Modular Mouthpiece Brush Motion for Incisor and Molar Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mouthpiece toothbrushes often fail to provide effective and efficient oral cleaning for both incisor and molar teeth, are uncomfortable due to fixed sizes, and lack adaptability to varying mouth shapes and sizes, leading to potential worsening of gingival and periodontal diseases.
Innovation Solution
A dental cleaning device with a movable front module for incisors and movable back modules for molars, driven by a motor to perform simultaneous rotational and translational motions, ensuring comprehensive tooth cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a mouthpiece toothbrush is used to clean all teeth simultaneously, then cleaning efficiency is improved, but adaptability to different mouth shapes and sizes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The brush head is divided into multiple independent modules: a front module for incisors and multiple back modules for posterior teeth. Each module can be independently positioned and adjusted, allowing the device to adapt to different mouth geometries while maintaining simultaneous cleaning of multiple tooth regions, thus resolving the contradiction between cleaning efficiency and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates movable modules with adjustable positions and orientations. The front module and back modules can be dynamically repositioned along the dental arch to accommodate varying mouth shapes and sizes, enabling the system to maintain effective cleaning contact across different users while preserving the simultaneous multi-tooth cleaning capability.
2Ease of manufacture
If the mouthpiece is made with fixed size and shape, then manufacturing is simplified, but comfort for different users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mouthpiece is constructed as an assembly of standardized modular components rather than a single fixed structure. This segmentation allows each module to be manufactured using standard processes while the overall configuration can be adjusted to provide comfort for different users, balancing manufacturing simplicity with user comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design creates universal components that can be configured for different users. The standardized modules serve multiple functions: they can be positioned for different tooth regions, adjusted for various mouth sizes, and reconfigured for different cleaning needs, thereby achieving both manufacturing ease and user comfort through multi-functionality.
3Device complexity
If traditional electric toothbrush technique is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but cleaning effectiveness for patients with gingival problems deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates automated positioning and motion control mechanisms that reduce dependence on user technique. The motorized system automatically guides the brush modules through the dental arch, ensuring consistent and effective cleaning contact even for patients with gingival or periodontal conditions, while maintaining relatively simple device architecture through the use of straightforward mechanical actuators.
Data Source
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AI summary
Dental cleaning device comprising a handle, a mouthpiece connected or connectable to said handle, a set of brush heads carried by the mouthpiece and configured for cleaning, during a use condition of said dental cleaning device, the user's teeth. The set of brush heads includes a front module configured to clean at least the user's incisor teeth, said front module (30) being movable by a first motion, said first motion including a translation motion or a rotational motion around a front module axis external to said front module or a roto-translation motion. The set of brush heads also includes at least a couple of back modules configured to clean at least the user's molar teeth, each of said back modules being movable by a respective second motion including a rotational motion around a respective back module rotation axis passing through the respective back module.