Dental hygiene teaching tool and storage device

A dental hygiene teaching tool and storage device is configured as a caricatured head including a lower jaw member and an upper jaw member which is movably positioned on top of the lower jaw member. The forward portions of both the lower and upper jaw members are molded to simulate realistic human teeth. The lower jaw member includes a well for receiving a container of dental floss which is normally covered and concealed by the upper jaw member. The upper jaw member includes a plurality of bores for holding elongated dental hygiene implements such as toothbrushes, mouth mirrors and the like in vertically upright positions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
This application is related to my co-pending design patent application 
filed Aug. 12, 1987 and assigned Ser. No. 085,331. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates in general to dental hygiene educational tools and, 
more particularly, to a device for stimulating a child's interest in 
dental hygiene while at the same time serving as a holder for storing 
dental hygiene equipment such as toothbrushes, mouth mirrors and dental 
floss. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Dental hygiene educational tools can be grouped into two major categories. 
The first category includes professional teaching tools such as 
demonstrator models which are used for teaching dental students and 
technicians how to make dentures, or to demonstrate proposed tooth repairs 
to adult patients. Representative samples of this first category of dental 
hygiene educational tools can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,711,947 to 
Ingwersen, U.S. Pat. No. 1,916,376 to Kohler, U.S. Pat. No. 2,333,795 to 
Kellerman et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,730,805 to Smolka. The demonstration 
kit of Kellerman et al also provides a secondary function as a storage 
device since a number of pockets and a receptacle are provided for 
receiving articles such as inlays and amalgams. However, the structural 
complexity of the device of Kellerman et al, as well as of the other 
demonstrator models in the patent referred to above, makes them unsuitable 
for use by children or for other domestic applications. 
The second category of dental hygiene educational tools includes toys and 
the like which are specifically directed at children. Representative 
devices from this second category are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,926,487 
to Stone, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,181 to Fabricant. The patent to Stone is 
directed to a toothbrush holder provided with a caricatured representation 
of the face of an animal or other figure and including a representation of 
the teeth of the figure. The figure is also provided with a movable hand 
holding a simulated toothbrush. A mechanical mechanism is included within 
the device for reciprocating the movable hand and simulated toothbrush, 
causing the figure to "brush" its teeth for a predetermined length of 
time. The object of the device is to encourage a child to brush his or her 
teeth by mimicking the movements of the caricatured figure, and also to 
serve as a timer for indicating how long the child should continue to 
brush. One drawback of the device is that the mechanical mechanism for 
reciprocating the simulated toothbrush is somewhat complex, making the 
device costly and subject to breakdown. Another drawback is that because 
the figure is intended to be a caricature, the device has no instructural 
value as far as teaching children about the real structure or anatomy of 
their teeth and mouth. Still another drawback is that the device includes 
only a single hook for supporting a toothbrush. No means are provided 
holding additional toothbrushes or other dental hygiene equipment such as 
a mouth mirror or dental floss. 
The patent to Fabricant discloses a dental toy including two simulated jaws 
hinged to each other for movement between open and closed positions. Each 
jaw carries a plurality of pockets for accommodating the roots of 
simulated teeth, which a child can make from a soft moldable material such 
as clay. Simulated dental tools such as a drill, a dental mirror and 
tooth-holding tongs can also be included with the top to allow the child 
to play dentist by pretending to drill, fill cavities, pull teeth and 
perform other such dental activities. This toy is relatively complex and 
expensive to manufacture and includes a large number of loose parts which 
can easily get lost. In addition, it does not include means for storing 
dental hygiene equipment such as toothbrushes and dental floss. 
Accordingly, a demand exists for a new and useful dental hygiene teaching 
tool and storage device which overcomes some of the shortcomings of the 
prior art. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, a new and useful dental hygiene 
teaching tool is provided in the form of a storage device for holding 
dental hygiene equipment such as toothbrushes, mouth mirrors and dental 
floss. 
The device comprises a caricatured head including lower jaw member having a 
flat bottom surface for supporting the device on a level area such as a 
table or sink top, and an upper jaw member movably positioned on top of 
the lower jaw member. The forward portions of both the lower and upper jaw 
members are modeled to simulate human teeth and gums in a realistic and 
orthodontically correct fashion. In addition, a pair of eyes and a nose 
are provided on the front portion of the upper jaw member just above the 
gums to provide the device with a whimsical, cartoon-like appearance which 
appeals to children. 
The top rear portion of the upper jaw member is provided with a plurality 
of bores or through-holes for holding elongated dental hygiene implements 
such as a toothbrush, a mirror or the like in a vertically upright 
position. Similarly, the floor area of the lower jaw includes a well for 
receiving a container of dental floss. 
In a first embodiment of the invention, the upper jaw member is normally 
supported in a stable position on the lower jaw member by means of a 
tapering peg which depends from the lower rear surface of the upper jaw 
member and is received in a mating socket in the top rear surface of the 
lower jaw. The upper jaw may be removed from the lower jaw simply by 
lifting on the upper jaw until the peg is withdrawn from the source. 
In a second embodiment of the invention, the upper jaw is hingedly 
connected to the lower jaw to enable a user to simulate the actual biting 
or talking movements performed by human jaws. A demountable hinge 
arrangement may be used to enable the upper jaw to be lifted completely 
off the lower jaw or a nondemountable arrangement may be used if complete 
removal of the upper jaw is not desired. 
