Abstract:
A tooth removal cloth is disclosed that facilitates the removal of loose teeth. The tooth removal cloth comprises a moisture absorbing portion and a gripping portion. The gripping portion may include a textured surface. The gripping portion may also include folds for receiving fingers to affect the grip of the tooth removal cloth on a tooth.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIORITY/PROVISIONAL APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/036,279, filed Aug. 12, 2014, which is expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Primary teeth or “baby teeth” first become visible in the human mouth during infancy (e.g., at about 6 months of age) and continue to develop during the first few years of childhood. Between the ages of about 6 to 12 years, the process of exfoliation occurs in which permanent teeth begin to appear and replace the baby teeth. During this process, the baby teeth gradually become increasingly loose and eventually fall out, thereby making room for the permanent teeth. For young children, as the baby teeth begin to loosen, this can be an uncomfortable or scary process, since it is often accompanied by minor bleeding. Consequently, as a baby tooth becomes very loose, a young child may sometimes be hesitant to wiggle their tooth to facilitate its removal. 
         [0003]    Many children, parents, and dentists may use their hands to remove primary teeth, but this may be problematic. For children, they may be hesitant to feel the tactile sensation of grabbing their tooth or to see the accompanying bleeding, in addition to hesitancy over the pain. The same may be true for parents helping their child. Additionally, for children, parents, and dentists alike, there are sanitary concerns that come with removing teeth. Fingers and hands can carry germs, dirt and other matter that could be introduced into a person&#39;s mouth when a tooth is being extracted by hand. 
         [0004]    Other children, parents, and dentists may use tissue, paper towels, or cotton gauze when removing primary teeth, but this too may be problematic. Tissue, paper towels and cotton gauze do not eliminate the ability for blood to pass through and contact the fingers of the person removing or wiggling the tooth. Furthermore, these materials can begin to break apart or tear when saliva and/or blood is absorbed, thus they are not durable. 
         [0005]    Dentists may use other tools but this too poses problems. For parents and children, they may not have the time or money to visit their dentist. For dentists, those tools are expensive to purchase and may be less practical for use on primary teeth. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    A tooth removal cloth for facilitating removal of loose teeth is disclosed. The tooth removal cloth comprises a moisture absorbing portion and a gripping portion. The moisture absorbing portion may be one side of the tooth removal cloth and the gripping portion may be another opposite side of the tooth removal cloth. The gripping portion may be a material that is slip-resistant to strengthen the grip of a person&#39;s fingers on a tooth that is being removed. 
         [0007]    This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The Detailed Description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a first face (e.g., front side) of a tooth removal cloth with a gripping portion in accordance with the present disclosure; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating the tooth removal cloth folded diagonally, showing the gripping portion and a part of a moisture absorbing portion. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a representative illustration of a person that used the tooth removal cloth for extracting a tooth. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a representative illustration of a person holding an extracted tooth with the tooth removal cloth, showing part of the gripping portion and part of the moisture absorbing portion. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Referring generally to  FIGS. 1 through 4  ( FIGS. 1-4 ), a tooth removal cloth in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure is described herein. 
         [0014]    In implementations, the tooth removal cloth  100  may include a gripping portion  104 , as seen in  FIG. 1 . The gripping portion  104  may be formed of a material which promotes enhanced (e.g., slip-resistant) gripping of the cloth  100  by human hands. For example, the gripping portion may be formed of rubber, isoprene polymer-based material, elastomeric material, latex-based material and/or the like. In further embodiments, the gripping portion  104  may include a textured surface  106 . For example, the textured surface  106  may include surface features, such as bumps, ridges, protrusions, recesses, notches and/or the like for promoting enhanced gripping of the cloth. In one or more examples, the textured surface  106  may include folds, notches or may form cut-out portions sized for at least partially receiving a human finger or thumb, thereby promoting grasping of the cloth  100 . Illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the gripping portion  104  may have a first fold  108  for insertion of a person&#39;s index finger and a second fold  110  for insertion of the person&#39;s thumb. 
         [0015]    In embodiments, the tooth removal cloth  100  may include a moisture absorbing portion  102 , as seen (in part) in  FIG. 2 . The moisture absorbing portion  102  may be formed of a moisture absorbing material. For example, the moisture absorbing material may be cotton, gauze, polyester, polyamide material, or a blend of two or more thereof. 
         [0016]    In embodiments, the moisture absorbing portion  102  and the gripping portion  104  may form opposite faces (e.g., sides) of the cloth  100 . For example, the moisture absorbing portion  102  and the gripping portion  104  may be affixed together (e.g., adhered, sewn or stitched, stapled, etc.), such that they form opposite faces (e.g., sides) of the cloth  100 . In implementations, a numbing agent (e.g., a local anesthetic, oral analgesic, and/or over-the-counter topical pain relief substance) may be integrated with and/or applied to the moisture absorbing portion  102  (e.g., the moisture absorbing portion  102  is pre-treated with the numbing agent). For example, in some implementations, the moisture absorbing portion  102  may be infused (i.e., coated or saturated) with a numbing agent on the outward surface of moisture absorbing portion  102  that contacts a person&#39;s teeth and/or other parts of the mouth. For instance, the numbing agent may be benzocaine, anbesol, cepacol, lanacane, lidocaine, ethyl-4-aminobenzoate, and/or the like. 
         [0017]    In examples, the cloth  100  may be used by children whose primary teeth (e.g., baby teeth) are becoming loose due to the exfoliation process (e.g., because their permanent teeth are due to replace the baby teeth). For instance, the child may grasp the gripping portion  104  of the cloth  100  in his/her hand, and may direct the cloth  100  towards his/her tooth such that the moisture absorbing portion  102  of the cloth  100  engages against (e.g., at least partially surrounds) the tooth. In embodiments, the material of the moisture absorbing portion  102  allows moisture, such as saliva, blood and/or the like to be absorbed into the material for promoting ease of access to and gripping of the tooth. 
         [0018]    In implementations, the numbing agent integrated with the moisture absorbing portion  102  may promote numbing of the area in the vicinity of the tooth (e.g., surrounding gum tissue). In this way, the cloth  100  may provide a soothing effect for the child when he/she is using the cloth  100  to grab, wiggle and/or remove a loose baby tooth. 
         [0019]    In implementations, the cloth  100  may be configured in any one of a number of various different shapes and sizes. For example, the cloth  100  may be generally square and may measure 2 inches by 2 inches (2 in.×2 in.). In embodiments, the cloth  100  may include one or more designs, patterns, themes, and/or colors, such as for promoting aesthetic appeal of the cloth  100 , ease of use of the cloth  100 , and/or the like. For example, either or both the moisture absorbing portion  102  and the gripping portion  104  may have a design, pattern, theme and/or color. The cloth  100  disclosed herein may make the process of wiggling and removing a loose baby tooth easier and less scary for a young child. 
         [0020]    Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features described above. Rather, the specific features described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.