Toothbrush

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of medical technology and hygiene, and more particularly to toothbrushes, and is intended for cleaning teeth. Claimed is a toothbrush (1) consisting of a handle (2) interconnected with a head (3) that has tufts of bristles arranged in two groups, with short bristles (4) in the central portion of the head and long bristles (5) about the periphery of the head, wherein the length of the short bristles (4) is two times less than the length of the long bristles (5), the distance between any tufts of bristles is 1.2-1.8 mm, the number of bristles in each tuft is 42-47, the circular diameter of each bristle, cut straight, is 0.18-0.25 mm, the length (L) of the long peripheral bristles is 8-9 mm, while the length (L1) of the short bristles is 4-4.5 mm, all of the bristles are of medium stiffness and the number of tufts of short bristles (4) is 10-14, while the number of tufts of long bristles (5) is 16-20.

Description

[0001] TOOTHBRUSH

[0002] Field of technology

[0003] The claimed invention relates to the field of medical technology and hygiene, in particular to toothbrushes, and is intended for cleaning teeth.

[0004] In general, a traditional toothbrush includes a handle connected to a head that has many bristles designed to contact the surface of the teeth and clean away plaque, food debris, and other materials.

[0005] Prior art

[0006] Currently, there are quite a large number of different toothbrush designs, but not all of them have a design that allows for effective cleaning of the surface of all teeth without damaging the gum surface.

[0007] Thus, the “Toothbrush with a bristle configuration” is known according to the Russian Federation patent No. 2462971, containing a head and a handle, the head of which contains a holder with bundles of bristles of different groups, with medium bristles located in longitudinal rows in the central part of the holder, and bundles with high peripheral bristles located along the periphery of the holder, as well as a protruding section from the bundle with high peripheral bristles, located at the front end of the holder.

[0008] This toothbrush design has a fairly low plaque removal rate, as the high concentration of bristle bundles in the middle part of the holder blocks the movement of the peripheral bundles to the gingival grooves, where the most inaccessible soft plaque is located. Also, the outward tilt of the side bristles, which disrupts the simpler and more understandable tactile brush shape, with parallel bundles, creates additional complexity in the cleaning process.

[0009] Also known is the "Toothbrush with a V-shaped working surface" under Chinese patent No. CN201299250, comprising a handle with a head that has a holder with bundles of bristles of various groups, in particular bristles with V-shaped grooves in the direction of length, while the bristles are arranged in regular dense rows and columns, forming a flat-bottomed structure with a V-shaped working surface due to the plane of the bundle cuts, which is made at an angle of 50-80 degrees of inclination relative to the plane of the holder.

[0010] The disadvantage of the design of this toothbrush is that the massive and tightly arranged bunches of bristles are poorly suited for maneuvering obstacles and moving towards dirty areas of the teeth, which reduces the cleaning ability of this toothbrush.

[0011] Also, the complex geometric design of the bristle surface, which does not correspond in shape to the surfaces of the teeth, complicates their movement on the teeth, creating uneven resistance at different points of contact with the teeth.

[0012] The closest in its technical essence and achieved result is the “Toothbrush” according to the patent for utility model of the Russian Federation No. 191919.

[0013] This toothbrush comprises a head connected to the end of a handle, wherein the head has a holder with sets of bristles, in particular a first, second and third sets, wherein the bristles of each of the first, second and third sets are arranged substantially parallel to the other bristles in the same corresponding set, wherein the bristles of the second set are formed by longitudinal rows of medium-height bristles separated by a gap in the transverse direction, wherein each row of bristles in the second set is formed by at least three bundles, each of which contains numerous bristles, and the bristles of each of the first and third sets are formed by at least one longitudinal row of high peripheral bristles, wherein the bristles in the first and third sets are oriented at an angle outward from the bristles in the second set when they depart from the said surface.

[0014] The disadvantages of this toothbrush are:

[0015] - high concentration of medium-height bristle bundles from the second set in the middle part of the holder, blocking the advancement of the peripheral bundles of high bristles to the gingival grooves,

[0016] - the absence of tufts of high peripheral bristles on the inner end of the holder, which are also the working part of the bristles for cleaning the oral surfaces of the teeth,

[0017] - the tilt of the lateral peripheral bundles of high bristles outwards, which disrupts the simpler and more understandable for tactile use of the brush, the shape of the bristles, with parallel bundles, and creates unnecessary complexity in the production process,

[0018] - not a curved, but a straight handle, which impairs access to the inner surfaces of the teeth.

