AU741738B2

AU741738B2 - Dental floss holder

Info

Publication number: AU741738B2
Application number: AU59739/99A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Cepand Djamchidi; Paul-G. Jost-Brinkmann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-09-07
Filing date: 1999-09-07
Publication date: 2001-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 2019-09-07
Also published as: CN1323182A; WO2000013607A1; CA2343140C; DK1178762T3; CZ297512B6; IL141833A0; CZ2001781A3; AU5973999A; KR20010079760A; IL141833A; DE59905372D1; EP1178762B1; WO2000013607B1; CA2343140A1; HK1040607B; ATE238735T1; EP1178762A1; ZA200101967B; ES2204190T3; DE19840773A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a dental floss holder (1), having a handle piece (4) in which a floss supply coil can be inserted, a fork (2) with two prongs (3) in-between which a dental floss can be tensioned, in addition to at least one retaining element (8) for locking the dental floss, wherein the handle piece (4) is substantially streamlined and configured in the form of a shell, wherein the handle piece (4) is connected to the fork (2) by an arm (9), wherein the at least one retaining element (8) is mounted on the top side of the arm.

Description

-1- DENTAL SILK HOLDER The present invention relates to a dental silk or floss holder, which is used as a tooth cleaning instrument for the cleaning of approximal dental surfaces and which brings about cleaning using the dental silk, floss, etc. and which can in particular be employed in the case of fixed dental regulating apparatus.

Dental silk or floss is used for removing food residues and dental plaque from the tooth surface and from interdental spaces, in that the silk is introduced between two teeth from occlusal to cervical and is moved along the tooth surfaces. This is an effective cleaning measure supplementing the cleaning of the teeth with toothbrushes, which are unable to clean the approximal tooth surfaces. Therefore dental silk usage prevents approximal caries 15 and inflammation of the marginal periodontium.

Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered :olas an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general •knowledge in the field.

:o In the case of orthodontic treatment using fixed apparatus, known as multi-band, bracket or brace apparatus, the inserted wire bow makes it impossible to overcome the approximal contact point with the dental silk, if the latter is held with the fingers or conventional tooth silk holders are used.

Dental silk exists having a reinforced, stiff end, which is intended to facilitate threading under the wire bow. However, its use is extremely time-consuming, requires above-average skill on the part of the user and is in particular scarcely useable for rear molars.

Conventional dental silk holders are unusable with multi-band apparatus, because between the tooth surface and papilla on the one hand, as well as the wire bow on the other insufficient space is available to permit the insertion thereof. The holder described in US 101 843 has small feet diverging in the cervical direction and can also be used in conjunction with multi-band apparatus. However, this is a disposable product, which as a result of an excessively small, unstable grip or handle cannot be used in the side tooth region and easily breaks during use.

DE 195 17 611 Cl discloses a dental silk holder having an elongated gripping part, which at its one end is provided with a holding fork and at its other end with a spool chamber for receiving a dental silk spool. The dental silk passes from the spool via a groove in the gripping part to the holding fork. However, this known dental silk holder suffers from the disadvantage of being very difficult to use, because the elongated gripping part is positioned 10 between the holding fork and the spool chamber.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the -disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

Accordingly, the invention provides dental silk holder having a grip, in which can be inserted a silk supply spool, a fork with two prongs, between which can be stretched a dental silk, as well as at least one holding element for locking the dental silk, wherein the grip has a substantially drop-shaped construction and that the grip is connected to the fork by means of an arm, the at least one holding element being fitted to the top of the arm, and a 20 guide for the dental silk being formed as a depression or groove within the grip.

Advantageously, the present invention, at least in a preferred form provides a dental silk holder for cleaning approximal surfaces by means of dental silk, which can also be easily used by patients using multi-band apparatus, which does not injure interdental papillae and can also be used in the rear dental arch portions without a mirror, whilst also being easy to handle.

