WO2012108860A1

WO2012108860A1 - Dental implement made from palm leaflet

Info

Publication number: WO2012108860A1
Application number: PCT/US2011/023891
Authority: WO
Inventors: Laurence B. BROWN
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-02-07
Filing date: 2011-02-07
Publication date: 2012-08-16
Anticipated expiration: 2013-08-07

Abstract

A dental implement usable as dental floss that can be manipulated while held in one hand includes an elongate body cut from dried palm leaflet.

Description

DENTAL IMPLEMENT MADE FROM PALM LEAFLET

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to dental implements used for removing foods or film from between teeth.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Dental implements such as toothpicks and dental floss are used to remove food trapped between the teeth, and to remove films from tooth surfaces that may harden into plaque.

Toothpicks are commonly made of wood or plastic. Toothpicks are often manufactured with sharp ends that press against the gum or cheek and cause pain during use. Wood toothpicks may splinter or separate into fibers, leaving wood trapped between the teeth. Toothpicks remove larger food particles trapped between the teeth, but tend to compress smaller food particles against the teeth instead of removing them. And toothpicks often cannot fit between closely- spaced teeth .

Because of the shortcomings of toothpicks, dental floss is preferred over toothpicks for dental hygiene. Dental floss is typically made from a nylon or plastic non-biodegradable filament. Many users, including children, rheumatics, and the elderly find dental floss difficult and slippery to hold and difficult to manipulate with both hands during use. Floss holders are available, but add expense and waste, and some reloadable holders are difficult to reload.

Thus there is a need for an improved dental implement to remove food and film from between the teeth that does not have the shortcomings of conventional toothpicks and dental floss. The dental implement is preferably made from a biodegradable material that is readily available.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is an improved dental implement that can be used as a toothpick or as dental floss to remove food and film from between the teeth. The dental implement of the present invention is preferably formed entirely of dried palm leaflet and so is entirely biodegradeable . Palm leaflets are readily available at low cost.

Plants of the palm family Arecaceae (Palmae) have leaves that are made up of a large number of leaflets extending from a central rib or midstalk attaching the leaf to the plant ' s trunk. Figure 2 illustrates for illustration and not limitation a mature date palm Phoenix Dactylifera L. 100, the palm 100 having a number of leaves 112 extending away from a generally vertical trunk 114. Each date palm leaf 112 has typically 100-200 leaflets 116 that are spaced along and extend from opposite sides of a leaf midstalk 118. Each leaflet 116 is an elongate body that varies in length from about 15 to 100 centimeters and varies in width from about 1 to 6 centimeters. Other palms have similar leaflets.

The applicant has discovered that the leaflet of a palm is a fibrous material having unique tensile properties that make the palm leaflet material well suited for the manufacture of dental implements for cleaning food and film from between the teeth. The material has sufficient stiffness and rigidity to retain its shape, thereby enabling the dental implement to be held in one hand during use. Yet the material has sufficient flexibility to bend and deform around the curved surfaces of the teeth. The material fibers are naturally rough and can scour inter-dental tooth surfaces to remove film, yet are soft enough to scour the teeth without damage.

A dental implement in accordance with the present invention preferably consists only of dried palm leaflet. A leaflet is dried, and the dried leaflet is cut to the desired length and width to form the dental implement. For example, the dental implement may be cut to be similar in length and width to a toothpick, about eight centimeters (three inches) long and about three millimeters (one-eighth inch) wide. The thickness of the dental implement is preferably the same as the palm leaflet.

In preferred embodiments the leaflet is a date palm leaflet or coconut palm (Cocos Nucifera) leaflet, but similar palm leaflets can be used for making the dental implements of the present invention.

The resulting dental implement has many advantages over conventional toothpicks and dental floss. The dental implement has a ribbon- like shape, being sufficiently thin to completely penetrate the interdental space between even closely- spaced teeth and remove food particles without compressing the particles against the teeth. The dental implement can be handled in one hand like a toothpick, yet has sufficient flexibility to bend around and scour the sides of the teeth like dental floss. The palm leaflet material does not form a sharp point, and shreds without splintering into harmless threads that are not trapped between the teeth. The dental implement is made entirely from a non-toxic, biodegradable material so disposal is trivial. Furthermore, the resulting dental implement is aesthetically pleasing and permits flossing in public wherever public use of a toothpick is acceptable.

