Mouthpiece arch length optimization

Abstract

A j-shaped dental arch, including includes a set of brush pads and a flexible frame coupled to the set of brush pads, is provided. The set of brush pads simultaneously cleans multiple tooth surfaces of a set of teeth of a user and forms an open u-shaped cross-sectional profile to receive a portion of the set of teeth when the j-shaped dental arch is worn by the user. The flexible frame enables an entire arch length of the j-shaped dental arch to substantially straighten as the j-shaped dental arch translates along a mesial-distal length towards a back end of a jaw of the user. The arch length may be determined from jaw length data of a population group including a plurality of members. The arch length and the flexible frame may enable the j-shaped dental arch to fit at least a portion of the plurality of members.

Description

MOUTHPIECE ARCH LENGTH OPTIMIZATIONField of the Disclosure

[0001] The present disclosure is generally directed to a j -shaped dental arch for use with a replaceable powered toothbrush head.Background

[0002] Comprehensive coverage of a wide array of users from a single size offering is a unique challenge for mouthpiece-style powered toothbrush heads. Many currently available mouthpiecestyle brush heads are U-shaped and are configured to conform to an upper or lower jaw of a user. The U-shape limits flexibility of the mouthpiece and its ability to both (1) fit a wide range of potential users and (2) reach and clean all teeth within a mouth of the user. In many cases, multiple different size offerings are required to provide sufficient fit and cleaning coverage for a wide array of users.Summary of the Disclosure

[0003] The present disclosure is generally directed to a flexible J-shaped dental arch for use with a replaceable powered toothbrush head. The flexibility of the J-shape enables the dental arch to both bend and substantially straighten as the dental arch translates along a mesial-distal length of a jaw of a user. An arch length of the j-shaped dental arch can be selected as a 2.5 percentile jaw length of a population group, thus ensuring that a single mouthpiece size will fit 97.5 percent of the population, rather than requiring several different mouthpiece sizes. The 2.5 percentile jaw length may translate to an arch length of approximately 55 millimeters or less.

[0004] The flexible J-shaped dental arch has an open U-shaped cross-sectional profile configured to receive a portion of a set of teeth of the user. The dental arch also includes a set of brush pads configured to clean multiple tooth surfaces of the set of teeth. Each brush pad includes a set of tufts to interact with the teeth of the user. The arch length is chosen such that the brush pads will clean at least one molar and one canine of the set of teeth for at least the users with the smallest mouths of the population group. Further, the dental arch may be conceptually divided into first and second portions. The first portion is configured to be arranged around one or more molars of the set of teeth for every user of the population group. The second portion is more flexible thanthe first portion, such that the second portion may be arranged around different types of teeth for different users.

[0005] Generally, in one aspect, a j-shaped dental arch is provided. The j-shaped dental arch includes a set of brush pads. The set of brush pads is configured to simultaneously clean multiple tooth surfaces of a set of teeth of a user. The set of brush pads forms an open u-shaped cross- sectional profile to receive a portion of the set of teeth when the j-shaped dental arch is worn by the user.

[0006] The j-shaped dental arch further includes a flexible frame coupled to the set of brush pads. The flexible frame enables an entire arch length of the j-shaped dental arch to substantially straighten as the j-shaped dental arch translates along a mesial-distal length towards a back end of a jaw of the user.

[0007] According to an example, the arch length is determined from jaw length data of a population group including a plurality of members. The arch length and the flexible frame may enable the j-shaped dental arch to fit at least a portion of the plurality of members of the population group. The portion of the plurality of members may be at least 97.5 percent.

[0008] According to an example, the arch length is less than 55 mm.

[0009] According to an example, the arch length corresponds to a 2.5 percentile jaw length of the population group.

[0010] According to an example, for at least one member of the population group, the set of teeth simultaneously cleaned by the set of brush pads includes at least one canine and at least one molar. The at least one molar may be a back molar. The set of teeth simultaneously cleaned by the set of brush pads may further include at least one incisor.

[0011] According to an example, each of the set of brush pads may include a set of tufts configured to interact with the set of teeth.

[0012] According to an example, the flexible frame further comprises a first portion and a second portion. The second portion may be more flexible than the first portion. The first portion may correspond to one or more molars of the set of teeth. The second portion may be configured to flex up to 2.2 degrees per millimeter.

[0013] According to an example, the set of brush pads includes seven buccal brush pads proximate to a cheek of the user and six lingual brush pads proximate to a tongue of the user.

