802results about "Dental floss" patented technology

A device and a method for delivering UVA light to the mouth in which a photocatalytic agent is distributed in the mouth and a UVA light source is located contiguously to the head of the device so that the photocatalytic agent distributed in the mouth is efficiently activated by UVA light produced by the device. The UVA light delivery device of the invention may be, inter alia, a toothbrush, a tongue scraper, an interdental toothbrush, a denture brush, a flossing device, a dental hand tool, or a wand adapted exclusively to applying UVA light to photocatalyst coated surfaces.

Novel gels and articles are formed from one or more copolymers having at least one poly(ethylene) components and high levels of one or more plasticizers, said gels having an amount of crystallinity, glassy components, and selected plasticizers sufficient to achieve improvements in one or more physical properties including improved crack propagation resistance, improved tear resistance, improved resistance to fatigue, resistance to catastrophic failure, and exhibiting high strain under elongations not obtainable in amorphous gels which high strain making the gel suitable for use as film layers for artificial muscles.

Disclosed are coated multifilament dental devices overcoated with biofilm-responsive, imbedded, particulate abrasives.

Monofilament dental floss/tape of polymer material including fluoride and polishing powder the dental floss/tape (1) being ribbon-shaped and having material properties that enable it to be stretched to increase its length by at least 100% and also to reduce its cross-sectional area by up to ten times, and also a method fot the use of monofilament polymer dental floss/tape (1) by preparing a suitable length of dental floss/tape (1) for cleaning the teeth , by extending it to a reduce cross section so that the area of the whole piece of floss/tape can thereafter be used to clean the teeth distally and/or mesially.

A dental appliance has an auxiliary feature bonded to a polymeric surface of a shell body with a compartment for receiving teeth. The auxiliary feature is bonded with a light-curable acrylic adhesive comprising acrylate base material and photoinitiator. Auxiliary features include colored layers and, decals, reinforcing features and auxiliary dental devices. A light-curable acrylic adhesive may include a thiol monomer and/or a pigment. A dental appliance may have a shell body with a bonding surface adapted for attachment of an auxiliary feature, such as prepared by a pretreatment to mar the surface of to impregnate the surface with a reactive adhesion promoter.

PCT No. PCT/US94/04278 Sec. 371 Date May 14, 1996 Sec. 102(e) Date May 14, 1996 PCT Filed Apr. 19, 1994 PCT Pub. No. WO95/13851 PCT Pub. Date May 26, 1995Dynamic, spinning, twisting string toys referred to as "humdingers" are disclosed. The toys include at least one highly elastic gel body having at least two holes extending through the body along a selected axis of rotation. The holes are treaded with a string(s) which are twisted and untwisted alternatively by the pulling and releasing action of the strings. The holes are provided with means to resist the shearing forces of the twisting strings. The dynamic effect of the extreme high centrifugal and shearing forces generated during play causes the gel bodies to change shape during spinning. Soft gels or low strength materials can also be substituted in place of the highly elastic gel body provide the body reinforced with shear resistant means to prevent cutting by the twisting and untwisting actions of the string(s).

Embodied in the flexile forms of both an endless-loop and as a linear-tape, a unique tooth flossing device for cleaning away bacteria between the teeth is set forth. Comprised of a nontoxic extrusion-molded thermo-plastic polyurethane having particular properties of excellent elasticity, almost film-like guage of thickness, and a natural random surface-texture serving to aid the flossing procedure. In use, a FLOSS-LOOP(TM) is simply held in the user's thumb-&-forefinger of both hands, so as to pre-stretch "thin" that portion to be slid vertically between the teeth. The exceptionally high stretched tensile-strength of this device enables it to endure the duress of insertion between the teeth, yet once interposed interstitially adjacent the gum-line, the release of excess tension upon the tensioned segment of the loop enables it to resume it's natural thickness-guage of approximately 0.325 mm(0.0128-inch). This novel variable-guage capability of the device, making it able to more effectively burnish away substances from the tooth and sulcus of the gum-tissue during it's thicker guage modality; then again be retensioned to approximately only 0.200 mm-guage for easy interstitial removal. Either version of the device may be coated with various agents effective in combating diseases of the teeth and gums.

