SAFETY INTERDENTAL BRUSH

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Taiwanese Patent Application TW M664337, filed on Aug. 16, 2024, and incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of oral hygiene, and more particularly to a safety interdental brush. Specifically, even if the stainless steel wire core within the brush head breaks due to fatigue, the non-metallic filament does not break. Since the stainless steel wire and the non-metallic filament are helically wound together, the filament continues to hold the two broken segments of the wire in connection, preventing the brush head from detaching entirely from the handle and thereby protecting users from injury caused by dislodged metal wires during use.

BACKGROUND

Interdental brushes, also known as interproximal or end-tuft brushes, are designed to clean the spaces between teeth where regular toothbrushes cannot reach. These brushes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and configurations. Smaller brushes are typically mounted on a handle for better control and usability. In conventional designs, the core wire of the brush head is typically made of stainless steel. Though industry standards expect that the wire will not break during normal use, in practice, as illustrated in FIG. 1, wire breakage and detachment frequently occur. When the wire breaks or falls off, a portion may remain in the user's mouth, and in some cases, may be accidentally swallowed, posing a health hazard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Problem to Be Solved

To address the safety risk associated with conventional interdental brushes, the inventor conducted intensive research and proposes a novel structural solution.

Object of the Invention

The primary object of the invention is to provide a safety interdental brush that can prevent detachment of the brush head even in the event of stainless steel wire breakage.

Means for Solving the Problem

ln one embodiment, the safety interdental brush comprises a handle and a brush head fixed to one end of the handle. The brush head includes a wire core and multiple bristles evenly distributed on the outer surface of the wire core. The wire core is composed of at least one stainless steel wire and at least one non-metallic filament, which are helically wound together.

In a preferred embodiment, the stainless steel wire comprises two wires to enhance strength. The non-metallic filament may be made of nylon, polyester fiber, polyethylene, bamboo charcoal fiber, Teflon®, or any similar material. The handle may further include a grip portion and a detachable connection portion, wherein one end of the brush head is inserted and fixed within the connection portion.

Advantages of the Invention

According to the invention, even if the stainless steel wire breaks due to fatigue during use, the helically wound non-metallic filament does not break. The filament continues to hold the two broken segments of the stainless steel wire together, preventing complete detachment of the brush head from the handle. As a result, the risk of the wire falling off and causing injury or ingestion by the user is significantly reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing breakage of the wire in a conventional interdental brush.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the safety interdental brush according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the wire structure in the brush head of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic of the wire core of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the condition when the stainless steel wire has fractured in the safety interdental brush.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the safety interdental brush comprises a handle 1 and a brush head 2. The handle 1 includes a grip portion 11 and a connection portion 12, which is detachably connected to one end of the grip portion. The brush head 2, used to clean interdental spaces, is fixedly inserted into the connection portion 12, making it easy for users to replace the brush head and connection portion as needed.

The brush head 2 includes a wire core 21 and a plurality of bristles 22 mounted on the wire core. These bristles are evenly arranged along the axial and circumferential direction of the wire core 21. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the wire core 21 comprises at least one stainless steel wire 211 and at least one non-metallic filament 212, helically wound together.

In this embodiment, the stainless steel wires 211 are two in number to ensure sufficient strength. This prevents the wire core from being too soft or prone to bending excessively inside the user's interdental space, thus avoiding breakage during insertion. The non-metallic filament 212 may be made from nylon, polyester fiber, polyethylene fiber, bamboo charcoal fiber, Teflon® PTFE, or similar materials. These filaments resemble the type used in dental floss and are resistant to fatigue-induced breakage.

Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 4, in actual use, the user inserts the brush head into the interdental space. If the stainless steel wire 211 breaks due to fatigue, the helically wound filament 212 remains intact and continues to interconnect the two broken segments, preventing the brush head from separating from the handle. This structure ensures user safety by preventing the dislodgement of broken metal wire parts during use (FIG. 5).

REFERENCE NUMERALS

• • 1: Handle
  • 11: Grip portion
  • 12: Connection portion
  • 2: Brush head
  • 21: Wire core
  • 211: Stainless steel wire
  • 212: Non-metallic filament
  • 22: Bristles