Light-based toothbrush
AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorsBruce M. Russell, Robert A. Moskovick, Michael Prencipe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Described herein are light-based devices for use in the detection of plaque or delivery of a whitening effect; and, inter alia, toothpaste formulations containing ultraviolet brighteners that provide a whitening or bleaching effect when exposed to ultraviolet radiation.
Claims48
A toothbrush for delivering an oral care benefit to a user comprising:
- a handle,
- a cleaning head attached to said handle, said cleaning head having an outer surface,
- cleaning elements on said cleaning head extending outwardly from said outer surface, said cleaning elements being located in a cleaning field, and
- an ultraviolet light source having an emitter in said cleaning field to radiate light toward the user's teeth for purposes of whitening or for indicating the presence of said plaque.
A method for detecting the presence of plaque on a user's teeth comprising the steps of incorporating in a carrier a dye which has the characteristic of attaching to plaque and which has the characteristic of being fluorescent in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) light, applying the carrier to the user's teeth, attaching the dye to any plaque on the user's teeth, radiating UV light from a UV light source toward the user's teeth, and creating a visual fluorescent effect where plaque is present on the user's teeth.
A method for creating a whitening effect on a user's teeth comprising the steps of incorporating in a carrier an optical brightener which is capable of attaching to the teeth and which has the characteristic of having a whitening effect in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) light, applying the carrier to the user's teeth, attaching the brightener to the user's teeth, radiating UV light from a UV light source toward the user's teeth, and creating a whitening effect by the UV light activating the brightener.
A method for whitening a user's teeth comprising the steps of applying an oxidizing agent to the teeth, applying the carrier to the user's teeth, attaching the brightener to the user's teeth, radiating energy from a source in a toothbrush toward the user's teeth, and activating the oxidizing agent from the energy to create a whitening effect.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.