Adjustable-Tension Dental Flosser for Curved Tooth Surface Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dental flossers have fixed floss tension, making it difficult to effectively clean tooth surfaces other than interdental spaces, as the floss cannot curve around the tooth profile due to high tension requirements.
Innovation Solution
A dental flosser with a U-shaped portion and a handle that includes a floss strand attachment member movable between positions to adjust tension, allowing the floss to curve around tooth surfaces by varying the tension through mechanisms like pivoting or rotating the floss strand attachment member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the floss strand tension is kept high for proper insertion between teeth, then the floss strand remains tense and can be inserted effectively, but the floss strand cannot curve around the tooth profile for cleaning other surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The floss tensioning member is made movable along the handle between a first position (for high tension during insertion) and a second position (for reduced tension during curving). This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to different operational requirements, resolving the contradiction between maintaining tension for insertion and reducing tension for curving around tooth surfaces.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the floss strand tension is reduced to allow curving around tooth surfaces, then the floss can clean front and back surfaces, but the floss strand cannot remain tense for proper interdental insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The movable floss tensioning member enables dynamic tension adjustment, allowing users to switch between high tension mode (for insertion) and low tension mode (for curving). This resolves the contradiction by providing temporal separation of functions: tension is high only when needed for insertion, and reduced only when needed for curving.
3Device complexity
If conventional fixed tension flossers are used, then the device structure is simple, but the device cannot effectively clean multiple tooth surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The addition of a movable floss tensioning member along the handle provides adjustable tension control with minimal structural complexity. This allows the floss to transition between tense and slack states, enabling cleaning of interdental surfaces, front surfaces, and back surfaces, thus resolving the contradiction between simplicity and versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A dental flosser assembly that includes a handle member having a proximal end and a distal end, a U-shaped portion removably secured to the distal end of the handle member, the U-shaped portion having a first arm and a second arm spaced apart from each other, a floss strand attachment member associated with and movable with respect to the handle member between at least a first position and a second position, and a floss strand having a length and a first end and a second end. The first end of the floss strand is fastened to the first arm and the second end of the floss strand is attached to the floss strand attachment member.