into a tapered shape with an inclined form during the fine hair treatment process.

[0040] The sheath part (20) is a part removed during the fine hair treatment process. Therefore, in order to maintain the rigidity of the toothbrush bristle (1), the diameter of the core part (10) needs to be above a certain level. Preferably, the diameters of the core part (10) and the sheath part (20) are preferably 9 mils, and the cross-sectional area ratio of the core part (10) to the sheath part (20) is 5:5 to 8:2.

[0041] In order to improve physical properties such as the rigidity of the core part (1), an additive (11) can be added to the core part (10). The additive (11) may be a clay mineral additive. 0.5 to 3.5% by weight of the additive (11) can be added to the core part (10).

[0042] Reference Figure 2, the additive (11) used in the core (10) of the toothbrush bristles (1) with a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention may be halloysite.

[0043] Halloysite (halloysite nanotubes) is a aluminosilicate clay mineral composed of aluminum and silicon in a ratio of 1:1. The flat surface is wound into a circle to form a hollow one-tube shape. There is a water molecule layer between the inner surface (I) and the outer surface (E) of the wound surface. The inner surface (I) and the outer surface (E) are wound into an angular state due to the water molecule layer. Therefore, the cross-section cannot form a complete circle but an angular shape.

[0044] The higher the aspect ratio of the additive (11), the more the load is dispersed in the length direction, thus optimizing the load transfer. Therefore, in the present invention, if halloysite is added to the core (10) of the toothbrush bristles (1), the rigidity of the toothbrush bristles (1) can be increased.

[0045] Figure 3 It is an electron micrograph of montmorillonite used as a comparative example of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 4 It is an electron micrograph of kaolinite used as a comparative example of the present invention.

[0047] Reference Figure 3 and 4 , montmorillonite and kaolinite are clay minerals with a morphology formed by stacking plate-like structures. In the case of montmorillonite, the layers adjacent to the plate-like structure are condensed by electrostatic force and van der Waals force to form particles.

[0048] See Table 1 below. The aspect ratio of halloysite is 10 to 20, and the aspect ratio of montmorillonite is 1.68. Halloysite with a hollow one-tube shape has a higher aspect ratio. Therefore, when added to the core (10), the rigidity of the raw filament can be improved.

[0049] On the contrary, montmorillonite and kaolinite with a morphology formed by stacking plate-like structures have plate-like structures, so their aspect ratios are smaller than that of halloysite. Therefore, when added to the core (10), the effect of improving the rigidity of the toothbrush bristles (1) is poor.

[0050] In addition, halloysite has a mechanical property that its strength is greater than that of montmorillonite. Therefore, compared with the case of adding montmorillonite, when halloysite is added, the strength of the toothbrush bristles (1) can be increased, and at the same time, the rigidity of the toothbrush bristles (1) can also be increased.

[0051] [Table 1]

[0052]

[0053] Therefore, compared with the case where montmorillonite and kaolinite, which have a morphology formed by stacking plate-like structures, are added to the core (10), when halloysite is added to the core (10), the rigidity of the toothbrush bristles (1) can be improved due to the structure and mechanical properties of halloysite.

[0054] Figure 5 A is a view showing toothbrush bristles with blunt ends. Figure 5 B is a view showing toothbrush bristles with sharp ends.

[0055] For the toothbrush bristles (F) with a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is important that the ends are thin so as to penetrate between the teeth (T) and the gums (G) (interdental) or subgingivally to remove dental plaque.

[0056] Reference Figure 5 A and Figure 5 B, when the ends of the toothbrush bristles (F) are blunt, it is difficult for the ends of the toothbrush bristles (F) to penetrate between the teeth (T) and the gums (G) (interdental) or subgingivally, etc. On the contrary, when the ends of the toothbrush bristles (F) are sharp, the ends of the toothbrush bristles (F) can easily penetrate between the teeth (T) and the gums (G) (interdental) or subgingivally, etc. Therefore, the toothbrush bristles (F) with blunt ends cannot remove the dental plaque (M) between the teeth (T) and the gums (G) (interdental) or subgingivally, etc., and the toothbrush bristles (F) with sharp ends can remove the dental plaque (M) between the teeth (T) and the gums (G) (interdental) or subgingivally, etc.

[0057] Figure 6 is a view showing a method of manufacturing the toothbrush bristles with a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention by fine hair treatment (tapering).

[0058] Reference Figure 6 , the fine hair treatment (tapering) is a process of removing the sheath portion (20) and making the ends of the toothbrush bristles (1) thinner. During the fine hair treatment process, the toothbrush bristles (1) with a dual structure can be immersed in a strong alkali solution. At this time, the sheath portion (20) is dissolved and disappears by the strong alkali solution, and only the core portion (10) remains.

[0059] If additives such as clay minerals are added, it is difficult to uniformly (or in a manner with an excellent tapered shape) remove the sheath portion (20) by treating with an alkaline solution. Therefore, for the toothbrush bristles (1) with a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, halloysite is only applied to the core portion (10), so that the sheath portion (20) can be easily removed.

