Illuminated dental floss holder

#The present invention generally relates to the field of dental floss holders. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel dental floss holder that is capable of, among other things, emitting light for illuminating the mouth cavity during flossing of teeth.

#Dental floss holders are well known in the art, typically formed of a body having a linear portion for grasping the holder and a generally U-shaped or V-shaped end portion defined by a pair of arms or tines which hold a string of dental floss material therebetween. The dental floss is securely fixed to the arms at opposite ends thereof by any well-known manner. This construction of the dental floss holder enables the user to hold the linear portion while manipulating the dental floss between the user's teeth.

#While the dental floss holder described above is suitable for its intended use, it does not provide for certain difficulties faced by the user during flossing. Firstly, during flossing of teeth, the user must manipulate the dental floss holder within the mouth cavity, where low-light conditions and shadows make it difficult to clearly see the spaces between the teeth, especially towards the back of the mouth cavity. Thus, matter caught between the teeth may be overlooked or missed by the user during flossing.

#The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the present invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and not as a definition of the boundaries of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appending claims.

#In the drawings:

#FIG. 1A is a front elevational view of a dental floss holder, according to a first example of implementation of the present invention;

#Referring now to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a first example of implementation of a dental floss holder according to the present invention is generally illustrated at 10 in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2 and 3. The dental floss holder 10 includes a pair of arms, generally indicated at 12, 14, which extend from body 16.

#Preferably, the arms 12, 14 are fabricated from any suitable polymeric material, such as medical grade polypropylene for use in Class 1 FDA medical devices.

#The body 16 of the dental floss holder 10 defines a handle portion generally indicated at 34. This handle portion 34 allows for the dental floss holder 10 to be held and manually manipulated by a user during flossing.