A container, a toothbrush, or a device including at least one sacrificial electrode. In one aspect, the container may include a body adapted to contain an oral care solution and a cap selectively removable from the body. The cap may include a cavity configured to contain a fluid, a first electrode comprising a sacrificial metal, a second electrode spaced from the first electrode, and an electrical connection electrically connecting the first electrode and the second electrode to a power source. Activation of the power source may generate an electric field between the first and second electrodes, thereby causing the sacrificial metal of the first electrode to release ions into the fluid in the cavity of the cap.

Described herein is an oral care implement that includes a head portion; a cup member extending from a front surface of the head portion along a first axis, the elastomeric cup member comprising: a top surface; a plurality of grooves formed into the top surface; a plurality of rib members, wherein adjacent ones of the grooves are separated by one of the rib members, each of the rib members extending along a rib axis that extends radially outward from the first axis, and wherein each of the rib members has a thickness that increases with distance from the first axis. The cup member may comprise a plurality of first grooves and a plurality of second grooves, and wherein each of the first grooves has a first transverse cross-section and each of the second grooves has a second transverse cross-section, the first and second transverse cross-sections being different from one another.

The invention provides a unitary cordless dental drive apparatus in a first embodiment having a handpiece with a cantilever arm 18 extending outward and positioned to allow a dental nose cone 26 to be connected. An activating switch 20 is located at the free end of the cantilever arm 18 in a position that is convenient for manipulation by a user. In a second embodiment, a contactor 22 is mounted below the cantilever arm 18 to contact the nose cone 26 when pressed. In a third embodiment, a standard dental office foot pedal 90 is connected to a wireless transmitter 80 for sending a signal to a receiver 92 located within the handpiece 70 for activating the handpiece 70.

A portable tooth polishing and bleaching treatment device is provided for simultaneous tooth surface polishing and bleaching for use at home or in dental clinics. A single-rod-swinging mechanism, either using tilt-rod-driving or bent-rod-driving, is employed to transfer a continuously rotational input from an electric power into a back-and-forth swinging movement output. The device comprises a battery-powered handpiece with a detachable swinging angle, a dual-functional rubber cup, a user-specific thermoplastic gum protector, a dual-agent mixing set consisting of a separated storage of polishing and bleaching agents and an agent mixing tool. The swinging angle alone is used as a prophylaxis angle for dental clinics.

Rotating dental systems and related guards and methods are disclosed. In some embodiments a guard is configured to prevent material from building up on at least a portion of the dental system. In some embodiments the guard is configured to prevent materials from being discharged from the dental system. In some embodiments, the guard is configured to direct the flow of material along a portion of the dental system. Some guards within the scope of this disclosure include bristles.

A motor-driven dental device has a motor control that is responsive to a load placed upon the motor. More specifically, the invention relates to a dental device having motor that drives a tool, wherein the tool is activated or otherwise controlled in response to a load placed upon the motor through the tool, such as by touching the tool to a surface. The tool may also be controlled by the sustenance, over a predetermined time period, of an increase or decrease in motor current beyond a predetermined hysteresis current threshold. The motor may be an electric motor, a rotary electric motor, and air driven motor, an ultrasonic device or the like.

A motor-driven dental device has a motor control that is responsive to a load placed upon the motor. More specifically, the invention relates to a dental device having motor that drives a tool, wherein the tool is activated or otherwise controlled in response to a load placed upon the motor through the tool, such as by touching the tool to a surface. The tool may also be controlled by the sustenance, over a predetermined time period, of an increase or decrease in motor current beyond a predetermined hysteresis current threshold. The motor may be an electric motor, a rotary electric motor, and air driven motor, an ultrasonic device or the like.

An individual-patient one-day oral care kit comprises a housing and a plurality of sealed trays disposed within the housing. Each of the sealed trays contains oral hygiene components. By one approach at least one of the sealed trays contains an oral hygiene component comprising a toothbrush that is unique to that particular tray. By one approach all of the sealed trays contain at least one same oral hygiene component. By one approach each of the sealed trays is configured to serve a patient's oral hygiene compliance requirements in accordance with an event driven schedule during a single day.

A disposable prophy angle with an accessible and replaceable internal collapsible prophylaxis cartridge and a push button and plunger/paddle combination to force a metered amount of prophylaxis medium into the prophy angle while providing audible and/or tactile feedback.

A combination includes a dental handpiece and a prophy angle. The dental handpiece includes a nosecone threadably connected to the dental handpiece. The prophy angle includes a proximal body that matingly attaches to the nosecone. A plurality of elongated torque members are formed on each of the prophy angle proximal body and the nosecone. Each of the torque members is a male torque member or a female torque member and each male torque member formed on one of the prophy angle proximal body and the nosecone matingly couples with a female torque member formed on the other of the nosecone and the prophy angle proximal body. The prophy angle, including the plurality of elongated torque members formed on the prophy angle, is formed to also be attachable to a known standard doriot-style nosecone. Other specific features of the handpiece and prophy angle are also disclosed.