The present invention provides an article, at least part of it being coated by inorganic fullerene-like (IF) nanoparticles or composite containing such nanoparticles. Preferably, the invention provides an article made of metal, for use in dentistry or medicine e.g. archwire, needle or catheter, having a friction-reducing film, and methods for coating such articles with a friction-reducing film.

A floss pick including a body with a handle and a head having a length of floss therein. The handle defines an aperture with a toothpick member disposed therein. The toothpick member is connected to the handle by first and second bridge members. In a first instance, the bridge members are broken to detach the toothpick member. In a second instance, the bridge members are twisted to pivot the toothpick member from a non-use position to a use position where it is disposed at an angle relative to the body. The toothpick member is pivoted by engaging a terminal end thereof with an index finger of the hand in which the body is held. The angle of the toothpick member relative to the body is adjusted using the index finger to permit picking of the teeth in any region of the user's mouth without changing hands.

The present invention includes monofilament dental tapes for removing plaque and/or food debris from interdental spaces of a mammal, which dental tapes have a core body with an aspect ratio of greater than about 5:1 and a first cleaning surface and a second cleaning surface opposite the first cleaning surface, where at least one of the first and second cleaning surfaces includes a plurality of ribs disposed along the length thereof, and where the ratio of the width of the dental tape to the thickness of the dental tape is from about 4:1 to about 25:1.

The present invention provides an advanced water flosser utilizing a direct water source, such as, but not limited to, an attachment to a shower head, that also may embody a reservoir and/or compartment capable of introducing other desirable substances designed to enhance the teeth cleaning process, such as, but not limited to fluoride, antibiotics, mouthwash, whiteners and the like.

Dental floss that includes at least one filament made of spider silk.

A shred resistant, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, micromesh interproximal device produced by fibrillating and slitting stretched polyethylene film having a tensile-strength from between about 0.7 GPa and about 5 GPa, where said polyethylene has an intrinsic viscosity of from between about 5 and about 50 dl/g and wherein said resultant micromesh tape is coated with an oral care substance at from between about 10 and about 120 mg/yd.

A device for the application of light treatment at a body structure is provided. The device could also be referred to as (dental) floss and be used for body structures in an oral cavity. The device distinguishes a container and a filament. The container hosts one or more light sources each capable of delivering a light beam with a unique light treatment. A user could select between the different light sources and/or parameters. The filament is a strand or fiber of a material transparent to the light beam. The filament is optically connected to a light source (or selected light source) such that the light beam could radiate through the filament at a body structure. The filament could be used in direct or not in direct contact with a body surface as long as the light treatment can be applied to the body structure.

A dental flossing device is characterized by a flossing circuit comprised of a flossing supply spool and a take-up spool mounted to a housing. The floss feeds from the supply spool along a pair of prongs forming a fork extension of the handle and is stretched across the prongs and appropriately tensioned to be inserted into a users mouth for flossing. To maintain tension, a pair of ratchet pawls are jointly engageable with a ratchet mounted for co-rotation with the take-up spool. The pawls are offset relative to the ratchet teeth to ensure appropriate tension. Tension on the supply spool side of the flosser is achieved with a tension arm in constant engagement with tension teeth co-rotatably mounted with the spool. When a floss advancing trigger is not depressed, a brake pawl formed at one end of the trigger is spring biased into locking engagement with these teeth while the tension arm assures proper tension on the supply side. In an alternative preferred embodiment, only one tensioning ratchet pawl engages the ratchet mounted for co-rotation with the take-up spool. A different ratchet pawl, mounted to one end of a ratchet arm pivotally secured to the flosser housing beneath the ratchet, is engaged by the trigger to drivingly contact the ratchet to rotate the take-up spool. In this latter embodiment, the brake pawl is replaced with a projection formed on the trigger that is adapted to engage the supply spool tensioning ratchet to lock the ratchet in the released position of the trigger to prevent supply spool rotation and maintain the floss circuit in a tight condition.

A dental floss holder including: a base portion; a pair of spaced-apart jaws extending from the base portion to accommodate a length of dental floss there-between; the spaced-apart jaws having at least one cavity for loading a composition containing flavor and/or a chemotherapeutic agent; and at least one flange for each cavity is disclosed. The dental floss holder provides an improved means for retaining flavor and or chemotherapeutic compositions within the cavity until the dental floss holder is used.