The device may be provided as part of a kit along with an educational 
booklet including diagrams of the teeth and gums, and illustrating proper 
brushing and flossing techniques. Dental patients will thus be able to 
directly relate the diagrams in the book to the actual models of the teeth 
on the lower and upper jaw members, which will in turn increase their 
awareness and knowledge of their own teeth and gums, and encourage them to 
develop good dental habits. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dental 
hygiene teaching tool in the form of a storage device for holding 
toothbrushes, mouth mirrors, dental floss and the like. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a dental hygiene storage 
device configured as a caricatured head including movable jaw members 
having realistic, orthodontically correct teeth and gums. 
Yet another object of the device is to provide an appealing, educational 
dental hygiene equipment storage device which is durable, yet inexpensive 
and simple to manufacture and suitable for use by children. 
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention, as well as the 
invention itself, may be more fully understood from the following 
description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring more particularly to the drawings, the teaching tool and storage 
device of the present invention, indicated in its entirety by the numeral 
10, comprises a caricatured head including a lower jaw member 12 having a 
flat bottom surface 14 for supporting the device on a level area such as a 
table or sink top (not shown) and an upper jaw member 16 movably 
positioned on top of the lower jaw member 12. Each of the jaw members 12, 
16 is preferably molded from a lightweight, inexpensive yet durable 
synthetic material such as plastic, which is suitable for mass-production. 
The forward portions of both the lower and upper jaw members 12, 16 are 
molded to simulate human teeth and gums in a realistic and orthodontically 
correct fashion. For instance, each jaw is preferably symmetrical about a 
central axis (not shown) which divides the jaw into a left side and a 
right side. Each side of each jaw includes three molars 17, 18, 19, two 
bicuspids, 20, 21, a cuspid 22, a lateral tooth 23 and a central tooth 24 
all of which are preferably permanently anchored in said gums. The palate 
portion of the upper jaw 16 is preferably also realistically formed, and 
includes such details as the ridges or rugae 26 on the roof of the mouth. 
In addition, a pair of eyes 28 and a nose 30 are provided on the front 
portion of the upper jaw member just above the upper gums 31a to provide 
the device with a whimsical, cartoon-like appearance which appeals to 
children. Furthermore, the figure is preferably portrayed without lips. 
The omission of lips from the face serves not only to heighten the 
whimsicality of the figure, but also allows a clear, unobstructed view of 
the realistic detail of the figure's upper and lower gums 31a and 31b 
which form an important part of this invention. 
The top rear portion of the upper jaw member 16 is provided with a 
plurality of bores or through-holes 32 for supporting the stems of 
elongated dental hygiene implements 34, 36 such as toothbrushes, mouth 
mirrors and the like. Similarly, the floor area 38 of the lower jaw 12 
includes a well 40 for receiving a container of dental floss 42. The well 
40 is shown here as being octagonal in shape in order to conform to the 
shape of one commercially available floss container 42 which is in 
widespread use. However, the geometrical configuration of the well 40 is 
not a critical feature of the present invention, since wells of other 
shapes and dimensions could also be provided to correspond to the shapes 
of other commercially available floss containers. 
In a first embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-5, the upper jaw 
member 16 is normally supported in a stable position on the lower jaw 
member 12 by means of a tapering peg 44 which depends from the lower rear 
surface 46 of the upper jaw member 16 and is received in a mating socket 
48 in the top rear surface 50 of the lower jaw 12. This arrangement allows 
for the upper jaw 16 to be accurately centered over the lower jaw 12 in 
order to simulate an ideal bite. The upper jaw 16 may be removed from the 
lower jaw 12 simply by lifting on the upper jaw until the peg 44 is 
withdrawn from the socket 48. 
In a second embodiment of the invention which is shown in FIGS. 6-9 and 
indicated in its entirety by the numeral 110, the peg and socket 
positioning arrangement is replaced by a demountable hinge arrangement 111 
for pivotably connecting the upper jaw member 116 to the lower jaw member 
112. The hinge arrangement 111 enables a user to simulate the actual 
biting or talking movements performed by human jaws. Any suitable hinge 
structure may be used. However, in the illustrated embodiment, the hinge 
arrangement 111 comprises a cylindrical support member 113 which depends 
from the bottom rear edge of the upper jaw member 116, a pin member 115 
which extends laterally from the support member 113, and a cylindrical 
sleeve member 117 provided on the upper rear edge of the lower jaw member 
112. As is evident from FIG. 7, the pin member 115 is removably receivable 
in the sleeve member 117 and adapted for rotation therein. However, in yet 
another embodiment of the invention (not shown), it is possible to make 
the hinge arrangement 111 non-demountable simply by providing a stop 
member (not shown) on the end of the pin member 115 to prevent it from 
being removed from the sleeve member 117. This arrangement may be 
preferable when the device is intended for use by very small children who 
might misuse a demountable hinge arrangement by separating the jaw members 
112, 116 and losing them. 
The device 10 may be provided as part of a kit along with an educational 
booklet (not shown) including diagrams of the teeth and gums, and 
illustrating proper brushing and flossing techniques. Dental patients will 
thus be able to directly relate the diagrams in the book to the actual 
models of the teeth on the lower and upper jaw members 12 and 16, which 
will in turn increase their awareness and knowledge of their own teeth and 
gums and encourage them to develop good dental habits. 
In addition, to increase the educational value of the device 10 still 
further, it may be desirable to provide sufficient spacing between each of 
the teeth to allow a strand of dental floss to be passed therethrough. 
This will enable the user to practice flossing techniques on the device 
before flossing his or her own mouth. 
While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in the 
illustrated embodiments, there will be immediately obvious to those 
skilled in the art, many modifications of structure, arrangements, 
proportions, the elements, materials and components used in the practice 
of the invention and otherwise, which are particularly adapted for 
specific environments and operation requirements without departing from 
those principles. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover and 
embrace any such modifications within the limits only of the true spirit 
and scope of the invention.