Palm leaves are a readily available resource. A cultivated date palm may have 12-30 leaves cut from it annually, and there are literally millions of cultivated date palms worldwide, with many cultivated date palms in the United States. Many dental implements of the present invention can be manufactured from the leaves of a single tree. The present invention provides an additional market for the cut palm leaves, encouraging a carbon-neutral recycling of the discarded palm leaves.

The invention is described in the attached drawing sheet that illustrates an embodiment of the dental implement in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Figure 1 is a top view of a dental implement in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 2 is an elevation view of a date palm.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Figure 1 illustrates a dental implement 10 in accordance with the present invention. The dental implement 10 consists of an elongate body cut from a dried date palm leaflet, that is, a dried leaflet having its moisture content substantially in equilibrium with the ambient air. The illustrated implement 10, for purposes of illustration and not limitation, is about eight centimeters in length and about three millimeters wide. The dental implement 10 can be manufactured in different widths or lengths but should be sized to fit between the teeth and have sufficient rigidity and stiffness to be manipulated with one hand for inserting between the teeth and flossing.

The implement 10 extends in a length dimension between opposite end surfaces 12, 14 that are formed by cutting or shearing the palm leaflet substantially transverse to the length direction of the leaflet. The opposite side surfaces 16, 18 are cut or stripped from the leaflet to be substantially perpendicular to the ends 12, 14. As a result, the implement 10 includes substantially parallel palm leaflet fibers 20 extending along the length of the implement 10. The thickness of the illustrated dental implement 10 is the same as the dried leaflet, that is, the top and bottom surfaces 22, 24 of the implement 10 were also the top and bottom outer surfaces of the palm leaflet. Pointed or rounded ends can be provided if desired.

The dental implement 10 can be cut from a leaflet using scissors, shears, or any other suitable cutting implement or cutting/shearing technology.

The dental implement 10 is preferably used in a manner similar to that of a conventional toothpick or conventional dental floss for good dental hygiene. An end 12, 14 of the dental implement 10 is inserted into the interdental space between a pair of teeth to remove food from between the teeth. The sides 16, 18 of the dental implement 10 are rubbed against the sides of the teeth to scour the teeth and remove food and film from the tooth surfaces. The dental implement 10 is discarded after use. The illustrated dental implement 10 is formed from a dried date palm leaflet. Other types of palm leaflets, including without limitation, coconut palm leaflets, can be used to manufacture dental implements in accordance with the present invention.

The illustrated dental implement 10 can also be used for the dental hygiene of animals, such as dogs, cats, and other toothed animals.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the specific details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

Claims

WO 2012/108860 " ' " PCT/US2011/023891 CLAIMS

1. A dental implement consisting of an elongate body produced from a palm leaflet.

2. The dental implement of claim 1 wherein the elongate body is produced from a dried palm leaflet.

3. The dental implement of claims 1 or 2 wherein the elongate body is produced from a coconut palm leaflet or a date palm leaflet.

4. The dental implement of any of the preceding claims wherein the elongate body has a surface cut or sheared from the palm leaflet.

5. The dental implement of any of the preceding claims wherein the elongate body extends along a length dimension and includes palm leaflet fibers, the fibers extending substantially parallel to the length dimension.

6. The dental implement of any of the preceding claims wherein the elongate body has top and bottom surfaces being outer surfaces of the palm leaflet.

7. A method of making a dental implement comprising forming an elongate body from a palm leaflet.

8. The method of making a dental implement of claim 7 including the step of drying the palm leaflet.

9. The method of making a dental implement of claim 7 or 8 including the step of cutting or shearing the palm leaflet.

10. The method of making a dental implement of claim 9 wherein the palm leaflet has a length dimension along an axis, and including the step of cutting or shearing the palm leaflet in a direction substantially perpendicular to the leaflet axis . WO 2012/108860 ^" ° ^" PCT/US2011/023891

11. The method of making a dental implement of any of the preceding claims wherein the palm leaflet is a date palm leaflet or a coconut palm leaflet.

12. A method of dental hygiene comprising the step of:

(a) inserting an elongate body formed from palm leaflet into an interdental space between a pair of teeth.

13. The method of claim 12 including the step of:

(b) rubbing the body against a side of at least one of the pair of teeth.

14. The method of claim 12 or claim 13 wherein the teeth are human teeth.

15. The method of claim 12 or claim 13 wherein the teeth are animal teeth.