Advantageously, as the grip is used both for holding the dental silk holder by hand and for receiving the dental silk spool, it is possible to manufacture the dental silk holder according to the invention with a limited length, so that it is easy to handle. More advantageously, it can also be used with patients having multi-band apparatus. Specifically in the oral hygiene field an implement with small dimensions is very advantageous, because the human oral cavity only offers a limited space for the operation of such devices. Advantageously, as a result of the drop-shaped design of the grip an ergonomic holding device is created, which even permits a non-expert to reliably use the dental silk holder according to the invention.

Advantageously, the dental silk coming from the dental silk spool is tensioned by the at least one holding element for fixing purposes between the prongs of the fork of the dental silk holder according to the invention when the latter is in use. If only one holding element is provided, the dental silk strand from the spool and the dental silk strand returning from the fork are jointly fixed. However, it is also possible to provide several, in particular two S 10 holding elements, so that the dental silk coming from the spool and the dental silk returning from the fork can be fixed separately. Fixing can e.g. takes place by clamping the dental silk.

The dental silk holder arm can be very short, i.e. having a very limited length, because it essentially only serves to fit the holding element or elements. The limited length of the arm Sis desirable for reasons of practical handling of the dental silk holder, as explained hereinbefore, and also from the hygienic standpoint, because the dental silk is guided on the arm surface and is consequently exposed. In this connection a length of approximately 0 to approximately 7 cm has proved particularly suitable.

Preferably the grip has a shell construction. The shell construction of the grip also makes it easier to use the dental silk holder according to the invention, because it leads to a weight saving, so that the use of the dental silk holder does not tire the hand of the user if the latter carries out a careful and therefore possibly long-lasting cleaning of the teeth and interdental spaces. This advantage has an advantageous effect in making children accept the dental tooth holder.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment the diameter of the drop-shaped grip is approximately 3 to approximately 7 cm. The expression "diameter of the drop-shaped grip" in the present case means the diameter of that part of the drop-shaped grip which has a substantially circular cross-section. Advantageously, the indicated grip size ensures a particularly comfortable handling of the dental silk holder, because it roughly corresponds 4 to the size of the surface area comfortably grasped by the human hand. However, if a dental silk holder is to be created for specific groups of people, e.g. small children, the size of the grip can be correspondingly varied, in order to adapt the product to the specific target group. Voluminous dental silk spools can be used in a grip, whose size is in the indicated range, so that there is no need to frequently change or replace the spool. Thus, in the grip of the dental silk holder according to the invention it is advantageously possible to integrate spools of virtually any size.

The fork prongs preferably have at their end a cross-section of approximately 1 to S 10 approximately 3 mm, i.e. the prongs are highly filigree.

S•The fork prongs are also preferably bent downwards and outwards with respect to the longitudinal axis of the dental silk holder, which in practice means that the prongs diverge in the oral and vestibular direction. As a result of this construction a sufficiently large cleaning zone is created, but the overall fork size is relatively small. To minimize injury risks, the fork prongs have rounded ends. This additionally increases comfort and safety when cleaning the interdental spaces. Through the combination with the grip the dental silk holder can also be used in the molar area.

•ooo S. 20 The shell construction of the grip can be implemented in that the grip has two parts, the first part being shell-shaped and the second part is constructed as a detachable or hinge-down lid. Advantageously, this protects the dental silk spool against external influences, such as e.g. dirtying.

For the secure holding of the inserted dental silk spool the grip can contain a post, which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the dental silk holder. The term "post" here means any elongated element on which can be engaged a dental silk spool with a central opening.

According to another preferred embodiment, the grip is provided with a resiliently mounted mechanism for locking purposes, the locking mechanism having a pin, which is 4a operable by pressure for releasing the locking action. In this embodiment the dental silk coming from the dental silk spool is initially guided over the fork prongs and only the dental silk returning from the fork is fixed to the holding element. This ensures the necessary thread *9 *g* gO *o *o*o* tension for the cleaning process. By exerting a pressure on the pin of the mechanism the locking action is released and the dental silk can be drawn from the spool and then fixed again by releasing the pin. In this way in each case a "fresh" dental silk portion can be brought into the cleaning zone.

The resilient mounting can be implemented by a spring element and the grip preferably has securing elements for preventing the jumping out of the spring element.

