Handheld oral irrigator

Abstract

The invention is directed to providing, at the exit from the nozzle of an irrigator, an intermittent gas-liquid jet for enabling effective cleaning, while being easy to use, A bulb (1) has an aerator introduced therein which is in the form of a tubular element (7) with open tips (71, 72) and a perforation region (73) in the side wall of the element (7), the region having at least one hole. The end of the tubular element (7) on the open-ended side is freely disposed in the cavity of the bulb (1), and the tip (71) is disposed with clearance from the base of the bulb.

Claims

1. A handheld irrigator, consisting of: an enema-shaped body consisting of a pear-shaped bulb with elastic walls with a tapered tip attached to the bulb; the pear-shaped bulb being configured to be partially filled with a liquid; a tubular element placed inside the body; the tubular element having a first end being sealingly fixed to an internal surface of the tip at a narrowest part of the tip; a second end of the tubular element being installed with a gap between the second end and a bulb bottom, the tubular element having an orifice in a portion of the tubular element located in the tapered tip; a cross-sectional area of the orifice being 0.05 to 0.6 times a cross-sectional area of a lumen of the tubular element; the irrigator producing a gas-liquid flow while squeezing the bulb with a hand; the gas-liquid flow being a jet with a force sufficient to remove unwanted objects between teeth; the jet force being determined by a ratio between the cross-sectional area of the orifice and the cross-sectional area of the lumen of the tubular element.

2. The irrigator of claim 1, wherein the tip and the tubular element are molded together as a single mold.

3. The irrigator of claim 1, wherein a length of the tubular element is 0.75 to 0.98 times a distance between the bulb bottom and a jet nozzle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) The essence of the invention is illustrated in Figures, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows the design of the claimed device;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates the operational principle of the claimed device.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

(4) The irrigator is embodied as a pear-shaped bulb 1 with elastic walls 2 and comprises, on its tapered end 3, a soft or rigid tip 4 connected by a through-channel 5 to a jet nozzle 6.

(5) An aerator is comprised in the bulb 1 constituting a tubular element 7 with open butts 71, 72 and a perforated area 73 in the side surface of the element 7 formed by at least one orifice.

(6) The open end of the tubular element 7 from the nozzle side is installed loosely in the cavity of the bulb 1, its butt 71 having a gap with respect to the bulb bottom. Length L.sub.1 of the tubular element is smaller than the distance L.sub.2 between the bottom and the jet nozzle along the irrigator symmetry axis and constitutes L.sub.1=(0.75 . . . 0.98)*L.sub.2, that is, the open butt 71 is installed with a gap with respect to the bulb 1 bottom 8.

(7) The end of the tubular element from the side of the open butt 72 is leak-proof fixed in the through-channel 5 of the tip tapered end 3 in the manner that its butt is open towards inside of the jet nozzle 6. This means that the butt 72 is installed flush or with depression with respect to the nozzle 6 and never protrudes beyond its limits. This prevents an immediate contact of the butt 72 with the oral cavity being irrigated when using a soft-tip bulb.

(8) The perforated area 73 in the side wall of the tubular element 7 is located inside the bulb 1 cavity adjacent to the tip tapered end at the distance L.sub.3 from the butt 72, this distance being chosen experimentally for each bulb dimension-type. The size of the perforated area 73 constitutes 0.05 . . . 0.6 of the flow cross-section (diameter) of the tubular element 7.

(9) If the bulb 1 comprises a rigid tip 4, then the tubular element may be embodied integrated with the tip in a single mold. In this case, the tubular element may protrude beyond the nozzle 6, and the tip 4 itself must be chamfered as it is usually done in commercial ball syringes.

(10) The irrigator may comprise a back-flow valve K installed in the bulb 1 wall and embodied in the manner providing filling the bulb cavity with air and/or liquid when recovering its shape on bulb release due to the elasticity. Dotted lines in the figures show schematically installation points for the back-flow valve K, the precise locations of valve installation being not critical.

(11) When the irrigator operated in the suction mode and tip 4 is immersed in a vessel with liquid, valve K opens, and the inflow may occur through both tip 4 and valve K, so air or liquid enter inside. When the bulb 1 is compressed, valve K closes, and the gas-liquid mixture is ejected only through the tip 4 with the nozzle 6.

(12) The claimed device is used as follows (see also FIG. 2):

(13) The irrigator is filled with a cleaning liquid 9 in a conventional manner, for example, the tip of the compressed bulb is immersed in the vessel with the solution, after which the bulb is released. This process is always accompanied by intake of a certain amount of the air 10, always existing above the liquid (their interface B is shown in the dotted line).

(14) After this, the tip with the nozzle 6 is brought to the cavity being cleaned, for example, to an interdentium or a gingival crevice, and the bulb 1 walls are pronouncedly and repeatedly compressed (illustrated by arrows F). The ergonomic position of the irrigator is with tip 4 oriented horizontally or slightly raised. Air 10 in the irrigator cavity accumulated in its tapered end 3 (air flow is schematically shown with the dotted arrow 12) is admixed through the perforated area 73, for example, the orifice, to the pressurized liquid 9 (arrow 13) delivered through the orifice in the butt 71 of the tubular element 7. This results in generating on the exit of the nozzle 7 of an intermittent gas-liquid jet 11. The obtained gas-liquid jet possesses improved cleaning capabilities. In the case of the irrigator tip 4 with the nozzle 6 is brought immediately adjacent to the interdentium, then the irrigator would operate not only as an efficient source of the gas-liquid medium, but also as a pump the food residues would be flushed and sucked by the same nozzle 6, which, however, would require additional cleaning of the device.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

(15) The irrigator is embodied out of materials commonly employed in medical industry. The tests demonstrated that, provided retaining simple design and convenience of usage, the irrigator generates at the exit of its nozzle an intermittent gas-liquid jet contributing to the efficient cleaning of the interdentium.