TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of medical services, and particularly to an apparatus for demonstrating or testing dental floss. BACKGROUND

Dental floss is a common tool for cleaning gaps between teeth. Different dental floss has different cleaning capacity and durability. Additionally, for different gap conditions between teeth, different dental floss has different cleaning capacity and durability. There yet exists an apparatus for demonstrating or testing cleaning capacity and durability of dental floss in the art.

SUMMARY

Regarding the above problem existing in the prior art, the present disclosure is intended to provide an apparatus for demonstrating or testing cleaning capacity and durability of different dental floss for the same gap between teeth or dental analogues, or for demonstrating or testing cleaning capacity and durability of the same dental floss for different gaps between teeth or dental analogues.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, provided herein is an apparatus comprising: a base; at least two groups of teeth or dental analogues disposed on the base, each group of teeth or dental analogues comprising two adjacent teeth or dental analogues with a gap therebetween; at least two rotor arms with the same rotation axis disposed on the base, each rotor arm corresponding to each group of teeth or dental analogues; a power shaft connecting the rotor arms, the power shaft being adapted to allow each rotor arm to rotate around the rotation axis at the same angular velocity; and a working part on each rotor arm, adapted to dispose dental floss, wherein each working part has essentially the same radius of rotation, and the dental floss disposed on each working part is adapted to cut in or out of the gap between the teeth or dental analogues corresponding thereto by rotation of each rotor arm.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus comprises two to ten rotor arms with the same rotation axis disposed on the base. According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the radius of rotation of the power shaft is less than the radius of rotation of the working part.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the radius of rotation of the power shaft is equal to the radius of rotation of the working part. According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the radius of rotation of the power shaft is greater than the radius of rotation of the working part.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, both ends of the power shaft are provided with a drive part.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the drive part is a handle.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, radiuses of rotation of each working part are the same.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the dental floss is disposed in the form of a floss pick on the working part, and the dental floss of the floss pick is adapted to cut in or out of the gap between the teeth or dental analogues corresponding thereto by rotation of the rotor arm.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, gaps between two adjacent teeth or dental analogues in each group of teeth or dental analogues are essentially the same. According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, gaps between two adjacent teeth or dental analogues in at least two groups of teeth or dental analogues are different.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the working part on each rotor arm adapted to dispose dental floss has essentially the same radius of rotation, and the same dental floss disposed on each working member are adapted to cut in or out of the gap between the teeth or dental analogues corresponding thereto by rotation of each rotor arm.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the working part on each rotor arm adapted to dispose dental floss has essentially the same radius of rotation, and different dental floss disposed on each working member are adapted to cut in or out of the gap between the teeth or dental analogues corresponding thereto by rotation of each rotor arm.

The apparatus provided in the present disclosure can be used to demonstrate or test cleaning capacity and durability of different dental floss for the same gap between teeth or dental analogues, or can be used to demonstrate or test cleaning capacity and durability of the same dental floss for different gaps between teeth or dental analogues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Each exemplary example will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings to allow the above and other features and advantages of the exemplary examples of the present disclosure to become more clear. The accompanying drawings are intended to describe exemplary examples of the present disclosure, but should not be deemed to limit the expected scope of claims. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus provided according to certain particular embodiments of the present disclosure (wherein the dental floss disposed on each working part is cut in a gap between teeth or dental analogues corresponding thereto);

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an apparatus provided according to certain particular embodiments of the present disclosure (wherein the dental floss disposed on each working part is cut out of a gap between teeth or dental analogues corresponding thereto); and FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an apparatus provided according to certain particular embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary examples of the present disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure can be exemplified in many different forms, and should not be understood to be limited to exemplary examples as set forth herein. Moreover, these examples are provided in order to make the present disclosure thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those of skill in the art. In the accompanying drawings, for the sake of clarity, the shape and size of each element are enlarged, and the same reference number is used to indicate the same or similar element.

It is to be understood that, though terms "first" and "second" are used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be defined by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, the first element can be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element can be referred to as the first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary examples of the present disclosure. The term "and/or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related items listed.

The terms as used herein are only used to describe the exemplary examples as set forth herein, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Unless expressly stated otherwise in the context, the singular forms "one," "an(a)" and "the" as used herein are also intended to include plural forms. It should be further understood that, when terms "include (including)," "provided with" and/or "have (having)" are used in the exemplary examples, they denote the presence of the feature, entirety, step, operation, element and/or member, and do not exclude the presence or addition of other one or more features, entireties, steps, operations, elements and/or members and/or combinations thereof.

