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DIY Orthodontics

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ringdown
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March 2016
edited March 2016
in Everything else
http://amosdudley.com/weblog/Ortho

Someone made a 3D model of his mouth by scanning a casting, and then figured out the position he wanted his teeth in and 3D printed retainers to get them there.

It's a bit more high-tech than the couple of women I've heard of who gave themselves front tooth gaps because it's considered a mark of beauty in the Ibo tribe.

Comments

Displaying all 3 comments
  1. ChrisBot
    ChrisBot
    March 2016
    I just saw this in that article in my feed actually! I believe that he didn't actually where the 3D printed retainers, as the striations where quite uncomfortable, and would provide a breeding ground for bacteria. I think that he vacuum formed the 3D printed model out of the same material that orthodontists use for the retainers. Very cool though!
  2. TheGreyKnight
    TheGreyKnight
    First Anniversary Second Anniversary Third Anniversary Fourth Anniversary Fifth Anniversary Final Anniversary First Post 10 Posts 100 Posts 500 Posts You Look Familiar Welcome Committee Paging Mr. F
    March 2016
    edited March 2016
    This is pretty cool. (As someone who wears retainers on a regular basis, there're already a lot of striations from the roof of your mouth. A few more from a 3D printer wouldn't make much of a difference.) Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if we could do this at home, and not have to pay thousands for doctors to do it?

    Also, out of all the things you could do orthodontically, this is probably the safest. If you mess up, it's going to hurt you so badly in the short term, you won't keep doing it long enough to cause permanent damage.
  3. ChrisBot
    ChrisBot
    March 2016
    @TheGreyKnight, both my sister and I wear them to sleep. We just shelled out 250 dollars for new ones because she lost hers! Wish I had the resources to do this instead.
Displaying all 3 comments