Toothbrush having bristles for interproximal cleaning

#The present invention relates to toothbrushes, and more particularly, to toothbrushes having extended bristles. Moreover, the present invention also relates to toothbrushes which exhibit a three-dimensional bristle profile.

#The fundamental purpose of toothbrushes is to remove plaque and debris from tooth surfaces, both along their outer surfaces and in the inter proximal areas as well as provide gum and inter dental stimulation. There is a continuing desire to improve the inter proximal cleaning of toothbrushes, especially since many consumers do not floss. Moreover there is an additional desire to provide a toothbrush which will signal to the user that the bristles are reaching inter-proximally so that the consumer can immediately notice the improved cleaning properties of the toothbrush. While most commercially available toothbrushes clean the outer surfaces of teeth adequately toothbrushes having a three-dimensional or “V” shaped profile, when viewed from the side, render the toothbrush particularly adept at cleansing and stimulation.

#However, the search for a toothbrush having superior inter proximal cleaning has not ended. There has been a desire to improve the cleaning properties of both ordinary, i.e. flat, toothbrushes and toothbrushes having a “V” shaped bristle profile.

#While the specification concludes with claims which particularly point out and distinctly claiming the invention, it is believed the present invention will be better understood from the following description of several particularly preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify similar elements and wherein;

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a simplified side view of the head of the brush shown in FIG. 1.

#In a particularly preferred embodiment, shown in FIG. 1, the present invention comprises a toothbrush 1, for achieving improved inter proximal cleaning and gum and inter dental stimulation. Toothbrush 1 includes an elongate member 30 extending between two ends 2 and 3. End 2 comprises a handle portion 4 and end 3 comprises a head 5. For applications such as electric toothbrushes, the handle portion 4 may comprise suitable attachment means (not shown) for securing the brush to the driving means. Head 5 has a plurality of tufts 10 comprising a multiplicity of primary bristles 20. As seen from FIG. 2 primary bristles 20 have proximal ends 11 attached to the head, distal ends 12 extending outwardly from head 5, and sides 13 extending between proximal end 11 and distal end 12. As seen from the figure, primary bristles 20 of tufts 10 may be angled downwardly from peaks 14 so that adjacent tufts form a “V” shaped profile when looking at the sides 13. Head 5 further includes a number of extended bristles 15. Extended bristles 15 have proximal ends 31 attached to the head and distal ends 32 extending outwardly from the head. Distal ends 32 of extended bristles 15 extend at least about 0.5 mm above all of the distal ends 12 of primary bristles 20. That is extended bristles 15 extend at least about 0.5 mm above the highest primary bristle of each peak 14. Extended bristles 15 can be bundled together with tufts 10. Bristles 15 provide for improved gum and inter dental stimulation. All of the bristles are preferably end rounded to protect gum tissue.

#The present invention, however, is not limited to toothbrushes having tufts which form a “V” shaped profile. As seen from FIG. 4, there is shown an ordinary flat toothbrush head 105. Head 105 has a plurality of tufts 110 comprising a multiplicity of primary bristles 120. Primary bristles 120 have proximal ends 111 attached to the head, distal ends 112 extending outwardly from head 105, and sides 113 extending between proximal end 111 and distal end 112. Distal ends 112 extend away from the head 105 at substantially the same distance. Head 105 further includes a number of extended bristles 115. Extended bristles 115 have proximal ends 131 attached to the head and distal ends 132 extending outwardly from the head. Distal ends 132 of extended bristles 115 extend at least about 0.5 mm above all of the distal ends 112 of primary bristles 120.

#As mentioned above, head 5 further includes additional bristles 15 which provide for gum and inter dental stimulation. These additional bristles provide a soft sparse upper profile in combination with the lower V-shaped or flat profile. This dual layering provides superior mouth feel and bristle penetration. For the embodiment of FIG. 2 each tuft 10 has from about 40 to about 80 primary bristles, depending on the stiffness, and each tuft has from about 1 to about 10 extended bristles 15 which extend between about 1 mm to about 2 mm above the peak 14 of the tuft. The ratio of extended bristles to primary bristles preferably ranges from about 1:4 to about 1:40. With too many extended bristles the extended bristles will behave like an ordinary brush and will not exhibit their independent movement and penetration.