The dental silk holder according to the invention is preferably provided with a cutting device for cutting off the spent dental silk. In this way the dental silk running back from the fork and which has already passed through the cleaning zone and has consequently been used for dental cleaning purposes, can be easily separated.

An embodiment of the invention is described hereinafter relative to the attached drawings, wherein show: Fig. 1 A first embodiment of a dental silk holder for dental silk according to the invention in plan view.

Fig. 2 The dental silk holder of fig. 1 in side view.

Fig. 3 A rear view of the grip with inserted silk supply spool of a second embodiment of the dental silk holder according to the invention in cross-section.

Fig. 1 shows in plan view a first embodiment of the dental silk or floss holder according to the invention carrying the overall reference numeral 1. The dental silk holder 1 has at its front end a fork 2, which essentially comprises two prongs 3, which are bent downwards (not visible in this representation) and sideways. This arrangement of the fork 2 facilitates significant extent the cleaning of side teeth. Between the prongs 3 of fork 2 extends the clea ing zone, in which the dental silk or floss passes substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the dental silk holder, as can be seen in the drawing. The prongs 3, whose ends are rounded, prevent injuries on the marginal periodontium and secure the dental silk in position by a notch or the like.

The rear end of the dental silk holder is formed by a grip 4, which here comprises a first part 4a, constructed as a shell-shaped base, and a second part 4b, which can be constructed as a detachable or fold-up lid. In the shell-shaped depression of the first part 4a of the grip 4 is inserted a dental silk spool 5 during the use of the dental silk holder 1 according to the invention. In the embodiment shown here the dental silk 6 drawn from the spool 5 is supplied via a guide 7 to a holding element 8 by means of which the tension necessary for the dental cleaning process can be produced in the dental silk 6. The holding element 8 can e.g. be constructed as a clamping device, which is inserted in a bore or groove of the dental silk holder. In the represented embodiment the holding element 8 is fitted to an arm 9 connecting the fork 2 to the grip 4.

The arm 9 is preferably very short, so that there is no effort arm between fork 2 and grip 4.

According to a not shown embodiment the arm 9 can be completely omitted. In this case the holding element 8 is preferably located on the fork 2, namely on its side facing the grip 4. The inventive construction of the dental silk holder with a very short or no arm 9 adds to the already mentioned advantages the advantage that for each cleaning process only a small dental silk length is required, because the distance covered by the dental silk from the spool to the fork is short.

The guide 7 can be constructed as a depression or groove within the grip 4 and optionally on the or within the arm 9, which essentially passes along the longitudinal axis of the dental silk holder. For protecting the spool 5 and dental silk 6 against dirtying the lid is preferably designed in such a way that, when fitted, it substantially completely covers the first, shellshaped part 4a of the grip 4 and the guide 7 located in the latter. If the guide 7 for the dental silk 6 is at the point where the lid crosses its path on the top of the first shell-shaped part of the grip, in the manner shown here at this point the lid must have an indentation 9 so as not to impede the path of the dental silk.

From the holding element 8 the dental silk 6 passes over the first prong at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the dental silk holder to the second prong and back to the holding element 8, which ensures the tension necessary for use. For the reliable guidance of the dental silk along the prongs the latter can be provided with indentations, guide grooves, etc.

for the dental silk.

In the simplest case, as shown, the holding element 8 can be constructed as a button-like element, to which the dental silk 6 is fixed by winding round. The space between the prongs 3 forms the cleaning zone of the dental silk holder according to the invention.

In order to be able to fix and centre in a reliable manner within the grip 4 the dental silk spool, in a part, in this case in the first, lower part 4a of the grip 4 is fitted a post 10. This construction makes it possible to so position within the depression spools 5, which are much smaller than the depression provided for receiving the spool that sliding thereof is impossible.

