HK1077489A - Tooth whitening means - Google Patents

Description

Tooth whitening tool

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a tooth whitening tool, and more particularly, to a tooth whitening tool which can achieve the effect of whitening teeth through a simple and economical process of whitening and polishing teeth without the assistance or application of a dental professional.

Background

Teeth can become soiled as they come into contact with coffee, tea, juice, tobacco or other food. There are three basic methods for removing this layer of stain and whitening teeth. The first method, which requires one or more visits to a dentist's office to clean the teeth with the dentist's expertise; the second method, which is the user applying a household type bleaching kit at home; the third method is to slowly whiten the teeth by using the whitening toothpaste, and the effect of whitening the teeth is achieved along with the habitual tooth brushing which is accumulated in the day and the month.

The first method is the most expensive, but most effective. Rinsing and bleaching the teeth on a chair requires one or more visits to the dental office, each visit possibly taking from 30 minutes to an hour. During the bleaching treatment period of the treatment chair, a dentist applies protective glue on the gum or a rubber sleeve to protect the soft tissues of the oral cavity and then applies bleaching agent on the teeth. Some procedures may utilize special light such as laser light to enhance the action of the bleaching agent. The first method requires time to be set aside for meeting the dentist one or more times in the course of work or regular daily trips, requires the patient to visit the dentist's office for diagnosis and treatment, takes 30 minutes to one hour in the course of treatment, does not involve waiting time, and requires a large amount of cost for the course of treatment.

The second method is much more economical than the visit to a dental office, where the user can purchase a home-type bleaching kit from a local pharmacy or bureau counter and perform the prophy procedure at home. These products contain hydrogen peroxide and bleach tooth enamel, and most of these products rely on a proportion of a carboxamide peroxide as a bleaching agent, typically at commercial concentrations of 10%, 16% and 22%. These products are typically marketed as gels and placed in mouth guards, with the actual mode of application varying from product to product. Some products are used twice a day for about two weeks, and some are used overnight for one to two worshipments. If the home-use bleaching kit is purchased at a dental office, the dental practitioner may provide a custom-made mouth guard, which may be annoying to the user for several different side effects. During use of the bleaching solution by the user, the teeth may become sensitive and some users may experience irritation of the soft tissue because the mouth guard is not mouth-shaped or because of the solution in contact with the soft tissue. Furthermore, the whitening effect of this method is slow and requires continuous contact with the bleaching agent for several hours at a time, and also requires the delicate process of applying the bleaching agent to a typical mouth guard and placing the guard in the mouth of the user for several hours, which can be very uncomfortable to wear if the dentist does not have the proper mouth guard (which is an expensive procedure). In addition, the conventional mouth guard may cause irritation to the gums if not properly installed.

The third method is least effective but also least expensive. All toothpastes can help remove stains from the tooth surfaces during a mild polishing action. Some toothpastes that emphasize whitening have special chemical or polishing agents to provide additional soil removal, however, this method is minimally effective and requires daily use and duration.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a low cost tooth whitening tool that does not require the assistance and application of a professional.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tooth whitening means in which the applicator tip is easily manipulated within the limited confines of the mouth and can contact all surface areas of each tooth.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a tooth whitening means which is quick and simple to apply and which is effective positively for about 7 to 24 days depending on the severity and type of the stain.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tooth whitening tool that leaves a smooth and shiny surface on the tooth surface after each cleaning.

The present invention is a tooth whitening tool that utilizes a simple and economical process of whitening and polishing teeth without the assistance or application of a dental professional. The present invention comprises a cotton swab applicator containing a liquid activator of a tooth whitening compound in its hollow structure, the tooth whitening compound being in the form of a solid powder, the liquid activator being released into the tip of the cotton swab applicator and into contact with the solid powder tooth whitening compound, and the cotton swab applicator being applied to the surface of the teeth to whiten and polish the teeth.

The liquid activator may comprise pure water, or may comprise a solution of glycerin and artificial or natural flavoring in water in a predetermined ratio. The tooth whitening compound comprises a mixture of magnesium peroxide and aluminum oxide in a predetermined ratio.

The technical contents and effects of the present invention will be further understood by referring to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view showing a preferred embodiment of the tooth whitening means of the present invention.

(the main part represents a symbol)

1 hollow tube housing

2 absorbent tip

3 activating agent

4 tooth whitening compound

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, there is provided a tooth whitening tool comprising a cotton swab applicator having a hollow tube housing 1, the hollow tube housing 1 having one or two absorbent tips 2, the tips 2 being connected to one or both ends of the hollow tube housing 1, wherein the hollow tube housing 1 includes an activator 3 in liquid form in contact with a tooth whitening compound 4 in solid powder form. The preferred embodiment of the present invention uses a cotton stick applicator manufactured and sold by Swaplus corporation of Rancho, california, however, other cotton stick applicator designs that allow the liquid active agent 3 to be loaded into the hollow tube housing 1 and released to the absorbent tip 2 may be used.

