Tubular toothpick having a feathered tip

Abstract

A tubular toothpick (10) that can be used to remove food particles from between a user's teeth, gums and periodontal pockets without damaging the soft tissue of the user's gums is disclosed. The toothpick (10) is formed from synthetic resin materials and includes an elongated tubular body (12) presenting a longitudinal axis and a pair of axially opposed ends (14,16). One of the ends (14) includes an oblique leading surface (18) defining a cleaning edge. A plurality of slits (22) are formed in the cleaning edge that define therebetween a plurality of spaced-apart and independently movable finger portions (23). The independently moveable finger portions (23) feather and soften the cleaning edge of the toothpick for permitting the toothpick to be inserted between a user's teeth and gums without damaging the soft tissue of the user's gums.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.