It is to be further noted that, in some alternative embodiments, the functions/actions as shown may be occurred in a manner different from the order as marked in the figure. For example, two graphs shown consecutively can be in fact performed essentially simultaneously, or alternatively sometimes can be performed in a reverse order, it just depends on the function/action involved.

Unless stated otherwise, all terms including illustrative terms or technical terms as used herein should be understood to have meanings obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, terms as defined in general dictionaries and used in the following description should be understood to have meanings equivalent to those used in the related description, and unless stated otherwise herein, the terms should not be understood as ideal or unduly formal. An apparatus 100 provided according to one aspect of the present disclosure (see FIGs.

1, 2 and 3) comprises: a base 10; at least two groups of teeth or dental analogues 20 disposed on the base, each group of teeth or dental analogues 20 comprising two adjacent teeth or dental analogues 22 with a gap 24 therebetween; at least two rotor arms 40 with the same rotation axis 30 disposed on the base 10, each rotor arm 40 corresponding to each group of teeth or dental analogues 20; a power shaft 50 connecting the rotor arms 40, the power shaft 50 being adapted to allow each rotor arm 40 to rotate around the rotation axis 30 at the same angular velocity; and a working part 60 on each rotor arm 40, adapted to dispose dental floss 70, wherein the working part 60 has essentially the same radius of rotation, and dental floss 70 disposed on each working part 60 are adapted to cut in or out of the gap 24 between the teeth or dental analogues 22 corresponding thereto by rotation of each rotor arm 40. During use of the apparatus, dental floss 70 to be demonstrated (or to be tested) are disposed on the working part 60 of each rotor arm 40, and the power shaft 50 is manually or mechanically driven, to allow the power shaft 50 to drive rotation of each rotor arm 40 around the rotation axis 30 at the same angular velocity. Because each working part 60 has essentially the same radius of rotation, each dental floss 70 will cut in and out of each gap 24 corresponding thereto under the same mechanical condition, thereby to compare the cleaning capacity and durability of each dental floss 70 for each gap 24.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus may comprise two to ten rotor arms with the same rotation axis disposed on the base.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the radius of rotation of the power shaft may be less than, equal to, or greater than the radius of rotation of the working part.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, a proper external force can be applied to the power shaft at both ends thereof or any other suitable site thereof, to allow the power shaft to drive rotation of each rotor arm around the rotor arm at the same angular velocity, wherein the external force may be a manual force or a mechanical force. According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, a drive part (e.g., a handle) may be disposed on at least one end of the power shaft, to facilitate the operator to drive the power shaft in a proper manner (e.g., manually or alternatively mechanically), so as to allow the power shaft to drive rotation of the rotor arm around the rotation axis at the same angul ar vel ocity . According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, radiuses of rotation of each working part are essentially the same, and preferably radiuses of rotation of each working part are the same.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the dental floss may be disposed in the form of a floss pick on the working part, and the dental floss of the floss pick is adapted to cut in or out of the gap between the teeth or dental analogues corresponding thereto by rotation of the rotor arm.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the working part on each rotor arm adapted to dispose dental floss has essentially the same radius of rotation, and the same dental floss disposed on each working member are adapted to cut in or out of the gap between the teeth or dental analogues corresponding thereto by rotation of each rotor arm.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the working part on each rotor arm adapted to dispose dental floss has essentially the same radius of rotation, and different dental floss disposed on each working member are adapted to cut in or out of the gap between the teeth or dental analogues corresponding thereto by rotation of each rotor arm.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, gaps between two adjacent teeth or dental analogues in each group of teeth or dental analogues are essentially the same. By "gaps between two adjacent teeth or dental analogues in each group of teeth or dental analogues are essentially the same," it means that in each group, the shape, size, and distance of the gaps are all essentially the same. The apparatus provided according to this preferred embodiment can be used to demonstrate or test cleaning capacity and durability of different dental floss for the same tooth gap. According to certain preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, gaps between two adjacent teeth or dental analogues in at least two groups of teeth or dental analogues are different. By "gaps between two adjacent teeth or dental analogues in at least two groups are different," it means that in these two groups, one or more of the shape, size, and distance of the gaps are different. The apparatus provided according to this preferred embodiment not only can be used to demonstrate or test cleaning capacity and durability of the same dental floss for different gaps between teeth or dental analogues, but also can be used to demonstrate or test cleaning capacity and durability of different dental floss for different gaps between teeth or dental analogues.