[0014] Generally, in another aspect, a replaceable powered toothbrush head is provided. Thereplaceable powered brush head includes the j -shaped dental arch described above.

[0015] In various implementations, a processor or controller may be associated with one or more storage media (generically referred to herein as “memory,” e.g., volatile and non-volatile computer memory such as RAM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, floppy disks, compact disks, optical disks, magnetic tape, SSD, etc.). In some implementations, the storage media may be encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more processors and / or controllers, perform at least some of the functions discussed herein. Various storage media may be fixed within a processor or controller or may be transportable, such that the one or more programs stored thereon can be loaded into a processor or controller so as to implement various aspects as discussed herein. The terms “program” or “computer program” are used herein in a generic sense to refer to any type of computer code (e.g., software or microcode) that can be employed to program one or more processors or controllers.

[0016] It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. It should also be appreciated that terminology explicitly employed herein that also may appear in any disclosure incorporated by reference should be accorded a meaning most consistent with the particular concepts disclosed herein.

[0017] These and other aspects of the various embodiments will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the various embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a replaceable powered toothbrush head, in accordance with an example.

[0020] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a j -shaped dental arch, in accordance with an example.

[0021] FIG. 3 is an isometric view of aspects of the j -shaped dental arch, in accordance with an example.

[0022] FIG. 4A is an illustration of a j-shaped dental arch, in accordance with an example.

[0023] FIG. 4B is an illustration of angles formed by a frame of a j-shaped dental arch, in accordance with an example.

[0024] FIG. 5 A illustrates a j-shaped dental arch arranged on a first jaw, in accordance with an example.

[0025] FIG. 5B illustrates a j-shaped dental arch arranged on a second jaw, in accordance with an example.

[0026] FIG. 5C illustrates the j-shaped dental arch of FIG. 5B in a different position on the second jaw, in accordance with an example.

[0027] FIG. 5D illustrates a j-shaped dental arch arranged on a third jaw, in accordance with an example.

[0028] FIG. 6 illustrates data processing to determine optimized jaw length, in accordance with an example.Detailed Description of Embodiments

[0029] The present disclosure is generally directed to a flexible J-shaped dental arch for use with a replaceable powered toothbrush head. The flexibility of the J-shape enables the dental arch to both bend and substantially straighten as the dental arch translates along a mesial-distal length of a jaw of a user. An arch length of the j-shaped dental arch can be selected as a 2.5 percentile jaw length of a population group, thus ensuring that a single mouthpiece size will fit 97.5 percent of the population, rather than requiring several different mouthpiece sizes. The 2.5 percentile jaw length may translate to an arch length of approximately 55 millimeters or less.

[0030] Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a non-limiting example of a replaceable powered toothbrush head 10. Broadly, the powered toothbrush head 10 includes a connector 12, a driver assembly 14, a first j-shaped dental arch 100, and a second j-shaped dental arch 200. The connector 12 is configured to removably couple the toothbrush head 10 to a body of a powered toothbrush. The first j-shaped dental arch 100 is configured to receive and clean a first portion of a set of teeth of a user (such as the left side of their upper jaw), while the second j-shaped dental arch 200 is configured to receive and clean a second portion of the set of teeth of the user (such asthe left side of their lower jaw). The remaining teeth of the user may be cleaned by (1) translating the j-shaped dental arches 100, 200 about the mesial-axial length of the jaw of the user and (2) rotating the replaceable powered toothbrush head 10 by 180 degrees. By rotating the replaceable powered toothbrush head 10, the first dental arch 100 may receive and clean teeth on the lower jaw, while the second dental arch 200 may receive and clean teeth on the upper jaw. The driver 14 is configured to actuate the brush pads 106 (shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3) to clean the teeth of the user.

[0031] FIG. 2 shows the first j-shaped dental arch 100 of FIG. 1 in more detail. In this nonlimiting example, the dental arch 100 includes a plurality of brush pads 106. Each brush pad 106 includes a plurality of tufts 108 configured to interact with and clean surfaces of the teeth of the user upon actuation via the driver 14. In the example of FIG. 2, the brush pads 106 may be divided into two groups, a group of seven buccal brush pads 106al-106a7 proximate to a cheek of the user, and a group of six lingual brush pads 106bl-106b6 proximate to a tongue of the user. Generally, the buccal brush pads 106a are configured to clean the buccal sides of the teeth, while the lingual brush pads 106a are configured to clean the lingual sides of the teeth. Both buccal and lingual brush pads 106a, 106b are configured to clean the mesial and distal sides of the teeth.

