Toothbrush with highly tapered bristles having superior flexibility and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a toothbrush with tapered bristles and method of manufacturing such toothbrushes. The toothbrush is characterized in that the tapered end of each bristle is 0.02 mm or less of diameter. The bristle is tapered starting at a position of 3.5 mm or less from an end, and is made of polyethylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate. The method of this invention consists of the steps of dipping 3.5 mm portions from ends of monofilaments for toothbrushes into erosive chemicals such as sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide until the dipped portions of the monofilaments are completely eroded, neutralizing the shortened monofilaments prior to rinsing and drying them, and implanting the shortened monofilaments on a toothbrush. Thereafter, the shortened monofilaments are ground using a 240# mesh paper at 2600 to 2700 rpm for 3 to 10 sec, a 320# mesh paper at same speed for 3 to 10 sec, and a 400# mesh paper at same speed for 3 to 10 sec. The toothbrush of this invention enjoys advantages of proper flexibility and softness, improved feeling while brushing, and excellent scaling ability.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A toothbrush with highly tapered bristles having superior flexibility, wherein each of said bristles is made of polyethylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate, and tapered starting at a position of 3.5 mm or less from an nd thereof, with a tapered end having a diameter of 0.02 mm or less.  
     
     
         2 . The toothbrush of  claim 1 , wherein the tapered end of each of the bristles is 0.01 mm or less in diameter.  
     
     
         3 . The toothbrush of  claim 1 , wherein each of the bristles is tapered starting at a position of 3.0 mm or less from the end of the bristle.  
     
     
         4 . A method of manufacturing a toothbrush with highly tapered bristles having superior flexibility, comprising the steps of: 
 dipping 3.5 mm-long portions from ends of monofilaments for bristles into erosive chemicals such as sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide until the dipped portions of the monofilaments are completely eroded;    neutralizing the shortened monofilaments prior to rinsing and drying them;    attaching the shortened monofilaments on a predetermined portion of a toothbrush; and grinding the shortened monofilaments with the use of a 240# mesh paper rotated at 2600 to 2700 rpm for 3 to 10 sec, a 320# mesh paper rotated at same speed for 3 to 10 sec, and a 400# mesh paper rotated at same speed for 3 to 10 sec.