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US 4,011,658 AGranted
Device for inserting dental floss through interproximal areas and method of using same
AssigneeJohn O. Butler Company
InventorsE. B. Tarrson, R. Young
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for inserting dental floss in difficult-to-reach areas under dental bridges or splints, comprising a length of flexible material formed into a loop, the ends of which are bonded together over a substantial portion to provide a stiffened elongated guide portion. The floss is threaded through the loop and the device, with the guide portion leading, is passed under two connected teeth of a bridge through interproximal areas whereby the floss is inserted through such areas.
Claims7
A method of threading a long filament through an interstice comprising the steps of:
- a. forming a relatively large looped portion of soft and flexible material of fine diameter joined together to form a unitary elongated guide member adjacent to and integral with said loop, said material being soft and flexible enough to deform and fit through said interstice and thereafter springing back into the shape of the original large loop form;
- b. threading said long filament through said large looped portion;
- c. projecting said guide member through said interstice and pulling said guide until said loop and long filament pass completely through said interstice, whereby said loop may be relatively large to eliminate all threading problems and yet extremely flexible so that the loop may be deformed to be no larger in diameter than the interstice which it passes through, thereafter returning to its normal diameter;
- and
- d. removing said looped portion from its threaded association with said long filament.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.