Oral dentifrice containing uniform particles of speckling material

Claim 1

A powder or extrudible oral dentifrice which contains about 0.1 to 50% by weight of dentifrice speckles of substantially uniform spherical shape and size prepared by the process which comprises: A. agitating a heated mixture of a speckling material and a dispersing liquid for said speckling material, said speckling material containing a dentifrice component and a binder for such component, at a temperature at which the binder is liquid, to produce a homogeneous dispersion in the dispersing liquid of individual droplets of said speckling material of sizes in the range of about 0.05 to 1 mm. effective diameter; said mixture being of about I. 1 to 40% by weight of such speckling material, which is a. about 75 to 99.9% by weight of a normally solid water insoluble organic dentifrice binder selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic resins, gums, gels, paraffins, waxes, polymers, higher fatty acids, higher fatty acid salts, lower alkylene glycol diesters, glyceryl diesters and glyceryl triesters; and b. about 0.01 to 25% by weight of a dentifrice component selected from the group consisting of fluorine-containing anti-caries agents, polishing agents, antimicrobial agents, ammoniating agents, vitamins, desensitizing agents, enzymes, optical brighteners, astringents, preservatives, flavoring agents and colorants; and Ii. about 60 to 99% by weight of a dispersing liquid which has a normal boiling point which is at least 10° C above the solidification point of said binder and below the normal boiling point of said binder and which has a solidification point at least 20° C below the solidification point of the binder, in which dispersing liquid the binder is substantially insoluble, said dispersing liquid being selected from the group consisting of water and aqueous solutions of lower polyhydric alcohols of 2 to 6 carbon atoms; and B. cooling such mixture of speckling material and dispersing liquid, while continuing agitation thereof, to a temperature below the solidification point of said binder, at which temperature the dispersing liquid remains liquid, to obtain solid dentifrice speckles of the binder and dentifrice component in the dispersing liquid, having substantially uniform spherical shape and sizes in the range of about 0.05 to 1 mm. effective diameter, homogeneously dispersed in said dispersing liquid.