[0019] The essence of the invention

[0020] The objective of the present invention is to manufacture a toothbrush that can significantly increase the efficiency of brushing teeth due to its original design and the optimal sizes of its constituent parts.

[0021] The technical result of the claimed invention is to increase the cleaning ability of a toothbrush. The specified technical result is achieved due to the fact that the toothbrush, consisting of a handle and a head connected to each other with bundles of bristles of two groups, with short bristles arranged in longitudinal parallel rows in the central part of the head, and bundles with high bristles arranged in longitudinal rows along the periphery of the head, around a group of bundles with short bristles that form a central depression, has rows of bundles with high bristles arranged along the entire perimeter of the head, while in the center of the head there are bundles with short bristles in the form of two longitudinal parallel rows, and the length of the short bristles is made twice shorter than the length of the high bristles, while the distance between any bundles of bristles "Ь" is 1.2-1.8 mm, the number of bristles in each bundle is 42-47, while the length of the high peripheral bristles "L" is 8-9 mm,and the length of the short bristles "Ы" is 4-4.5 mm, while all the bristles have medium hardness, and their circumference diameter "d" in a straight cut is 0.18-0.25 mm, and the number of bundles of short bristles is 10-14, while the number of bundles of high bristles is 16-20.,

[0022] In the preferred embodiment of the toothbrush, its handle has a shape curved inward in the middle, while the length of the handle “K” is 160-162 mm.

[0023] It is advisable for the head of a toothbrush to be made in the form of an oblong thick plate with rounded corners, with the length “M” of the head being 27-30 mm, its width “C” being 13-17 mm, and its thickness “t” being 3.5-4.5 mm.

[0024] It is desirable that the length of the bristle zone "a" on the head of the toothbrush be 24-26 mm, and the width of the bristle zone "e" on the head be 11-15 mm. It is advisable that in a toothbrush for children from 6 to 13 years old, the sizes of this brush "K", "M" and "C", as well as the number of bunches and bristles in each bunch, be reduced by 12-16%.

[0025] It is advisable that in a toothbrush for children aged 1 to 6 years, the sizes of the brush “K”, “M” and “C”, as well as the number of tufts and bristles in each tuft, be reduced by 28-32%.

[0026] Brief description of the drawings

[0027] The essence of the proposed technical solution is explained by the following examples of a specific implementation of the invention with references to the attached drawings, which are given to illustrate the examples and are not limiting.

[0028] Fig. 1 - external appearance of a toothbrush.

[0029] Fig. 2 - side view of the toothbrush head.

[0030] Fig. 3 - top view of the toothbrush head.

[0031] Fig. 4 - position of a toothbrush with a cross cut during cleaning the inner part of the lateral chewing teeth.

[0032] Fig. 5 - Position of the toothbrush when brushing the lateral chewing teeth.

[0033] Fig. 6 - position of the toothbrush during cleaning the inner side of the frontal section of the dental arches.

[0034] Fig. 7 - Position of the toothbrush when cleaning the outer side of the teeth.

[0035] The best options for implementing the invention

[0036] Toothbrush 1, in the preferred embodiment thereof, comprises a handle 2 and a head 3 with bundles of short bristles 4 arranged in the form of two longitudinal parallel rows in the central part of head 3, and bundles of high bristles 5 arranged along the entire perimeter of head 3 (Fig. 1). Such a design of a toothbrush with division of the bundles into a working group, bundles of high bristles 5, and an auxiliary group, bundles of short bristles 4 arranged in the central part of head 3, allows to significantly increase the degree of teeth cleaning, since the first working group is endowed with the ability to reach the gingival grooves, sliding and cleaning the necks of the teeth, and the auxiliary group, in which the length of the bristles is shortened by half, is devoid of the effect that interferes with cleaning, and allows to significantly increase the degree of teeth cleaning. In this case, all bristles have medium hardness.

[0037] The length of all short bristles in bundles 4 is made two times shorter than all high bristles in bundles 5, while the length of high bristles "L" is 8-9 mm, and the length of short bristles "Ы" is 4-4.5 mm (Fig. 2). This difference in the length of the bundles corresponds to the average statistical height of the crown of human teeth. It is with this ratio of the lengths of short and high bristles in the bundles that the highest degree of cleaning of teeth is ensured by this toothbrush 1.

[0038] In this case, the distance between any bunches of bristles “Ь” is 1.2-1.8 mm, which reduces the number of bunches per unit area of ​​the head 3 of the toothbrush 1, and ensures improved maneuverability of the bristles, as a result of which the efficiency of cleaning teeth increases, and the cost of production of the toothbrush 1 decreases.

