Granted Patent B2

US 12,458,481 · App. 18/075,804 · Granted Nov 4, 2025

Inventor: Linda Lorraine Hodge (Westminster, CA)

A61C17/3481A61C15/02A61C15/047A61C17/20

Abstract

Claims (16)

1 . A method of cleaning teeth comprising the steps of:

providing a vibration generating handle that includes a handle body that houses a vibration generator, and a mounting post operatively connected to the vibration generator;

providing an interproximal pick device comprising:

an elongate resilient pick that extends from a proximal end to a distal end, the distal end being sized and shaped for cleaning between the teeth;

a rigid tubular housing that extends from a distal end to a bottom proximal end and defines an inner conduit therebetween, the inner conduit having an inner diameter, wherein the inner diameter at the distal end of the rigid tubular housing is smaller than at a central portion of the rigid tubular housing;

wherein the proximal end and a central portion of the elongate resilient pick is are fixedly secured within the inner conduit such that an outer surface of the elongate resilient pick is in contact with an inner surface of the rigid tubular housing and the central portion of the resilient pick defines a shoulder which extends over a distal-most surface of the distal end of the rigid tubular housing adjacent the top end thereby holding the elongate resilient pick within the rigid tubular housing; and

a resilient tube positioned within the proximal end of the inner conduit, the resilient tube being sized and shaped to receive the mounting post, such that vibrations are transmissible through the resilient tube, through the rigid tubular housing, and into the elongate resilient pick, for cleaning between the teeth;

mounting the interproximal pick device on the mounting post of the vibration generating handle such that the mounting post frictionally engages the resilient tube;

inserting the distal end of the interproximal pick between a user's teeth and/or between teeth and gums to clean therebetween.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of actuating a switch of the vibration generating handle, such that vibrations from the mounting post are transmitted through the resilient tube, through the rigid tubular housing, and into the elongate resilient pick, for cleaning between the teeth.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the rigid tubular housing is disposed on an axis, and the elongate resilient pick extends outwardly from the rigid tubular housing at an angle to the axis that is between 10-50 degrees.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the rigid tubular housing is disposed on an axis, and the elongate resilient pick extends outwardly from the rigid tubular housing at an angle to the axis that is about 30 degrees.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the rigid tubular housing is plastic and the resilient inner tube is rubber or silicone.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the interproximal pick device further comprises a pH indicator coating covering at least a portion of the distal end of the elongate resilient pick; and further comprising the step of inserting the interproximal pick device between the user's teeth so that the pH indicator coating is exposed to an environment adjacent the user's teeth and turns color to indicate the pH adjacent the user's teeth.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the distal end of the elongate resilient pick includes a bristled portion that is rubber or silicone and extends about 15 mm in length.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the vibration generator generates sonic vibrations at a frequency of between 20-20,000 Hz.

Continuity (1)

References Cited (26)