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Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

penntoday.upenn.edu

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Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#171

Post by Gigachad »

f6v wrote: post #25
svantana wrote: post #3

I find it strange that there is so little innovation in the field of everyday tooth care. Particularly the inefficiency of brushing one tooth at a time. I like the idea of https://blizzbrush.com/ , has anyone tried it? It's a bit suspicious that the single-pack is "sold out", but the 5 and 10-packs are not.

Have you seen how much it costs to get crowns or implants? There’s zero incentive for innovation, people keep bringing their money.

You could say this about almost every job. I like to think that the entire population isn't trying to actively sabotage things to generate more work. I certainly don't go seeding bugs or complex situations in to software to create more demand for my job.

Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#172

Post by bmau5 »

matsemann wrote: post #152
linsomniac wrote: post #135

ProTip: I went from rarely flossing to basically every day with "this one weird trick": I now floss my teeth in the shower. I like staying in the shower a little longer, so the 2 minutes went from chore to luxury. And the amount of food I remove on a daily basis is astonishing!

Isn't the science on flossing not showing any benefit? Edit: looked it up. No solid scientific evidence flossing helps.

There is surprisingly little peer reviewed data on flossing, but we ran our own study on how flossing impacts the oral microbiome (surveying our users) and found that flossing incidence is correlated with reduced levels of gum disease, bad breath, and cavities related bacterial species:

https://www.bristlehealth.com/post/bristle-research-the-effe...

Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#174

Post by bmau5 »

rhinoceraptor wrote: post #145
bmau5 wrote: post #60

This is very interesting and has a lot of potential, especially for people who struggle to brush their teeth, but I think there's another future where brushing and flossing largely become obsolete. If we could develop a more effective mouthwash tailored to restoring each persons oral microbiome we could likely reduce the need for brushing and flossing and instead replace it with a daily mouth rinse that clears out fo…

Why not just continue the work that's already been done in developing GM strains of S. mutans that don't produce biofilms?

We think this work is fascinating, but S. mutans isn’t the only species in the oral cavity capable of developing biofilms (nor is it the only cavity-causing species). I think this could be a great first step, but we’re currently more focused on how to cultivate our healthy species than bioengineer alternatives (a question of competencies and priorities)

Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#175

Post by canadiantim »

bmau5 wrote: post #174
rhinoceraptor wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just continue the work that's already been done in developing GM strains of S. mutans that don't produce biofilms?

We think this work is fascinating, but S. mutans isn’t the only species in the oral cavity capable of developing biofilms (nor is it the only cavity-causing species). I think this could be a great first step, but we’re currently more focused on how to cultivate our healthy species than bioengineer alternatives (a question of competencies and priorities)

What is your company? And have you identified anything you could recommend to help “cultivate our healthy species”?

Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#176

Post by [deleted] »

petercooper wrote: post #154
DoingIsLearning wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember a myth busters episode where they demonstrated that toothbrushes left in open air will easily get fecal matter on the brush hairs due to aerosolized poop from when you flush an open lid toilet. Definitely a great conversation ice-breaker.

If that's the case, I'm going to convince myself that I'm doing my immune system some good exposing it to such horrors in minute quantities..

[deleted]

Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#177

Post by bmau5 »

canadiantim wrote: post #175
bmau5 wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We think this work is fascinating, but S. mutans isn’t the only species in the oral cavity capable of developing biofilms (nor is it the only cavity-causing species). I think this could be a great first step, but we’re currently more focused on how to cultivate our healthy species than bioengineer alternatives (a question of competencies and priorities)

What is your company? And have you identified anything you could recommend to help “cultivate our healthy species”?

My company is Bristle (bristlehealth.com), and we've found several things that look to cultivate healthy species so far.

Hygiene plays a huge role (of course), but outside of that diet plays a large role. Cheese/dairy has been found to reduce cavity incidence, high fiber vegetables stimulate saliva production and neutralize acid, and a nitrate rich diet has been shown to increase levels of beneficial bacteria (called nitrate reducing species) that help us produce nitric oxide [2].

There's some exciting research on probiotics [3] as potential interventions as well, particularly if used with a proper hygiene regimen.

[1]https://www.bristlehealth.com/post/how-our-diets-can-affect-...

[2]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33742692/

[3]https://www.bristlehealth.com/post/a-guide-to-oral-probiotic...

Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#180

Post by vorpalhex »

godelski wrote: post #132
throwaway4837 wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't the mouthwash need abrasive particles as well? Part of why Listerine doesn't replace brushing and flossing is because it has a much smaller mechanical component in the washing process. The physical rubbing of bristles and wire through and around the teeth creates the physical abrasion that is necessary to remove large films of plaque. I imagine without any sort of abrasive, the liquid would need to be danger…

Yes. Talk to your dental hygienist and they will confirm this. Mine told me a story recently of when she was in school they were graded on how little plaque they had on their teeth. So her and all her friends did everything they could. New toothbrushes, flossing, the metal scrapers, and helping each other. No one removed everything and I guess that's the point of the lesson. Plaque builds up quickly and over time. Wh…

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