Automatic toothbrushes

#The present technology relates generally to toothbrushes. In particular, some embodiments of the present technology are directed to mouthguard-style vibrating toothbrushes.

#Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one's mouth clean and free of disease and other problems (e.g., bad breath) by regular brushing and cleaning between the teeth. Brushing helps prevent cavities and other forms of tooth decay, as well as gingivitis and other gum diseases. Most dentists recommend brushing at least twice a day (e.g., after breakfast and before bed). However, many people who brush twice still develop tooth decay and/or gum disease due to poor brushing techniques. For example, many people fail to brush the entire surface of each tooth and/or do not brush for long enough to effectively remove dental plaque and other debris. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved toothbrushes and methods of toothbrushing.

#Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed on clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure.

#FIGS. 1A-1C are a front perspective view, an enlarged rear perspective view, and an enlarged front perspective view, respectively, of a toothbrush configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

#FIGS. 1D and 1E are side and front perspective views, respectively, of the toothbrush shown in FIGS. 1A-1C positioned within a charging stand configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

#Aspects of the present disclosure are directed generally toward electric or automatic toothbrushes. In several of the embodiments described below, for example, a toothbrush can include a handle, a mouthguard coupled to the handle, and a brush assembly having a plurality of bristles and configured to be secured within a channel of the mouthguard. The toothbrush can further include a motor operably couplable to the brush assembly for vibrating or otherwise articulating the brush assembly within the mouthguard. In some embodiments, during use, a user can position the brush assembly and mouthguard over most or substantially all of their lower or upper teeth. In some embodiments, the mouthguard is rotatably coupled to the handle and rotatable between first and second positions that are inverted relative to one another to facilitate brushing of both the upper and lower teeth of the user.

#In several of the embodiments described below, a toothbrush can include a single, removable nylon bristle tray component that is composed of rigid regions and flexible regions. The rigid regions of the tray can be embedded with nylon bristles (e.g., using a CNC tufting process). When the tray is folded along the flexible creases, the tray and nylon bristles fold into a horseshoe-like shape that is adapted to wrap around the teeth of a user and angle the bristles inward, creating a geometry conducive to quickly cleaning surfaces of the user's teeth and gums. In some embodiments, the tray comprises a U-shape arrangement designed to be smaller than the average user's mouth so that the tray can be pivoted around the mouth of the user to enhance cleaning of hard-to-reach-places.

#Many conventional toothbrushes require a user to continually move a brush head of the toothbrush around the surface of each individual tooth. Often, the user can inadvertently miss certain teeth or portions of teeth while brushing—leading to ineffective removal of plaque, food, and/or other debris. Likewise, many conventional toothbrushes require or recommend that the user brush for two minutes or greater to achieve effective cleaning. This long time required to brush can lead users to brush for shorter periods of time or to omit brushing entirely—reducing the cleaning the effectiveness of such toothbrushes.