[0039] The number of bundles with short bristles 4 is 10-14, and the number of bundles with high bristles 5 is 16-20.

[0040] The number of bristles in each bunch is 42-47 pieces, and the diameter of the circle "d" of each bristle in a straight cut is 0.18-0.25 mm, which allows the bristles to be best adapted to cleaning the surfaces of the teeth, and simplifies the movement of the bristles along the surface of the teeth, as well as advancement to the contaminated areas of the teeth, which significantly increases the cleaning ability of the toothbrush 1. The length "K" of the handle 2 of the toothbrush 1, in the preferred embodiment, has dimensions from 160 to 162 mm, and also has a shape curved inward in the middle of the handle 2, which provides improved access to the inner surfaces of the teeth.

[0041] The head 3, in the preferred embodiment of the toothbrush 1, is made in the form of an oblong thick plate with rounded corners, while the length "M" of the head is 27-30 mm, its width "C" is 13-17 mm, and its thickness "t" is 3.5-4.5 mm. In this case, the length of the entire bristle zone "a" on the head is 24-26 mm, and the width "e" of the entire bristle zone on the head is 11-15 mm. This contributes to more effective and rapid cleaning of teeth with this head 3, including due to the fact that the end contours of the bristles have a semicircle shape. Such dimensions and the contour of the bristle zone coincide with the average statistical sizes of teeth and their rounded necks, allowing equally effective cleaning of teeth both individually and in groups in places where they are located on a straight line, thereby reducing the cleaning time.

[0042] When producing this toothbrush 1 for children from 6 to 13 years old, the sizes of this brush 1 "K", "M" and "C", as well as the number of bunches and bristles in each bunch should be reduced by 12-16%.

[0043] When producing this toothbrush 1 for children from 1 to 6 years old, the sizes of this brush 1 "K", "M" and "C", as well as the number of bunches and bristles in each bunch should be reduced by 28-32%.

[0044] The toothbrush functions as follows.

[0045] The user takes the toothbrush 1 by its handle 2 and begins brushing his teeth.

[0046] During cleaning, toothbrush 1 is positioned in the mouth in different positions and at different angles for effective cleaning of all teeth from dirt. For cleaning the inner part of the lateral chewing teeth, it is necessary that head 3 is positioned along the longitudinal axis of the dental arch at an angle of approximately 45° (Fig. 4). Head 3 is installed in such a position that the outer tufts with high bristles 5 fit tightly on the sides of the teeth and rest their tips against the gingival grooves, sliding and cleaning the necks of the teeth from plaque during movements of brush 1 (Fig. 4-5). The user changes the angle of inclination of head 3 during cleaning to the required values, depending on the shape of the teeth being cleaned.

[0047] The movements of head 3 during cleaning are mainly performed by poking so that the tufts with long bristles 5 penetrate with their tips into the interdental triangular niches and effectively clean out the accumulated dirt from there. Also, the movements of head 3 during cleaning are performed in circular motions, along the contour of the necks of the teeth, which also contributes to the effective cleaning of plaque from hard-to-reach places (Fig. 4-5).

[0048] To clean the hard-to-reach posterior (distal) surfaces of the outermost teeth, it is necessary that the head 3 be positioned along the longitudinal axis of the dental row from above. The head 3 is installed in such a position that the outer tufts of the marginal contour with high bristles 5 fit tightly to the posterior surface of the outermost tooth and reach its gingival groove with their tips (Fig. 5).

[0049] It is important to note that due to the specific length L1 of the short bristles 4, the bundles of these bristles do not rest against the tubercles of the teeth and do not interfere with the bundles with long bristles 5 from freely moving to the gingival groove and completely cleaning the necks of the teeth from dirt.

[0050] Due to the specific length L of the long bristles 5, as well as due to the average rigidity of the bristles themselves (diameter "d" - 0.18-0.25 mm), the peripheral bristle bundles do not deform, maintaining optimal stability, thereby maximally effectively cleaning plaque on the necks of teeth in hard-to-reach places, and also ensure a long service life of the brush 1 itself (Fig. 4-5).

[0051] On the inner side of the frontal section of the dental arches, where cleaning is complicated by the curvature of the dental arch and the high density of the teeth, the toothbrush 1 also effectively cleans plaque due to the rounded corners of the oblong plate of the head 3 and, accordingly, the rounded edge contour of the bundles with long bristles 5 themselves, morphologically suitable for the rounded necks of the teeth (Fig. 6). The user makes similar circular movements and poking movements, periodically changing the angle of the direction of the brush 1, moving the handle 2 to the right and left in order to maximally diversify the angle of the direction of the bristles towards the dirty necks of the teeth, especially in the gaps between them (Fig. 6).