[0032] The brush pads 106 are coupled to a flexible frame 114. As will be shown below, bending and / or straightening the flexible frame 114 allows the dental arch 100 to be translated around the jaws of the user to allow every tooth to be cleaned. Further, a plurality of occlusal tufts 116 are vertically arranged on the frame 114 to clean at least the occlusal surface of the teeth of the user. Further, hinges 118 enable the brush pads 106a to flex relative to the teeth of the user.

[0033] Each brush pad 106a, 106b may have a defined width, and each pair of adjacent brush pads 106a, 106b may be separated by a gap width. According to some examples, one or more of the brush pads 106a, 106b may have a width of six millimeters. Further, in some examples, a maximum gap width between each adjacent brush pad 106a, 106b may be approximately 2.1 millimeters. The gap width between the adjacent brush pads 106a, 106b may fluctuate as the flexible frame 114 bends or straightens to fit the jaw of the user.

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates another view of the first j-shaped dental arch 100. In FIG. 3, the occlusal tufts 116 are hidden for clarity. The brush pads 106 and frame 114 form an open u-shaped cross-sectional profile 104 to receive a portion of the teeth of the user. The flexible frame may be further defined by a front face 124 and a rear face 126. When worn, the rear face 126 is configuredto be proximate to the molars of the user, while the front face 124 is configured to be proximate to the incisors or canines. The overall flexibility of the frame 114 may be defined according to an angle between the front face 124 and the rear face 126.

[0035] Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the dental arch 100 is defined by an arch length 102. In some examples, the arch length 102 will be optimized such that the dental arch 100 will fit a wide variety of users, rather than requiring a variety of differently sized dental arches for a population group 202. In a preferred example, the arch length 102 is chosen according to principal component analysis of jaw lengths 208 of digitized dental impressions 212 of members 206 of the population group 202. In one illustrative example, the population group 202 includes 467 members. The principal component analysis then determines the 2.5 percentile jaw length 204 for the population group 202, which is used as the arch length 102. In some examples, the 2.5 percentile jaw length 204 may translate to, approximately, a 55 millimeter arch length around a buccal face of the jaw of the members 206 of the population group 202. By using the 2.5 percentile jaw length 204 as the arch length 102, the j -shaped dental arch 100 should fit 97.5 percent of potential users, only requiring custom dental arches for users with the smallest mouths.

[0036] FIG. 4 A illustrated an abstracted j -shaped dental arch 100 around a jaw J of a user. Notably, to enable the dental arch 100 to both bend and substantially straighten, the dental arch 100 is divided into two portions, first portion 110 and second portion 112. The first portion 110 is generally configured to fit around at least one molar of the jaw, while the second portion 112 may fit around pre-molars, canines, and incisors, as required by translating the dental arch 100 around the jaw of the user. To accommodate this translation, the second portion 112 of the dental arch 100 is significantly more flexible than the first portion 110. In some examples, the outer, buccal side of the second portion 112 of the dental arch 100 may flex up to 2.2 degrees per millimeter. Similarly, the inner, lingual side of the second portion 112 of the dental arch 100 may flex up to 0.7 degrees per millimeter.

[0037] FIG. 4B illustrates a portion of the frame 116 of the second portion 112 of the j-shaped dental arch 100. The frame 116 has an outer, buccal side 116BS, and an inner, lingual side 116LS. The frame 116 includes hinge 122 to enable the portion of the frame 116 to flex. The frame 116 forms two angles; an outer, buccal angle 120BA measuring up to 2.2 degrees per millimeter, and an inner lingual angle 120LA measuring up to 0.7 degrees per millimeter. As described with reference to FIG. 2, the buccal brush pads 106a are configured to couple to the buccal side 116BSof the frame 116, while the lingual brush pads 106b are configured to couple to lingual side 116BS of the frame 116.