Examples

Examples and Comparative examples provided hereinafter facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, and should not be understood to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Example 1

Referring to FIGs. 1 and 3, the apparatus 100 provided in this example comprises: a base 10; three groups of dental analogues 20 disposed on the base, each group of dental analogues 20 comprising three adjacent dental analogues 22, with essentially the same shape, size and distance of gaps 24 between two adjacent dental analogues 22 in the three groups of dental analogues 20; three rotor arms 40 with the same rotation axis 30 disposed on the base 10, each rotor arm 40 corresponding to each group of dental analogues 20; a power shaft 50 connecting the rotor arms 40, the power shaft 50 being adapted to allow each rotor arm 40 to rotate around the rotation axis 30 at the same angular velocity; handles 52 disposed on both ends of the power shaft; and a working part 60 on each rotor arm 40, adapted to dispose dental floss, wherein the working part 60 has essentially the same radius of rotation, the radius of rotation of each working part 60 is greater than the radius of rotation of each power shaft 50, and the dental floss 70 disposed on each working part 60 is adapted to cut in or out of the gap 24 between the dental analogues 22 corresponding thereto by rotation of each rotor arm 40; and during use of the apparatus, different dental floss 701, 702 and 703 may be disposed on each working part 60, and cleaning capacity and durability of different dental floss for the same gap between dental analogues are demonstrated or tested based on the method described above. Example 2

Referring to FIGs. 2 and 3, the apparatus 100 provided in this example comprises: a base 10; three groups of teeth 20 disposed on the base, each group of teeth 20 comprising two adjacent teeth 22, with different shapes but essentially the same size and distance of gaps 24 between the two adjacent teeth 22 in the three groups of teeth 20; three rotor arms 40 with the same rotation axis 30 disposed on the base 10, each rotor arm 40 corresponding to each group of teeth 20; a power shaft 50 connecting the rotor arms 40, the power shaft 50 being adapted to allow each rotor arm 40 to rotate around the rotation axis 30 at the same angular velocity; handles 52 disposed on both ends of the power shaft; a working part 60 on each rotor arm 40, adapted to dispose dental floss, wherein the working part 60 has essentially the same radius of rotation, the radius of rotation of each working part 60 is greater than the radius of rotation of each power shaft 50, and the dental floss 70 disposed on each working part 60 is adapted to cut in or out of the gap 24 between teeth 22 corresponding thereto by rotation of each rotor arm 40.

During use of the apparatus, the same dental floss 70 may be disposed on each working part 60, and cleaning capacity and durability of the same dental floss for different tooth gaps are demonstrated or tested based on the method described above. Example 3

Referring to FIGs. 2 and 3, the apparatus provided in this Example is essentially the same as the apparatus 100 provided in Example 2, except that three groups of teeth 20 are disposed on the base, each group of teeth 20 comprising two adjacent teeth 22, with a different distance but essentially the same size and shape of gaps 24 between two adjacent teeth 22 in the three groups of teeth 20.

During use of the apparatus, the same dental floss 70 may be disposed on each working part 60, and cleaning capacity and durability of the same dental floss for different tooth gaps are demonstrated or tested based on the method described above. Example 4

Referring to FIGs. 2 and 3, the apparatus provided in this Example is essentially the same as the apparatus 100 provided in Example 2, except that three groups of dental analogues 20 are disposed on the base, each group of dental analogues 20 comprising two adjacent dental analogues 22, with a different size but essentially the same shape and distance of gaps 24 between two adjacent dental analogues 22 in the three groups of dental analogues 20.

During use of the apparatus, the same dental floss 70 may be disposed on each working part 60, and cleaning capacity and durability of the same dental floss for different gaps between dental analogues are demonstrated or tested based on the method described above.

Example 5

Referring to FIGs. 2 and 3, the apparatus provided in this Example is essentially the same as the apparatus 100 provided in Example 2, except that three groups of teeth 20 are disposed on the base, each group of teeth 20 comprising two adjacent teeth 22, with a different shape, size and distance of gaps 24 between two adjacent teeth 22 in the three groups of teeth 20.

During use of the apparatus, the same dental floss 70 may be disposed on each working part 60, and cleaning capacity and durability of the same dental floss for different tooth gaps are demonstrated or tested based on the method described above. In summary, the apparatus provided in the present disclosure can be used to demonstrate or test cleaning capacity and durability of different dental floss for the same gap between teeth or dental analogues, or can be used to demonstrate or test cleaning capacity and durability of the same dental floss for different gaps between teeth or dental analogues. The above particular examples of the present disclosure only exemplarily state the principle of the present disclosure and efficacy thereof, but are not used to limit the present disclosure. Those of skill in the art should understand that, any changes and improvements made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure shall all fall within the scope of the present disclosure. The protection scope of rights of the present disclosure should be defined by the claims of the this application.