[0060] Figure 7 is a view for explaining the position for measuring the rigidity of the toothbrush bristles with a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] Figure 8 A is a graph showing the stiffness of toothbrush bristles with a diameter of 7.5 mils at a position 1 mm from the bristle tip. Figure 8 B is a graph showing the stiffness of toothbrush bristles with a diameter of 9 mils at a position 1 mm from the bristle tip.

[0062] As Figure 5 shown, for the toothbrush bristles (1), it is important that the tips are thin so as to penetrate between the teeth (T) and the gums (G) (interdental) or subgingivally to remove dental plaque (M). As Figure 6 shown, the toothbrush bristles (1) can be made thin enough at the tips by micro - hair treatment.

[0063] However, even if the toothbrush bristles (1) are thin enough to penetrate between the teeth (T) and the gums (G) (interdental) or subgingivally, etc., if the stiffness of the toothbrush bristles (1) is insufficient, it may be difficult to remove dental plaque (M). Therefore, for the toothbrush bristles (1) with a dual - structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is important to have stiffness so as to penetrate between the teeth (T) and the gums (G) (interdental) or subgingivally to remove dental plaque (M), and it is particularly important to have stiffness at the tips of the toothbrush bristles (1).

[0064] Refer to Figure 7 , to measure the stiffness at the tip of the toothbrush bristles (1), the stiffness is measured at a position 1 mm from the tip of the toothbrush bristles (1), and to measure the stiffness at the middle section of the toothbrush bristles (1), the stiffness is measured at the position where the micro - hair structure ends. The stiffness of the toothbrush bristles (1) is measured using toothbrush bristles (1) with diameters of 7.5 mils and 9 mils.

[0065] The stiffness of the toothbrush bristles (1) is measured according to the ISO 8627 measurement method. The stiffness of the toothbrush bristles (1) is represented by a value obtained by measuring the load (force) applied to the toothbrush implanted with the toothbrush bristles (1) and dividing the load by the area implanted with the toothbrush bristles (1). Hereinafter, the expressions of ordinary double - core, core - montmorillonite, and core - halloysite may represent the toothbrush bristles with an ordinary double - core structure without additives, the toothbrush bristles with montmorillonite added to the core, and the toothbrush bristles with halloysite added to the core, respectively.

[0066] Refer to Figure 8 A, regarding the stiffness of the toothbrush bristles (1) with a diameter of 7.5 mils, the stiffness of the ordinary double - core treated with micro - hair is 1.02 cN / mm 2 , the stiffness of the core - montmorillonite treated with micro - hair is 1.14 cN / mm 2 , the stiffness of the core - halloysite treated with micro - hair is 1.19 cN / mm2 。

[0067] Reference Figure 8 B. In terms of the rigidity of the toothbrush filaments (1) with a diameter of 9 mils, the rigidity of the ordinary double core treated with microfilaments is 1.13 cN / mm 2 , and the rigidity of the core - montmorillonite treated with microfilaments is 1.65 cN / mm 2 , and the rigidity of the core - halloysite treated with microfilaments is 1.91 cN / mm 2 。

[0068] After the microfilament treatment, compared with the ordinary double core and the core - montmorillonite, the rigidity of the core - halloysite increases. The greater the increase in the diameter (thickness) of the toothbrush filaments (1), the more significantly the rigidity of the core - halloysite increases compared to the rigidity of the ordinary double core and the core - montmorillonite at the position where the microfilament structure ends. Regarding the increase rate of the rigidity of the core - halloysite relative to the rigidity of the ordinary double core, it is 15.9% in the toothbrush filaments (1) with a diameter of 7.5 mils and 68.8% in the toothbrush filaments (1) with a diameter of 9 mils. Regarding the increase rate of the rigidity of the core - halloysite relative to the rigidity of the core - montmorillonite, it is 15.6% in the toothbrush filaments (1) with a diameter of 9 mils, and there is no significant increase in the toothbrush filaments (1) with a diameter of 7.5 mils.

[0069] Figure 9 A is a graph showing the rigidity of the toothbrush filaments with a diameter of 7.5 mils at the position where the microfilament structure ends, Figure 9 and B is a graph showing the rigidity of the toothbrush filaments with a diameter of 9 mils at the position where the microfilament structure ends.