[0038] FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate a single j -shaped dental arch 100 with an optimized arch length 102 to fit onto three jaws JI, J2, J3 of differing jaw length 208. FIG. 5A shows a first jaw JI having a short jaw length 208. As described above, the jaw length 208 of the first jaw JI may correspond to a 5thpercentile jaw length 204 of a population group 202. The j-shaped dental arch 100 has an optimized arch length 102 to simultaneously clean molars, pre-molars, and canines of the left side of the first jaw JI. In some examples, the j-shaped dental arch 100 may also clean one or more incisors of the first jaw JI. Ultimately, the j-shaped dental arch 100 must be short enough to avoid interference with the bone and tissue (such as buccal mucosa and retromolar trigone) with the mouth of the user with small jaw JI .

[0039] FIG. 5B illustrates applying the same j-shaped dental arch 100 of FIG. 5 A to a second jaw J2. As seen in FIG. 5B, the second jaw J2 has a much longer jaw length 208 than the first jaw JI. In some examples, the jaw length 208 of the second jaw J2 may correspond to a 90thpercentile jaw length 208 of a population group 202. Thus, in order to clean the same group of teeth as the first jaw JI of FIG. 5A, the j-shaped dental arch 100 must translate along the mesial-distal length MDL of the second jaw J2. This translation is enabled by the flexibility of the dental arch 100. As shown in FIG. 4A, the majority of this flexibility is found in the second portion 112 of the dental arch 100, which is positioned to interact with premolars and canines. As shown in FIG. 5B, the j- shaped dental arch 100 is applied to the second jaw J2. The j-shaped dental arch 100 is initially positioned towards the front of the second jaw J2 such that the dental arch 100 cleans the premolars and canines, and, in some cases, one or more incisors and / or one or more molars.

[0040] FIG. 5C shows the translation of the j-shaped dental arch 100 to a back end BE of the second jaw J2 along the mesial-distal length MDL. In translating the j-shaped dental arch 100, the dental arch 100 must straighten out (relative to its prior bend) to receive and clean molars and premolars of the second jaw J2. In some examples, where the second jaw J2 is particularly long, the dental arch 100 must almost entirely substantially, straighten out to receive and clean the molars. This flexibility enables the single j-shaped dental arch 100 to clean jaws with a wide array of different lengths.

[0041] FIG. 5D shows the j-shaped dental arch 100 translated to a back end BE of the third jaw J3. The third jaw J3 is significantly larger than both the first and second jaws JI, J2. Thus, the j-shaped dental arch 100 must be substantially straight when arranged near the back end BE of the third jaw J3 to clean one or more molars. In some examples, the dental arch 100 may be considered to be substantially straight when the front end 124 and the rear face 126 of the flexible frame 114 form an angle of less than 10 degrees.

[0042] FIG. 6 illustrates data processing to generate the optimized arch length 102 for a j- shaped dental arch 100. The optimized arch length 102 is generated based on data of a population group 202. The population group 202 includes a plurality of individual members 206. Each member 206 corresponds to one of a plurality of digitized dental impressions 212. Each digitized dental impression 212 corresponds to a jaw length 208. In one example, the population group 202 may include 467 members. However, any practical number of members 206 may be used. Further population groups 202 corresponding to specific demographic information (such as age) may be used to determine an optimized arch length 102 for that demographic group. The population group data 202 may be stored in a non-volatile memory of a computing device, such as a personal computer.

[0043] The data of the population group 202 is provided to a principal component analyzer 201. The principal component analyzer 201 is configured to generate statistical data based on the population group. The principal component analyzer 201 may be executed by one or more processors or processing units run by a computing device, such as the personal computer storing the population group 202. In particular, the principal component analyzer 201 may determine the jaw lengths 208 of the various dental impression 212, such as via a three-dimensional analysis. In one example, the principal component analyzer 201 then outputs a 2.5 percentile jaw length 204. The 2.5 percentile jaw length 204 is less than the jaw lengths 208 of 97.5 percent of the members 206 of the population group 202.

[0044] The 2.5 percentile jaw length 204 is then provided to an arch length optimizer 203. Like the principal component analyzer 201, the arch length optimizer 203 may be executed by one or more processors or processing units run by a computing device, such as the aforementioned personal computer. The arch length optimizer translates the 2.5 percentile jaw length 204 into an optimized arch length 102 to be implemented with the j -shaped dental arch 100. For example, the optimized arch length for a 2.5 percentile jaw length 204 may be 54.85 (approximately 55) millimeters. Thus, a flexible, j-shaped dental arch 100 with an optimized arch length of 55millimeters should fit 97.5 percent of the population group without requiring specifically sized dental arches.

