Lighted Interdental Brush Guide for Deep Gap Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing interdental brushes face challenges in aligning with tooth clearances, particularly in deep oral cavities, leading to bending, gum injury, and inadequate cleaning due to poor force delivery and visibility issues.

Innovation Solution

A built-in interdental brush design with a bended tube and sliding mechanism, combined with an elastic material and a lighting system, allows for easy alignment and cleaning of tooth clearances while minimizing gum injury and improving visibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of moving object

If the interdental brush has a long working portion (13mm) with small diameter (1mm), then it can reach deep tooth clearances, but force delivery is poor and it bends easily making alignment difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelength of working portionVSAvoidforce delivery capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The interdental brush is divided into a working portion and a handle portion with different diameters. The working portion has diameter D1 and the handle portion has larger diameter D2, creating a segmented structure that provides both reach and structural strength for force delivery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the interdental brush have different local properties: the working portion is made softer (smaller diameter D1) to navigate tooth clearances, while the handle portion is made stiffer (larger diameter D2) to provide adequate force delivery and control during insertion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Length of moving object

If the interdental brush has a long working portion (13mm), then it can reach deep tooth clearances, but it is difficult to align with the tooth clearance and may stab the gum

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelength of working portionVSAvoidalignment ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The brush is segmented into a long working portion for reach and a shorter handle portion for control, allowing the working portion to extend into deep tooth clearances while the handle remains manageable for precise alignment by the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The working portion has localized softness (smaller diameter) to conform to tooth clearance geometry, while the handle has localized stiffness (larger diameter) to provide a stable grip and control point for accurate alignment, reducing the risk of gum injury.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the interdental brush is made of soft polymer material, then gum injury is reduced, but bending deformation occurs easily making insertion difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegum injuryVSAvoidresistance to bending deformation

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The interdental brush exhibits local quality variation along its length: the working portion is made of softer material (smaller diameter) to minimize gum injury during contact, while the handle portion is made of stiffer material (larger diameter) to resist bending deformation and maintain structural integrity during insertion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The brush combines materials with different mechanical properties in a composite structure: the working portion uses softer polymer material for gum safety, while the handle portion uses stiffer material for structural strength, creating a composite object that balances softness and rigidity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

4Area of moving object

If the working portion diameter is small (1mm), then it can enter narrow tooth clearances, but the brush is difficult to control and align

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecross-sectional area of working portionVSAvoidcontrollability

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The brush is segmented into a thin working portion (diameter D1) for entering narrow tooth clearances and a thicker handle portion (diameter D2) for providing control and alignment, allowing the small cross-sectional area to access tight spaces while the larger handle remains easy to manipulate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The brush has localized thinness at the working portion (small diameter D1) to fit narrow tooth clearances, while the handle portion has localized thickness (large diameter D2) to provide adequate surface area for finger grip and control, separating the functions of access and manipulation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS12527654B2Interdental brush

Publication Date: 2026.01.20 ZHOU XING

AI summary

A device comprises an interdental brush, a delivery component, and a lighting system. The interdental brush is disposed at a first end of the device and includes a working part and a connector. The delivery component includes a guide head and a sliding mechanism that is mechanically connected to the guide head. The guide head includes a bended tube within which the working part of the interdental brush is positioned. An outlet of the bended tube is disposed at an end of the guide head. The sliding mechanism includes a sliding block and an interdental brush connecting mechanism that mechanically connects the interdental brush to the sliding block. The lighting system includes a switch and a light source. The light source is disposed at the first end of the device and is electrically coupled to the switch through the guide head that houses the interdental brush.