Abstract: A tooth whitening apparatus which includes a container having a cavity containing a tooth whitening composition and an applicator assembly which includes a cap, a rod member coupled to the cap and protruding from a bottom end of the cap and having a longitudinal axis, an outer surface, and a distal portion, and an applicator tip coupled to the distal portion of the rod member. The applicator assembly is alterable between: (1) an attached state whereby the cavity of the container is sealed; and (2) a detached state whereby the applicator assembly is separated from the container to apply the tooth whitening composition onto a user's teeth. The outer surface of the rod member includes at least one vent groove that is elongated in a direction of the longitudinal axis to reduce a pressure in the cavity of the container when altering the applicator assembly into the attached state.

Abstract: A process for electrochemically whitening a tooth, the process including: a) contacting the tooth with a whitening gel having a first pH, the whitening gel located in a dental device comprising a positive electrode and a negative electrode; b) flowing a current between the positive electrode and the negative electrode through whitening gel to whitening the tooth such that the whitening gel transitions from the first pH to a second pH; c) irradiating the tooth with light emitted from a light source present on the dental device; wherein the whitening gel comprises a peroxide source; an electrolyte source; and wherein the second pH is greater than the first pH.

Abstract: An oral care implement with fluid dispensing system includes a head, handle, and intermediate neck. The head comprises plural tooth cleaning elements. A reservoir containing oral care fluid is fluidly coupled to an elastomeric valve nested between a pair of longitudinally spaced protective lamellas on the head. A depressible actuator button operates to dispense the oral care fluid from the reservoir through the valve to the tooth cleaning elements. The protective lamellas formed of elastomeric material are foldable to alternating cover the valve to prevent ingress of external fluids in the oral cavity of the user into the valve to minimize fouling of the fluid dispensing system. Laterally open areas between the lamella allow the oral care fluid to migrate outwards to the tooth cleaning elements. To control the dosage of oral care fluid dispensed, a modular system comprising interchangeable spacer inserts is usable to change and customize the dosage.

Abstract: A tooth sensitivity treatment device and an applicator tip thereof. The tooth sensitivity treatment device may be configured to dispense a sensitivity formulation onto a user's teeth. The tooth sensitivity treatment device may further be configured to massage the sensitivity formulation onto the user's teeth after dispensing. The applicator may have a bottom end, a top end, and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween. The applicator may include an application portion that is not intersected by the longitudinal axis. The application portion may have an outer surface that is oriented at an oblique angle relative to the longitudinal axis. The applicator may include a resilient material component and a rigid material component that are integrally coupled together. The resilient material component may form the entirety of the application portion to increase flexibility while massaging the sensitivity formulation onto the user's teeth.

Abstract: An oral cavity treatment device which may include a mouthpiece and a power cord which extends from the mouthpiece to a plug. The power cord may be coupled to an electronic device, such as a phone or computer, to provide power to the oral cavity treatment device. The mouthpiece may include a lamp having light emitters on a flexible sheet and a lens member covering the lamp. The light emitters may be provided in staggered rows to ensure adequate tooth coverage during use. The lens may include bite protrusions positioned on opposing ends of the lens. The lens may be incredibly flexible to accommodate any mouth shape. There may be a control unit with a power button and processor located at a position along the power cord that is closer to the plug than to the mouthpiece for enhanced comfort.

Abstract: An oral care implement for dispensing an oral care agent includes a housing, reservoir therein containing an oral care fluid, and an electrical circuit comprising first and second electrodes connected to an onboard power source. Each electrode is in contact with the oral care fluid in the housing. An actuator, operably coupled to the power source, is configured to both selectively energize the circuit and activate dispensing of the oral care fluid. An electrical charge is applied to the oral care fluid by activating the actuator when dispensing the oral care fluid. When the fluid comprises a peroxide based tooth whitening agent, the dispensed fluid pH is increased by the electrical charge which improves the efficacy of the whitener. In one embodiment, the implement is a modular system including a powered base unit and one or more interchangeable cartridges each having a reservoir containing an oral care fluid.

Abstract: An oral care device may include: a body including a head; a plurality of teeth cleaning elements extending from the head; a first electrode on the head; a second electrode on the head and spaced apart from the first electrode, wherein at least one of the first and second electrodes is a sacrificial electrode; a power source; and a controller configured to operably couple the power source to the first and second electrodes to create an electric potential between the first and second electrodes so that ions are released from the sacrificial electrode during a brushing session; wherein the controller is configured to change a magnitude of the electric potential the brushing session ends.

Abstract: An oral care implement that dispenses an oral care agent during use and a method of assembling such an oral care implement. The method may include contacting a suction tool to a supporting member and then contacting the supporting member to a dissolvable element to form a sub-assembly. Next, the sub-assembly may be inserted into a cavity of a head portion of an oral care implement. Then, the suction force applied by the suction tool onto the sub-assembly may be released to leave the sub-assembly in the cavity of the head portion. Finally, an oral cleaning member may be coupled to the head portion of the oral care implement.

