Another option....have a dentist bind composite material to the couple teeth out of alignment. Had two teeth done for under $500 10 years ago. It's a stop gap until braces are an option financially.
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I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked
51–60 of 141 posts
Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked
#52Not to be a downer, but was any thought given to the safety of the plastic(s) used? This is something that's in your mouth a lot and constantly exposed to saliva. The Dimension 1200es mentioned doesn't appear to be specific to medical applications.[0] The product page lists the only compatible thermoplastic being ABSplus-P430 . The MSDS for that basically says the stuff is dangerous in molten form, and beyond that th…
Hm, It's not really being too heavily "interfaced" with the body. I wouldn't stick it under your skin, but this would probably be fine I think. I'd also think that most things are unsafe in molten form, heh.
Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked
#53This is really amazing, man. It's honestly the first 3D printing application I've seen that I can see quickly improving thousands of lives. Just to think of all the people who right now can't afford this procedure, that soon will be able to... it's just really wonderful.
Next I need someone to do orthopedic shoe inserts. Mine cost $600 and only fit my running shoes.
I'm a physician, and I used to get custom made ones, until I found these for around $45 in the US:
https://www.drscholls.com/productsandbrands/customfitorthoti...
Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked
#54Not to be a downer, but was any thought given to the safety of the plastic(s) used? This is something that's in your mouth a lot and constantly exposed to saliva. The Dimension 1200es mentioned doesn't appear to be specific to medical applications.[0] The product page lists the only compatible thermoplastic being ABSplus-P430 . The MSDS for that basically says the stuff is dangerous in molten form, and beyond that th…
This is a great point to raise. OP, please make sure that both the plastic you used, and the chemicals released as saliva gradually breaks down the plastic, are not going to be harmful. You wouldn't want long-term exposure of your gums to harmful agents. But that's probably the only concern.
Regardless: great job. I'm very impressed by this project -- I love seeing applications of 3d printing. Especially one like this turns an expensive (and slow!) medical procedure into something that can be done easily at home, or cheaply in the office of a trained professional.
Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked
#55Not to be a downer, but was any thought given to the safety of the plastic(s) used? This is something that's in your mouth a lot and constantly exposed to saliva. The Dimension 1200es mentioned doesn't appear to be specific to medical applications.[0] The product page lists the only compatible thermoplastic being ABSplus-P430 . The MSDS for that basically says the stuff is dangerous in molten form, and beyond that th…
Hm, It's not really being too heavily "interfaced" with the body. I wouldn't stick it under your skin, but this would probably be fine I think. I'd also think that most things are unsafe in molten form, heh.
Well, people put BPA in plastics even though it was known to be toxic because the thought was that the material would bind the BPA in place (i.e. it would always stay in the material).
Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked
#56Not to be a downer, but was any thought given to the safety of the plastic(s) used? This is something that's in your mouth a lot and constantly exposed to saliva. The Dimension 1200es mentioned doesn't appear to be specific to medical applications.[0] The product page lists the only compatible thermoplastic being ABSplus-P430 . The MSDS for that basically says the stuff is dangerous in molten form, and beyond that th…
Hm, It's not really being too heavily "interfaced" with the body. I wouldn't stick it under your skin, but this would probably be fine I think. I'd also think that most things are unsafe in molten form, heh.
If it's friendly toward bacterial growth, you might not want it near your gumline. Oral infections can get nasty fast.
Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked
#57Wow this is awesome! Thank you for sharing. Retainers post Invisalign cost between $400-900 for 1 set - total ripoff. This looks like a far cheaper alternative.
Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wonder why we avoid dentists? I know we all have the pain stories, but I think there's something else? As I gotten older, I just like to pretend they, along with MD's don't actually exist. What's ironic is I never met a dentist with the ego that seems to come with medical doctors. I've never met a dentist who was not a friendly person. I do feel bad when I can't respond to their questions with a mouth filled with c…
I used to wonder why people avoided dentists, but recently I cracked a molar and had to go to see a dentist. I was recommended a dentist in town, I showed up to a nice office full of nice people, they looked at my tooth and said they might be able to save it. So far, it was a pretty good experience. Then it got weird. They took me to a room with a business person who would discuss my "payment options and treatment pl…
I know us Brits always harp on about the National Health Service, but if you can find a dentist with NHS spaces available locally then you're in good hands.
But they're not without their commercial incentives either. And the waiting times can go into weeks for non-urgent work. Still, the costs are negligible in comparison. We perhaps pay in other ways...
Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked
#59Not to be a downer, but was any thought given to the safety of the plastic(s) used? This is something that's in your mouth a lot and constantly exposed to saliva. The Dimension 1200es mentioned doesn't appear to be specific to medical applications.[0] The product page lists the only compatible thermoplastic being ABSplus-P430 . The MSDS for that basically says the stuff is dangerous in molten form, and beyond that th…
Hm, It's not really being too heavily "interfaced" with the body. I wouldn't stick it under your skin, but this would probably be fine I think. I'd also think that most things are unsafe in molten form, heh.
Rubbing drugs on gums is a popular way of administration, as the substances get easily absorbed into blood vessels here.
Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wonder why we avoid dentists? I know we all have the pain stories, but I think there's something else? As I gotten older, I just like to pretend they, along with MD's don't actually exist. What's ironic is I never met a dentist with the ego that seems to come with medical doctors. I've never met a dentist who was not a friendly person. I do feel bad when I can't respond to their questions with a mouth filled with c…
I used to wonder why people avoided dentists, but recently I cracked a molar and had to go to see a dentist. I was recommended a dentist in town, I showed up to a nice office full of nice people, they looked at my tooth and said they might be able to save it. So far, it was a pretty good experience. Then it got weird. They took me to a room with a business person who would discuss my "payment options and treatment pl…
Not to defend your particular dentist, but...
> I asked if we could just do an extraction but they only responded with "Oh you don't want to do that!" (playfully) but legitimately not saying it was an option.
I think dentists are culturally and by training pre-disposed to keeping your real teeth in your mouth. I've asked different dentists why and they get a hand-wavy, but they all say it's better if your real teeth are in there. This even happened in a scenario where I wanted a tooth removed and an implant put in - they would have made more money saying yes to me, but they pushed me towards other options.