Dental cleaning strip
AssigneeMardelle M. LaMoure
InventorEston A. Husted
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flexible strip of a polymeric material having a plurality of apertures with raised peripheral portions for use to remove plaque, debris, and stains from interproximal surfaces and contact areas of the teeth without damaging tooth enamel. The polymeric material may be formed into apertured strips by means of a laser. The flexible strips have raised edges and raised peripheral shapes extending from both sides of the strip.
Claims20
A dental cleaning strip for cleaning interproximal surfaces and contact areas between teeth, comprising a length of a thin, flexible, polymeric material having opposing surfaces, a thickness and a plurality of spaced openings therethrough, each opening having a raised, peripheral ridge protruding from at least one surface.
A dental cleaning strip for cleaning interproximal surfaces and contact areas between teeth, comprising a length of a thin, flexible material having a plurality of apertures, said flexible material having a thickness and opposing surfaces and being softer than tooth enamel and having sufficient hardness to remove plaque, debris, stains and the like from teeth, said plurality of apertures being spaced from each other, each aperture including a raised, peripheral cleaning and polishing ridge extending from at least one said surface, said cleaning strip having an overall thickness to be manipulated between the teeth of a user.
A dental cleaning strip for cleaning interproximal surfaces and contact areas between teeth, comprising a length of a thin, flexible, polymeric material having opposing surfaces, generally parallel side edges, a thickness and a plurality of spaced openings therethrough, each opening having a raised, peripheral ridge protruding from at least one said opposing surface, and wherein said side edges are raised and have a thickness greater than said thickness of said polymeric material.
A process for forming dental cleaning strips comprising:
- a) providing a roll of a length of polymeric material having a web width;
- b) moving said length of polymeric material with respect to a machine having a plurality of directed energy sources capable of cutting and melting said polymeric material;
- and
- c) creating at least one dental cleaning strip from said web width by means of directing said energy sources onto said polymeric material and forming side edges and a plurality of apertures between said side edges.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.