As a further detail of the dental silk holder 1 according to the invention, fig. 2 shows a cutting device 11, which is here fitted to the lateral edge of the first part 4a of the grip 4 and which serves to separate or cut off immediately after use the spent dental silk. Other than in the represented embodiment, it is also possible to integrate the cutting device 11 into the holding element 8, so that projecting parts of the thread, i.e. the dental silk, can be immediately separated or cut off. No matter where it is fitted, the cutting device 11 should be countersunk, so as to prevent injury during use.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section through the grip 4 of a second embodiment of the dental silk holder 1 according to the invention. Here again the grip 4 comprises a first, lower part 4a, which is essentially shell-shaped, and an upper part 4b. The grip 4 is here shown in the closed state, i.e. the second part 4b or lid, which is also shell-shaped, is placed on the lower part 4a. This embodiment has a locking mechanism 12.

The locking mechanism 12 here comprises a post 13 centrally resiliently mounted in the lower part 4a and which is operable by pressure for releasing the locking action. For this purpose through an opening or bore in the grip lid, the post projects beyond the latter. As shown in the drawing, the post 13 is widened towards its lower end and this widening serves to secure a dental silk spool holder 14 on which is mounted the dental silk spool The post 13 can be mounted in the lower part 4a of the grip 4 by a spring element shown here as a simple spiral spring. One or more securing elements 16 prevent the jumping out of the post 13 possibly initiated by the spring element 15 on removing the upper part of the grip 4. The securing elements 16 are formed in the present embodiment by a plate-like protuberance of the post 13, which outside the lower part 4a of the grip 4 engage on the latter.

If dental silk 6 is drawn from the spool 5, then the post 13 is pressed downwards counter to spring tension, so that it moves downwards along a rotation preventer 17 preventing the dental silk spool rotating in the locked position. The dental silk spool holder 14 is released from the widened part of the post 13, so that it can freely rotate and dental silk can be unwound from the spool 5. When sufficient dental silk has been drawn off, the post 13 is released again, so that it moves upwards under the action of the spring element 15 to the extent allowed by the securing elements 16. During the upward sliding of the post 13 its widened end again engages in the dental silk spool holder 14, so that the spool 5 is again locked.

According to another, not shown embodiment the post 13 has two pins (female elements), on which is engaged a dental silk reel having two notches or recesses (male elements), so that the reel does not independently rotate without releasing the post.

The dental silk holder according to the invention can be provided with means in order to impart high frequency oscillations to the dental silk. This improves the cleaning action and __makes it easier to overcome the contact point, particularly in the case of patients having lbands, brackets and braces.

At 7

Claims

1. Dental silk holder having a grip, in which can be inserted a silk supply spool, a fork with two prongs, between which can be stretched a dental silk, as well as at least one holding element for locking the dental silk, wherein the grip has a substantially drop-shaped construction and that the grip is connected to the fork by means of an arm, the at least one holding element being fitted to the top of the arm, and a guide for the dental silk being formed as a depression or groove within the grip. V

2. Dental silk holder according to claim 1, wherein the grip is constructed as a shell construction.

3. Dental silk holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the arm length is approximately 0 to approximately 7 cm. •e.o.i

4. Dental silk holder according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the diameter of the drop-shaped grip is approximately 3 to approximately 7 cm. 20

5. Dental silk holder according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the prongs of the fork have a cross-section of approximately 1 to approximately 3 mm.

6. Dental silk holder according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the prongs of the fork are bent downwards and outwards with respect to the longitudinal axis of the dental silk holder.

7. Dental silk holder according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the grip has two parts, the first part having a shell-shaped construction and the second part is constructed as a detachable or fold-down lid.

8. Dental silk holder according to one of the preceding claims, wherein within the grip is contained a post, which extends substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the dental silk holder.

9. Dental silk holder according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the grip is provided with a resiliently mounted locking mechanism, which has a post operable by pressure for releasing the locking action. Dental silk holder according to claim 9, wherein the resilient mounting is implemented by a spring element and that the grip has securing elements for preventing the jumping out of the spring element.

10

11. Dental silk holder according to one of the preceding claims, further including a cutting device for cutting off the used dental silk.

12. Dental silk holder according to one of the preceding claims, further including means for imparting high frequency oscillations to the dental silk. S

13. Dental silk holder substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DATED this 25th Day ofMay, 2001 S 20 PAUL-G JOST-BRINKMAN AND CEPAND DJAMCHIDI Attorney: STUART M. SMITH Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia of BALDWIN SHELSTON WATERS