[0045] A number of variations of this data processing system are possible. In some examples, a different percentile (3rdpercentile, 5thpercentile, 10thpercentile, etc.) of the jaw length 208 of the population group 202 may be chosen based on a variety of factors, such as manufacturing constraints. In some examples, the population group 202 may consist of a single member 206 with a single dental impression 212. Thus, the determined jaw length 208 of the dental impression 212 will be provided to the arch length optimizer 203 to determine an individualized arch length. The j -shaped dental arch 100 implementing the individualized arch length will require minimal translation along the mesial-distal length of the jaw.

[0046] In another example, the principal component analyzer 201 may output a maximum jaw length 210 of the population group 202. The arch length optimizer 203 may then generate the optimized arch length 102 based on the maximum jaw length 210. This optimized arch length 102 may be implemented on dental arch 100 configured to be trimmed by the user to achieve a customized fit. Further to this example, the dental arch 100 based on the maximum jaw length 210 may be sufficiently flexible to fit a short jaw by significantly overlapping an incisor region of the short jaw.

[0047] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0048] The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

[0049] The phrase “and / or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and / or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and / or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

[0050] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and / or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or”or “and / or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of’ or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.”

[0051] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

[0052] It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited.

[0053] In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of’ and “consisting essentially of’ shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively.

[0054] The above-described examples of the described subject matter can be implemented in any of numerous ways. For example, some aspects may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. When any aspect is implemented at least in part in software, the software code can be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in a single device or computer or distributed among multiple devices / computers.

[0055] The present disclosure may be implemented as a system, a method, and / or a computer program product at any possible technical detail level of integration. The computer programproduct may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present disclosure.

[0056] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non- exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.

[0057] Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing / processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and / or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing / processing device.

[0058] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user’s computer, partly on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partly on the user’s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some examples, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present disclosure.

[0059] Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to examples of the disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.

[0060] The computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram or blocks.

[0061] The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce acomputer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0062] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various examples of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0063] Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims and other claims to which the applicant may be entitled.

[0064] While various examples have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and / or structures for performing the function and / or obtaining the results and / or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and / or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the examples described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the teachings is / are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific examples described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing examples are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, examples may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Examples of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article,material, kit, and / or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. Aj-shaped dental arch (100), comprising: a set of brush pads (106) configured to simultaneously clean multiple tooth surfaces of a set of teeth of a user, wherein the set of brush pads (106) forms an open u-shaped cross-sectional profile (104) to receive a portion of the set of teeth when the j-shaped dental arch (100) is worn by the user; and a flexible frame (114) coupled to the set of brush pads (106), wherein the flexible frame (114) enables an entire arch length (102) of the j-shaped dental arch (100) to substantially straighten as the j-shaped dental arch translates along a mesial-distal length towards a back end of a jaw of the user.

2. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 1, where the arch length (102) is determined from jaw length data (208) of a population group (202) comprising a plurality of members (206).

3. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 2, wherein the arch length (102) and the flexible frame (114) enable the j-shaped dental arch (100) to fit at least a portion of the plurality of members (206) of the population group (202).

4. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 2, wherein the arch length (102) is less than 55 mm.

5. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 2, wherein the arch length (102) corresponds to a 2.5 percentile jaw length (204) of the population group (202).

6. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 2, wherein, for at least one member (206) of the population group (202), the set of teeth simultaneously cleaned by the set of brush pads (106) includes at least one canine and at least one molar.

7. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 6, wherein the at least one molar is a back molar.

8. The j -shaped dental arch (100) of claim 6, wherein the set of teeth simultaneously cleaned by the set of brush pads (106) further includes at least one incisor.

9. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 2, wherein the portion of the plurality of members is at least 97.5 percent.

10. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 1, wherein each of the set of brush pads (106) comprises a set of tufts (108) configured to interact with the set of teeth.

11. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 1, wherein the flexible frame further comprises a first portion (110) and a second portion (112), and wherein the second portion (112) is more flexible than the first portion (110).

12. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 11, wherein the first portion (110) corresponds to one or more molars of the set of teeth.

13. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 11, wherein the second portion (112) is configured to flex up to 2.2 degrees per millimeter.

14. The j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 1, wherein the set of brush pads (106) comprises seven buccal brush pads (106a) proximate to a cheek of the user and six lingual brush pads (106b) proximate to a tongue of the user.

15. A replaceable powered toothbrush head (10) comprising the j-shaped dental arch (100) of claim 1.

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