Personal oral hygiene tool
First Claim
1. A dental tool for personal oral hygiene comprising a pick, the pick having a stem and an arcuate zone projecting from the stem and terminating at a tip, the tip extending along a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the stem and projecting beyond the stem axis a distance up to but not significantly greater than three millimeters, the pick being formed of a resilient material, the material having a diameter in the order of one millimeter at the arcuate zone and tapering to a smaller diameter at the tip, the stem diameter being larger than the material diameter at the arcuate zone, the arcuate zone being anatomically configured to be accommodatingly received around curved tooth surfaces and including a longitudinal span of between substantially ten to fifteen millimeters, the tip passing between interproximal spaces formed between adjacent teeth in the user'"'"'s mouth with the pick contoured to avoid interference with adjacent teeth to thereby efficaciously remove materials lodged in such interproximal spaces, the tool further including an elongate cylindrical holder, means securing the pick at one end of the holder and a cap, the cap selectively covering the pick when not in use, the holder and the cap being configured in simulation of a writing implement whereby the tool may be inconspicuously carried about.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A dental tool for personal oral hygiene includes a pen barrel shaped holder which carries a curved metal pick. The pick includes an arcuate zone ending at a tapered tip. A cap selectively covers the pick when the tool is not in use to simulate a writing implement. Opposite the tip, the pick includes a stem which is seated in the holder. The pick is formed of a stainless resilient metal alloy having a diameter in the order of one millimeter. The arcuate zone is employed to dislodge food or debris from pockets or interproximal spaces at both the mesial and distal areas of the oral cavity with the tip functioning as a probe. The convex surface of the arcuate zone is employed as a burnishing implement for the removal of soft plaque.
-
Citations
5 Claims
- 1. A dental tool for personal oral hygiene comprising a pick, the pick having a stem and an arcuate zone projecting from the stem and terminating at a tip, the tip extending along a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the stem and projecting beyond the stem axis a distance up to but not significantly greater than three millimeters, the pick being formed of a resilient material, the material having a diameter in the order of one millimeter at the arcuate zone and tapering to a smaller diameter at the tip, the stem diameter being larger than the material diameter at the arcuate zone, the arcuate zone being anatomically configured to be accommodatingly received around curved tooth surfaces and including a longitudinal span of between substantially ten to fifteen millimeters, the tip passing between interproximal spaces formed between adjacent teeth in the user'"'"'s mouth with the pick contoured to avoid interference with adjacent teeth to thereby efficaciously remove materials lodged in such interproximal spaces, the tool further including an elongate cylindrical holder, means securing the pick at one end of the holder and a cap, the cap selectively covering the pick when not in use, the holder and the cap being configured in simulation of a writing implement whereby the tool may be inconspicuously carried about.
Specification