Importance

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Abstract

A dental instrument, particularly such an instrument equipped on a toothbrush, which provides excellent tooth picking function, gum line probing, and gum massage. A distal end segment of a handle is provided with an elastomer oral hygiene member in the form of both a toothpick and a gum massager. An arm of planar shape that is elongated along the handle axis and tapering to an edge remote from the handle, projects perpendicularly from the distal end segment of the handle. The oral hygiene member is formed over the distal end segment of the handle, inclusive of the arm. The oral hygiene member provides a gum massager, having preferably a convex dome shape, wherein the center of curvature thereof is located axially with respect to the handle. The oral hygiene member further provides a toothpick of planar shape formed over the arm. The toothpick is elongated along the handle axis and tapers to a tip radially remote from the arm. The taper of the toothpick and the arm, together with the radial length of the arm in relation to the radial length of the toothpick provides a progressive variation in flexibility of the toothpick, with greatest flexibility at the tip, and least flexibility adjacent the distal end segment of the handle. A handle indentation accommodates the toothpick, thereby allowing its passage through a conventional toothpick holder aperture.

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First Claim