[0070] Reference Figure 9 A. In terms of the rigidity of the toothbrush filaments (1) with a diameter of 7.5 mils, the rigidity of the ordinary double core treated with microfilaments is 4.31 cN / mm 2 , and the rigidity of the core - montmorillonite treated with microfilaments is 4.71 cN / mm 2 , and the rigidity of the core - halloysite treated with microfilaments is 4.79 cN / mm 2 。

[0071] Reference Figure 9 B. In terms of the rigidity of the toothbrush filaments (1) with a diameter of 9 mils, the rigidity of the ordinary double core treated with microfilaments is 5.68 cN / mm 2 , and the rigidity of the core - montmorillonite treated with microfilaments is 6.33 cN / mm 2 , and the rigidity of the core - halloysite treated with microfilaments is 7.14 cN / mm 2 。

[0072] After the fine hair treatment, compared with ordinary double cores and core-montmorillonite, the rigidity of core-halloysite increases. The greater the increase in the diameter (thickness) of the toothbrush hair (1), the greater the significant increase in the rigidity of core-halloysite compared to that of ordinary double cores and core-montmorillonite at the position where the fine hair structure ends. Regarding the increase rate of the rigidity of core-halloysite relative to that of ordinary double cores, it is 11.1% in the toothbrush hair (1) with a diameter of 7.5 mils and 25.7% in the toothbrush hair (1) with a diameter of 9 mils. Regarding the increase rate of the rigidity of core-halloysite relative to that of core-montmorillonite, it is 12.8% in the toothbrush hair (1) with a diameter of 9 mils, and there is no significant increase in the toothbrush hair (1) with a diameter of 7.5 mils.

[0073] Table 2 and Table 3 below show the durability evaluation results of the toothbrush hair (1) with a dual structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] The durability of the toothbrush hair (1) was evaluated according to the following criteria: When the user brushes their teeth, the toothbrush reciprocates once per second, the user uses it three times a day, and each time for three minutes. An experiment was conducted by applying a load to the toothbrush implanted with the toothbrush hair (1). When the user brushes their teeth, the average load applied to the toothbrush is approximately 2N, but a load of 3N was applied to the toothbrush hair during the experiment.

[0075] Table 2 shows the degree of expansion of the toothbrush hair (1) in the toothbrush when the toothbrush implanted with the toothbrush hair (1) with a diameter of 7.5 mils was used by the user for three months and a load of approximately 50,000 times was applied to the toothbrush.

[0076] [Table 2]

[0077] Ordinary double core Montmorillonite Halloysite Degree of hair expansion (%) 112.60％ 110.50％ 105.40％

[0078] Table 3 shows the degree of expansion of the toothbrush hair (1) in the toothbrush when the toothbrush implanted with the toothbrush hair (1) with a diameter of 9 mils was used by the user for one month and a load of approximately 16,000 times was applied to the toothbrush.

[0079] [Table 3]

[0080] Classification Ordinary double core Montmorillonite Halloysite Degree of hair expansion (%) 114.13 109.93 107.62

[0081] It was confirmed by the above experiments that compared with the toothbrush hair made of ordinary double cores and core-montmorillonite, the degree of hair expansion of the toothbrush hair (1) with a dual structure of the present invention is relatively small and the durability is excellent.

[0082] As described above, the toothbrush hair with a dual structure of the present invention has a dual structure of a core part and a sheath part, and additives are added only to the core part, so that the fine hair treatment can be easily performed.

[0083] In addition, the toothbrush bristles with a dual structure according to the present invention add halloysite to the core, so that even after fine bristle treatment, relatively large rigidity can be maintained compared to toothbrush bristles added with ordinary double cores and core-montmorillonite.

[0084] In addition, the toothbrush bristles with a dual structure according to the present invention add halloysite to the core, so that the durability of the toothbrush bristles can be improved compared to toothbrush bristles added with ordinary double cores and core-montmorillonite.

[0085] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and of course, combinations of the described embodiments or combinations of at least any one of the described embodiments with known technologies may be included as other embodiments.

[0086] As described above, the present invention has been described in detail through specific embodiments, but this is for specifically illustrating the present invention. The present invention is not limited thereto, and it will be obvious that those skilled in the art can deform or improve it within the technical idea of the present invention.

[0087] Simple deformations and changes of the present invention all belong to the scope of the present invention, and the specific protection scope of the present invention will be clarified by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A toothbrush bristle with a dual structure, which is a toothbrush bristle with a core-sheath dual structure, comprising: A core part, which is formed on the inner side of the dual structure; A sheath part, which is formed around the core part; And A clay mineral additive, which is added to the core part, The clay mineral additive has a structure in the form of a hollow tube.

2. The toothbrush bristle with a dual structure according to claim 1, wherein, The clay mineral additive is halloysite.

3. The toothbrush bristle with a dual structure according to claim 1, wherein, 0.5 to 3.5% by weight of the clay mineral additive is added relative to the total weight of the toothbrush bristle.

4. The toothbrush bristle with a dual structure according to claim 1, wherein, The cross-sectional area ratio of the core part to the sheath part is 5:5 to 8:

2.

5. The toothbrush bristle with a dual structure according to claim 1, wherein, The end of the toothbrush bristle is in the form of fine hairs by tapering.

6. The toothbrush bristle with a dual structure according to claim 1, wherein, The diameter is 5 mils or more.

7. A toothbrush, which comprises the toothbrush bristle with a dual structure according to claim 1.

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