Flexible Dental Gutter for Simultaneous Arch Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dental cleaning methods, such as toothbrushes, require skill and coordination, making them difficult for individuals with disabilities or those in situations where oral hygiene is challenging, like military personnel on the move, to effectively clean all teeth simultaneously and efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A dental cleaning device featuring a flexible, elastic gutter that encompasses all teeth of an arch or both arches, using contraction and relaxation cycles with fluid injection and extraction to automate the cleaning process, ensuring effective cleaning of teeth and interdental spaces without requiring complex handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional toothbrushing methods are used, then cleaning effectiveness depends on user skill and coordination, but this makes the device difficult to use for individuals with disabilities or in challenging situations
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs cleaning automatically through the elastic gutter's self-contained contraction and expansion cycles, which are triggered simply by fluid injection without requiring manual manipulation or coordination by the user. The system serves itself by using the injected fluid to create the mechanical action needed for cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical manipulation of traditional toothbrushes is replaced by a fluid-driven elastic deformation system. The injection of fluid creates pressure that automatically causes the elastic gutter to contract and expand, substituting complex manual mechanical control with a simpler fluid pressure mechanism.
2Productivity
If conventional toothbrushing is used, then some teeth can be cleaned, but simultaneous cleaning of all teeth is difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The single elastic gutter is designed to simultaneously contact and clean multiple teeth across the dental arch through its expansive structure. The gutter's ability to expand and contract allows it to engage with numerous teeth at once, making the device universal for cleaning the entire arch rather than requiring separate actions for each tooth.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning mechanism utilizes periodic cycles of fluid injection and extraction that cause the elastic gutter to rhythmically contract and expand. This periodic action ensures that all teeth within the gutter's reach are subjected to repeated cleaning cycles, guaranteeing comprehensive coverage and completing the cleaning task efficiently.
3Reliability
If specialized cleaning systems like water flossers or dental floss are used, then cleaning can be supplemented, but these require significant skill and time
Solution Approach 1:
The device merges the functions of mechanical brushing and fluid-based cleaning into a single integrated system. The elastic gutter provides mechanical contact similar to brushing, while the injected fluid provides the cleaning and dislodging action similar to water flossers, combining multiple cleaning mechanisms into one simple device.
Solution Approach 2:
The device changes the physical state and parameters of the cleaning fluid through pressure variations created by injection and extraction. By controlling the pressure parameters of the injected fluid, the system achieves effective cleaning without requiring complex mechanical adjustments or multiple separate devices.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a rigid cleaning device is used, then structural stability is maintained, but adaptability to different dental arch configurations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning device utilizes an elastic gutter made of flexible material that can deform and adapt to the contours of different dental arch configurations. This flexible shell maintains structural integrity while accommodating variations in tooth arrangement and arch shape, providing both adaptability and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic flexible system that can change its shape and configuration. The elastic gutter dynamically adjusts to fit different dental arches through its ability to stretch, contract, and deform, while maintaining the structural stability needed to perform the cleaning function effectively.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device significantly reduces the time required for oral hygiene while enhancing its effectiveness, allowing for simultaneous and thorough cleaning of teeth and interdental spaces, regardless of dental arch configuration, and is suitable for individuals with limited mobility or in situations where traditional methods are impractical.
Implementation Method 1
said gutter being made of a flexible material accepting a reversible deformation
Implementation Method 2
said fluid injection / extraction means subjecting the gutter, once the latter placement on the teeth for cleaning, with repeated injection / extraction cycles of fluid causing cycles of pressurization / depression of the gutter
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for cleaning the teeth, allowing the simultaneous cleaning of the teeth of at least one arch. The device is characterized in that it comprises: a single or a double arc-shaped tray (1) which can enclose the teeth of one arch or of both arches at once and which, via the free edge(s) thereof, can be fitted to the corresponding gum or gums, said tray (1) being made from a flexible material which allows reversible deformation and is compatible with medical use; and fluid-injection/-removal means for injecting fluid into the tray and removing said fluid from the interior of the tray. Once the tray is in place on the teeth for cleaning, the fluid-injection/-removal means subject same to repeated cycles of fluid injection/removal in order to clean the teeth by the combined action, within the tray, of the circulation of fluid over the teeth and between the teeth and the mechanical action of the internal surface of the tray on the teeth, resulting from the deformation of the tray during the injection/removal cycles.