Abstract: Bristle tuft assemblies and associated fabrication methods are disclosed. One disclosed bristle tuft assembly comprises a bristle tuft, a retention material and a support surface. The support surface is permeable to the retention material when the retention material is in a molten state. The retention material is fused into the support surface. The bristle tuft is connected to the support surface via the retention material.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to oral care implements and device and their methods of manufacture. A disclosed oral care implement includes a substrate having a first mounting surface and a second surface which is different than the first mounting surface, and a plurality of oral care elements extending from the first mounting surface. The oral care elements each form at least one return path through the first mounting surface. The plurality of oral care elements are attached to the second surface.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are disclosed for simultaneously cleaning multiple teeth, such as one or both dental arches are disclosed. The Dental Cleaning Apparatus includes a cleaning engine enclosed in a main housing, a fluid tube, and a mouthpiece. The cleaning engine includes a fluid circuit having a number of pumps and solenoid valves, and a programmable controller to control the solenoid valves and other operations. The fluid tube includes a number of separate tubes for injection and evacuation of cleaning fluid from the interior of the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is generally made from a flexible and supple material, such as silicone, and may have bristles of various shapes. The cleaning engine alternates the mouthpiece between a relaxation state and a contraction state to effectively scrub the surface of all enclosed teeth simultaneously. It may automatically learn and adjust the vacuum pressure needed for each user to optimize cleaning.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are disclosed for simultaneously cleaning multiple teeth, such as one or both dental arches. The Dental Cleaning Apparatus (DCA) includes a cleaning engine enclosed in a main housing, a fluid tube, and a mouthpiece. The cleaning engine includes a fluid circuit having a number of pumps and solenoid valves, and a programmable controller to control the solenoid valves and other operations. The fluid tube includes a number of separate tubes for injection and evacuation of cleaning fluid from the interior of mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is generally made from a flexible and supple material, such as silicone, and may have bristles of various shapes. The cleaning engine alternates the mouthpiece between a relaxation state and a contraction state to effectively scrub the surface of all enclosed teeth simultaneously. It may automatically learn and adjust the vacuum pressure needed for each user to optimize cleaning.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to oral care appliances and methods of forming oral care appliances. A disclosed oral care mouthpiece includes a flexible membrane and a set of oral care elements attached to the flexible membrane. The set of oral care elements have a composition with a hardness of at least 50 Shore Type A (shA). Each oral care elements in the set of oral care elements has a minimum stiffness value higher than 4×10?8 newton meters and lower than 6×10?3 newton meters. The stiffness value and hardness of the oral care elements are both critical values for the disclosed appliances and methods. The stiffness value can be expressed as the product of the Young modulus of the oral care element and the moment of inertia of the oral care element divided by the length of the oral care element.

Abstract: An oral care appliance and a method of use are disclosed. The oral care appliance includes a mouthpiece with one or more enclosed compartments between an outer surface and an inner surface of the mouthpiece. The inner surface comprises at least one flexible membrane surrounding the one or more enclosed compartments. The oral care appliance also includes a control unit configured to regulate pressure variations in the one or more enclosed compartments to deform the flexible membrane and thereby perform an oral care action.

Abstract: A device for cleaning teeth, allows the simultaneous cleaning of the teeth of at least one arch. The device includes: a single or a double arc-shaped tray which can enclose the teeth of one arch or both arches at once and which, via the free edge(s) thereof, can be fitted to the corresponding gum or gums, the tray made from a flexible material allows reversible deformation and is compatible with medical use; and fluid-injection/-removal elements for injecting fluid into the tray and removing fluid from the interior thereof. Once the tray is in place on the teeth, the fluid-injection/-removal elements subject them to repeated cycles of fluid injection/removal to clean the teeth by the combined action, within the tray, of fluid circulation over and between the teeth and mechanical action of the tray's internal surface on the teeth, resulting from the deformation of the tray during the injection/removal cycles.

Abstract: A device for cleaning teeth, allows the simultaneous cleaning of the teeth of at least one arch. The device includes: a single or a double arc-shaped tray which can enclose the teeth of one arch or both arches at once and which, via the free edge(s) thereof, can be fitted to the corresponding gum or gums, the tray made from a flexible material allows reversible deformation and is compatible with medical use; and fluid-injection/-removal elements for injecting fluid into the tray and removing fluid from the interior thereof. Once the tray is in place on the teeth, the fluid-injection/-removal elements subject them to repeated cycles of fluid injection/removal to clean the teeth by the combined action, within the tray, of fluid circulation over and between the teeth and mechanical action of the tray's internal surface on the teeth, resulting from the deformation of the tray during the injection/removal cycles.