Background of the Invention A known solution of dental floss (or tape) comprises a yarn of filaments made of cotton, silk or any other polymer material, which is coated, for example, by impregnation of an additive composition containing wax.

However, despite its good lubricant characteristics, due to the threaded, thus cohesive arrangement of its filaments, this dental floss does not have anchoring points, which permit an efficient pickup and consequent removal of the food residues from the inter-proximal dental regions.

In order to overcome the limitations of this type of floss, the so-called texturized dental flosses have been developed, in which the filaments are unwound and then impregnated with the additive composition.

Besides having the advantage of incorporating substantially higher amounts of the additive composition in the inter-filamentary spaces, providing a final product with higher antiseptic and therapeutic capacity, these known texturized flosses have a higher contact surface with the inter-proximal surfaces of the teeth, as well as a good capacity for removing the food residues, which are retained in the interstices of the filaments, which filaments are maintained loose, although aggregated to each other by action only of the additive composition.

However, it has been verified that in such texturized

flosses there is a higher occurrence of shredding, mainly when the user has very small inter-dental distances and/or irregularities in the inter-proximal dental regions, in which it is possible for the floss to kink.

Disclosure of the Invention Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dental floss, which is multi-filamentary and texturized, of easy processing and packaging, and which combines the characteristics of a high removing capacity in the inter-dental regions with a reduced degree of shredding of its filaments.

This and other objectives of the present invention are achieved by providing a dental floss, for inter-dental hygiene and/or therapy, of the type formed of a bundle of texturized filaments and comprising a retaining means applied around the bundle of filaments, so as to maintain said filaments cohered within a certain previously determined circumferential contour, but with a substantial part of their circumferential and longitudinal extensions being free to move radially and act as a removing element in the inter-dental space.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will be described below, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates, schematically and in an enlarged scale, a perspective view of a possible construction for the dental floss according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a lateral view of the dental floss of figure 1; Figure 3 is a similar view to that of the previous figure, but illustrating another construction for the dental floss according to the present invention; and

Figure 4 illustrates, schematically, an enlarged cross-sectional view of the dental floss, taken along line IV-IV of figure 2.

Best Mode of Carrying Out the Invention The present invention refers to a dental floss to be used in inter-dental hygiene and/or therapy and consisting of a bundle of filaments 1 made of a texturizable material selected from cotton, silk, nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, acrylic fibers, and mixtures of these materials.

The filaments of the bundle of filaments 1 are opened, through a texturizing treatment, preferably by heat, from a filamentary yarn, or multi-filamentary basic thread, which is commercially available.

In order to carry out the present invention, the bundle of filaments 1 is texturized so as to present a titer corresponding to the range between 500 and 1400 Dtex (meaning that, for each 10000 meters of filament, the weight of said filament should remain between 500g and 1400g).

According to the present invention, the dental floss comprises, besides the bundle of filaments 1, a retaining means 10, for instance in the form of at least one fastening thread or tape, of a non- texturizable material selected among cotton, silk, nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, acrylic fibers, and mixtures of these materials and provided around the bundle of filaments 1, in order to maintain said filaments cohered within a certain circumferential contour of the bundle of filaments 1, with a previously determined transversal cross- section, said circumferential contour being predetermined as a function of the application to be given to the dental floss in terms of inter-dental distance.

The material of the retaining means 10 is determined so as to provide the dental floss with a certain increment in its friction and removing capacity upon passing between the inter-dental regions.

In order to carry out the present invention, the retaining means 10 should have a titer corresponding to the range between 70 and 200 Dtex.

Besides being the preponderant element for determining the circumferential contour of the dental floss, the retaining means 10 is defined so as to allow a substantial part of the circumferential and longitudinal extensions of the bundle of filaments 1 to remain free to move radially and act as a removing element in the inter-dental space.

The retaining means 10 is provided around the bundle of filaments 1 with a pitch and a winding tension, which are defined so that, upon flossing, a substantial texturized superficial region of said bundle of filaments 1 may contact the inter-proximal surfaces of the teeth.

In a way of carrying out the invention, illustrated in figure 3, the retaining means 10 is in the form of a fastening thread, helically surrounding the whole longitudinal extension of the bundle of filaments 1, in a respective direction of development, with a pitch and a tensioning, which are determined as a function of the circumferential contour and the degree of freedom of the bundle of filaments 1 to move radially, said retaining means 10 being provided so as to maintain substantially unaltered the elasticity and flexibility characteristics of the bundle of filaments 1.

According to another way of carrying out the present invention (figures 1,2 and 4) the retaining means 10 has a plurality of fastening threads, in which, for

example, at least some of the characteristics of material, composition and geometry are equal, each fastening thread being provided around the bundle of filaments 1 in a respective direction of helical development.

In the embodiment illustrated in figures 1,2 and 4, the retaining means 10 is defined by two fastening threads surrounding the bundle of filaments 1 in two opposite directions of helical development, forming a retaining web around the bundle of filaments 1.

The provision of a retaining means 10 in the bundle of filaments 1 minimizes the occurrence of shredding of the filaments 1 in the dental floss, since it minimizes the regions where they are free to move radially along the extension of the dental floss.

As the dental floss is applied, the retaining means 10 avoids the detachment of loose ends, including those ends that become loose during flossing, and simultaneously captures the food residues in the interstices of the filaments.

While only one embodiment for the dental floss designed solely to promote inter-dental hygiene according to the present invention has been illustrated, it should be understood that other constructions are possible within the inventive scope presented herein.