Abstract: A method of priming an applicator of a personal care implement with a fluid. The method may include flowing a fluid along a first capillary member from a reservoir of a fluid supply system to an applicator of a personal care implement along a first fluid flow path, and flowing the fluid along a second capillary member from the reservoir of the fluid supply system to the applicator of the personal care implement along a second fluid flow path that is distinct from the first flow path. In one aspect, the fluid flowing along the second fluid flow path reaches the applicator before the fluid flowing along the first fluid flow path. In another aspect, the first capillary member is formed of a non-absorbent material and the second capillary member is formed of an absorbent material.

Abstract: An oral care process which includes initiating a first operational sequence which includes generating an electric potential between a first sacrificial electrode and a second sacrificial electrode, the electric potential in the first operational sequence beginning with one of a first polarity and a second polarity, stopping the first operational sequence, and commencing a second operational sequence which includes generating the electric potential between the first sacrificial electrode and the second sacrificial electrode. The electric potential in the second operational sequence may begin with the other of the first polarity and the second polarity. The electric potential may be alternated between the first polarity and the second polarity at predetermined intervals during at least one of the first operational sequence and the second operational sequence.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are oral care compositions useful for whitening teeth. The oral care composition may comprise a peroxide source present in an amount to provide from about 0.01 to about 1 wt.% peroxide; a base in an amount up to about 5 wt.%; benzyl alcohol present in an amount from about 0.2 to about 1 wt.%, wherein the oral care composition has a pH of about 8 to about 12 and all weight percentages are based on the total weight of the oral care composition. Methods of making and using the oral care compositions are also provided.

Abstract: An oral treatment device and a method of using the same. The oral treatment device includes an intraoral mouthpiece configured for placement into a mouth of a user. The intraoral mouthpiece includes an arcuate wall having a front surface and a bite platform extending from the front surface. Furthermore, there is an alignment feature located on the bite platform to facilitate consistent positioning of the intraoral mouthpiece within the user's mouth in a repeatable manner. The alignment feature may have a top surface that is inclined upwardly moving in a direction away from the front surface of the arcuate wall. The intraoral mouthpiece may also include a color measurement sensor for obtaining a color measurement of a tooth of the user.

Abstract: An oral treatment device and a method of using the same. The oral treatment device includes an intraoral mouthpiece configured for placement into a mouth of a user, which includes a lamp having a top edge and a bottom edge, a plurality of first electromagnetic radiation emitting elements that emit light in a first wavelength when activated, and a plurality of second electromagnetic radiation emitting elements that emit light in a second wavelength when activated. The first electromagnetic radiation emitting elements are positioned along the lamp to emit light onto the user's teeth and the second electromagnetic radiation emitting elements are positioned along the lamp to emit light onto the user's teeth.

Abstract: A tooth whitening kit and method of whitening teeth using the same. The method may include applying a tooth whitening composition directly to surfaces of a user's teeth, exposing the surfaces of the user's teeth to ambient air for a first period of time to form a film of the tooth whitening composition on the surfaces of the user's teeth, applying light to the surfaces of the user's teeth for a second period of time while the film of the tooth whitening composition remains on the surfaces of the user's teeth, ceasing application of the light to the surfaces of the user's teeth and leaving the film of the tooth whitening composition on the surfaces of the user's teeth for a third period of time, and removing the film of the tooth whitening composition from the surfaces of the user's teeth.

Abstract: Described herein is an oral care implement comprising: a handle; and a head coupled to the handle, the head comprising a main body and a release component coupled to the main body, the release component comprising: a water-dissolvable matrix comprising a first polymer having a processing temperature greater than or equal to 130° C.; and a release agent comprising at least one of zinc oxide, potassium nitrate, and tetrapotassium pyrophosphate; wherein the release agent is dispersed throughout the water-dissolvable matrix.

Abstract: A method of whitening teeth. The method may include delivering a buffer solution from a reservoir of a toothbrush to one or more tooth cleaning elements of the toothbrush; applying a toothpaste containing a peroxide to the tooth cleaning elements, the toothpaste having a first pH; and brushing the teeth with the tooth cleaning elements, thereby mixing the buffer solution and the toothpaste to form, at surfaces of the teeth, a tooth whitening mixture having a second pH that is greater than the first pH.

Abstract: A method of whitening teeth that decreases the amount of time that the whitening composition is in contact with the teeth. Specifically, by pretreating the whitening composition with light before contacting the teeth with the whitening composition, the amount of time that the whitening composition needs to be in contact with the teeth can be reduced. In one aspect, the method may include dispensing a tooth whitening composition from a reservoir device into a channel of a mouth tray; activating an electromagnetic radiation source to emit light onto the tooth whitening composition in the channel of the mouth tray for a first period of time to pretreat the tooth whitening composition; and inserting the mouth tray into the oral cavity of the user so that the user's teeth are in contact with the tooth whitening composition in the channel for a second period of time to whiten the teeth.

Abstract: An oral care process which includes initiating a first operational sequence which includes generating an electric potential between a first sacrificial electrode and a second sacrificial electrode, the electric potential in the first operational sequence beginning with one of a first polarity and a second polarity, stopping the first operational sequence, and commencing a second operational sequence which includes generating the electric potential between the first sacrificial electrode and the second sacrificial electrode. The electric potential in the second operational sequence may begin with the other of the first polarity and the second polarity. The electric potential may be alternated between the first polarity and the second polarity at predetermined intervals during at least one of the first operational sequence and the second operational sequence.