The liquid activator 3 in the hollow tube housing 1 can be water, deionized water or a solution of water and a compatible aqueous composition such as glycerin, which can extend the contact time with the tooth whitening compound 4 and compensate for the dilution effect of saliva. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the solution comprises 50% water, 49.9% glycerol and 0.1% artificial or natural perfume.

The tooth whitening compound 4 is a mixture of solid peroxide and alumina, and in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the tooth whitening compound 4 is a mixture of magnesium peroxide and alumina in a ratio of 85% magnesium peroxide and 15% alumina. Magnesium peroxide is an oxidizing agent that whitens teeth, and aluminum oxide is a polishing agent that cleans and polishes the surfaces of teeth.

When the liquid active agent 3 in the hollow casing 1 is released to the absorbent tip 2 of the cotton swab applicator and absorbed by the absorbent tip 2, the absorbent tip 2 is filled with the active agent 3; by physical contact with the tooth whitening compound 4 powder by the absorbent tip 2 of a saturated cotton swab applicator, the saturated absorbent tip 2 will adhere to the tooth whitening compound 4 and the activator 3 in the absorbent tip 2 will react with the tooth whitening compound and activate the magnesium peroxide. The activated tooth whitening compound is then rubbed onto the tooth surface to whiten and polish the tooth surface. The activated magnesium peroxide oxidizes the stain and whitens the teeth, while the aluminum oxide acts as a polishing agent to clean and polish the surface of the teeth to a smooth, shiny surface. All the compositions of the present invention are safe to human body.

The present invention has the advantages of very low cost and no need for professional administration. The applicator tip 2 is easily maneuverable within the limited confines of the mouth and can contact all surface areas of each tooth. The tooth whitening means can be applied quickly and easily and, depending on the severity and type of the stain, can be effective positively in about 7 to 24 days. After each cleaning, the tooth surface is left with a smooth and shiny surface.

The detailed description is specific to one possible embodiment of the invention, but the embodiment is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, and all equivalent implementations or modifications that do not depart from the technical spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

Claims (12)

1. A tooth whitening implement, comprising:

a cotton swab applicator comprising a hollow housing having one or more absorbent tips and filled with an active agent in liquid form; and

a tooth whitening compound in the form of a solid powder;

the liquid activator is released into the absorbent tip of the cotton swab applicator and the absorbent tip with the liquid activator is then contacted with a solid powder of a tooth whitening compound to activate the tooth whitening compound and the activated tooth whitening compound is applied to the surface of the tooth by the cotton swab applicator to whiten and polish the surface of the tooth.

2. The tooth whitening means of claim 1, wherein the activator is water and the tooth whitening compound is a mixture of magnesium peroxide and aluminum oxide in a predetermined ratio.

3. The tooth whitening means of claim 1, wherein the activator is an aqueous compatible composition in solution with water in a predetermined ratio to extend contact time with the tooth whitening compound and to compensate for the diluting effect of saliva, and the tooth whitening compound is a mixture of magnesium peroxide and aluminum oxide in a predetermined ratio.

4. The tooth whitening means of claim 1, wherein the activator is a solution of glycerin and an artificial or natural flavoring in water in a predetermined ratio, and the tooth whitening compound is a mixture of magnesium peroxide and aluminum oxide in a predetermined ratio.

5. The tooth whitening means of claim 4, wherein the solution comprises 50% water, 49.9% glycerin, and 0.1% artificial or natural flavoring.

6. A tooth whitening means as in claim 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the mixture comprises 85% magnesium peroxide and 15% aluminum oxide.

7. A method for whitening teeth, comprising the steps of:

the method comprises the following steps: filling a liquid activating agent in a hollow housing of a cotton swab applicator having one or more absorbent tips prior to releasing the liquid activating agent to the absorbent tips of the cotton swab applicator;

step two: contacting the absorbent tip with the active agent with a tooth whitening compound in solid powder form to activate the tooth whitening compound;

step three: the tooth whitening compound is applied to the tooth surface by the absorbent tip of the cotton swab applicator to whiten and polish the tooth surface with the tooth whitening compound.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the activator is water and the tooth whitening compound is a mixture of magnesium peroxide and aluminum oxide in a predetermined ratio.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the activator is a compatible aqueous composition in solution with water in a predetermined ratio to extend contact time with the tooth whitening compound and to compensate for the diluting effect of saliva, and the tooth whitening compound is a mixture of magnesium peroxide and aluminum oxide in a predetermined ratio.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the activator is a solution of glycerin and artificial or natural flavoring in water in a predetermined ratio, and the tooth whitening compound is a mixture of magnesium peroxide and aluminum oxide in a predetermined ratio.

11. A method of tooth whitening as claimed in claim 10, wherein the solution comprises 50% water, 49.9% glycerin and 0.1% artificial or natural flavoring.

12. A tooth whitening means as in claims 8, 9, 10 or 11, wherein the mixture comprises 85% magnesium peroxide and 15% aluminum oxide.