[0052] Given the problematic nature of visual control over the teeth cleaning process, in order to reliably achieve full cleaning in areas of pathogenic contamination localized on the necks of the teeth, starting from the gingival groove, the user is guided by the sensations of the well-innervated edges of the gum, in contrast to hard dental tissue, which does not provide clear feedback on the boundaries of the passage of bristles along their surfaces. This technique of teeth cleaning using this toothbrush 1 and focusing on the tactile response from the gingival edge helps the user overcome the lack of visual control over the teeth cleaning process (Fig. 4-6).

[0053] Constant tactile feedback control from the gingival grooves (gum edges) occurs throughout the entire cleaning process on all areas of the dental arches, and for the user is the only reliable reference point for the most effective cleaning of dirt. On the outer side of the dental arches, the user also alternates poking with circular movements, which are performed with the teeth closed, simultaneously cleaning the necks of the upper and lower teeth (Fig. 7).

[0054] At the same time, the stable but moderately flexible bristles of the peripheral bundles 5, due to the correct length, medium rigidity and mutual parallelism of their direction, when pressed, are pressed tightly against the surfaces of the teeth, straighten and slide along the walls of the teeth, cleaning their necks from accumulated dirt. (Fig. 7).

[0055] When thoroughly cleaning hard-to-reach areas of the teeth and periodontal grooves, cleaning the remaining more accessible areas of the teeth with a brush occurs automatically, so it is not described separately.

[0056] This brush was developed based on the study of the nature of pathogenic contamination on teeth and clarification of its localization, the method of adapting the shape of the brush bristles to the morphological features of human teeth and dental arches, and also taking into account the complex of difficulties associated with the process of brushing teeth.

[0057] Thus, due to the original design of the toothbrush, the optimal sizes of its constituent parts and the optimal number of bristle bundles, different lengths of bristles in the bundles (short and long), it was possible to significantly increase the cleaning ability of the brush.

[0058] This toothbrush also has a fairly simple design and a fairly low production cost.

[0059] As is obvious to those skilled in the art, this invention can easily be developed in other specific forms without departing from the essence of this utility model.

[0060] In this case, the present embodiments should be considered merely illustrative and not limiting, and the scope of the invention is represented by its claims, and it is assumed that all possible changes and the area of ​​equivalence to the claims of the present invention are included therein.

Claims

CLAUSE OF INVENTION 1. A toothbrush consisting of a handle and a head connected to each other with tufts of bristles of two groups, with short bristles arranged in longitudinal parallel rows in the central part of the head, and tufts with tall bristles arranged in longitudinal rows along the periphery of the head, around a group of tufts with short bristles that form a central depression, characterized in that - has rows of tufts with tall bristles located around the entire perimeter of the head, while in the center of the head there are tufts with short bristles in the form of two longitudinal parallel rows, and the length of the short bristles is made twice shorter than the length of the tall bristles, - the distance between any bunches of bristles “Ь” is 1.2-1.8 mm, the number of bristles in each bunch is 42-47, - the length of the high bristles “B” is 8-9 mm, and the length of the short bristles “L1” is 4-4.5 mm, - all bristles have medium hardness, and their circumference diameter “d” in a straight cut is 0.18-0.25 mm, - and the number of bundles of short bristles is 10-14, while the number of bundles of high bristles is 16-20.

2. A toothbrush according to item 1, characterized in that the handle of the brush has a shape curved inward in the middle, while the length of the handle “K” is 160-162 mm.

3. A toothbrush according to item 1, characterized in that the head is made in the form of an oblong thick plate with rounded corners, while the length “M” of the head is 27-30 mm, its width “C” is 13-17 mm, and its thickness “t” is 3.5-4.5 mm.

4. A toothbrush according to item 1, characterized in that the length of the bristle zone “a” on the head is 24-26 mm, and the width of the bristle zone “e” on the head is 11-15 mm.

5. A toothbrush according to item 1, characterized in that for children from 6 to 13 years old, the sizes of the brush “K”, “M” and “C”, as well as the number of tufts and bristles in each tuft are reduced by 12-16%.

6. A toothbrush according to item 1, characterized in that for children from 1 to 6 years old, the sizes of the brush “K”, “M” and “C”, as well as the number of tufts and bristles in each tuft are reduced by 28-32%.

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