A powered toothbrush includes a plurality of rows of bristle tufts that project through a perforated top shell of a hollow toothbrush head. Ends of individual bristles are held in buckets to form the tufts and the bristle ends opposite the bucketed ends are free (where the opposite ends contact the toothbrush user's teeth). The bucketed ends of the bristle tufts are captured within the internal space within the head but are not fixedly attached to any other toothbrush component or structure. This non-fixed attachment feature enables the bristle tufts to have multiple degrees of freedom (DoF) of motion with respect to the perforations in the top shell and can rotate, move axially, and tilt.

An indexed drive system (10) for mechanised tools, in particular an electric toothbrush, for selectively imparting various drive modes to a pair of concentrically-arranged drive shafts (12, 14) thereby imparting various brushing modes to the head (H) of the mechanised tool, in particular an electric toothbrush.

The power toothbrush includes a handle portion which includes a power drive assembly and a brushhead assembly (32) which includes a brushhead arm (36) and a brush element (38) at a distal end thereof. A V-spring assembly (14) converts the action of the power drive assembly to drive the brushhead assembly in a back-and-forth action. A mounting member (55) at the rear end of the V-spring assembly provides a base for a magnet (56). The V-spring assembly and the brushhead assembly comprises a unit which moves about a pivot point at the forward end of the V-spring assembly, so that the back end of the V-spring assembly is displaced in accordance with pressure applied to the brush member. A Hall effect sensor (58) is mounted within the changing magnetic field produced by the magnet as the rear end of the V-spring assembly is displaced due to pressure on the brushhead. A processor (65) is responsive to the output from the Hall sensor and stored information to produce a signal indicative of the pressure on the brushhead and to provide an indication of when the pressure exceeds a threshold value.

The present disclosure is directed to a low-cost toothbrush with a simple-to-manufacture design that provides a tapping motion of the brush head. In an embodiment, a dental cleaning device includes an eccentric rotating mass motor and a drive shaft mechanically coupled to the motor. A spring element is mounted to the drive shaft in a configuration in which it acts in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the drive shaft. The spring element and drive shaft form an assembly having a resonant frequency. A power source supplies to the motor power sufficient to cause the motor to operate near the resonant frequency of the assembly.

A powered toothbrush head that, in one embodiment, includes a head portion including a first movable tuft block configured for holding tooth cleaning elements. The first movable tuft block is operably connected to a motor-driven drift shaft for movement. An eccentric cam formed on the shaft drives the first movable tuft block via engagement with a slot formed in the body of the first movable tuft block. The first movable tuft block is movable in a combination oscillating motion comprising vertical motion and lateral pivoting or tilting motion upon rotation of the drive shaft. A related method for oscillating the first movable tuft block is disclosed.

A powered toothbrush head that, in one embodiment, includes a head portion including a first movable tuft block configured for holding tooth cleaning elements. The first movable tuft block is operably connected to a motor-driven drift shaft for movement. An eccentric cam formed on the shaft drives the first movable tuft block via engagement with a slot formed in the body of the first movable tuft block. The first movable tuft block is movable in a combination oscillating motion comprising vertical motion and lateral pivoting or tilting motion upon rotation of the drive shaft. A related method for oscillating the first movable tuft block is disclosed.

An electric toothbrush that detects plaque on the teeth, ensures accurate plaque detection, and performs cleaning of plaque. The electric toothbrush may include a body having a gripping part and a stem with a brush unit detachably coupled to the body. The electric toothbrush may include a light emitting element for emitting light onto the tooth and a light receiving element for receiving light that reflects off of the tooth. A controller may be included to determine an amount of plaque on the tooth based on the amount of reflected light detected. The electric toothbrush may also include a fluid dispensing system that dispenses fluid based on the amount of reflected light detected. In some aspects, the electric toothbrush may operate in multiple oscillation modes, and it may only dispense fluid in some of the modes but not all of the modes.

A powered toothbrush head that, in one embodiment, includes a head portion including a first movable tuft block configured for holding tooth cleaning elements. The first movable tuft block is operably connected to a motor-driven drift shaft for movement. An eccentric cam formed on the shaft drives the first movable tuft block via engagement with a slot formed in the body of the first movable tuft block. The first movable tuft block is movable in a combination oscillating motion comprising vertical motion and lateral pivoting or tilting motion upon rotation of the drive shaft. A related method for oscillating the first movable tuft block is disclosed.

An interdental cleaning member includes a brush having a plurality of bristles, each of the plurality of bristles comprising a bristle shaft, the bristle shaft extending from a shaft base to a shaft tip, and formed to have a thickness and resiliency configured to clean interdental areas and areas interposing a tooth and gum tissue surrounding the tooth.

An interdental cleaning member includes a brush having a plurality of bristles, each of the plurality of bristles comprising a bristle shaft, the bristle shaft extending from a shaft base to a shaft tip, and formed to have a thickness and resiliency configured to clean interdental areas and areas interposing a tooth and gum tissue surrounding the tooth.