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Robot dentist performs first human procedure

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Re: Robot dentist performs first human procedure

#231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are a lot of fields like this, where they have mostly been reduced to refinements but ultimately are still very barbaric procedures. All we've done is upgrade the stick (in this case, a nice shiny pick), but the procedure hasn't changed much at all. Too much of dentistry is still stuck on instant fix solutions. Take hard metal, scrape teeth. Something wrong on inside, just drill into it scrape it out and fill i…

If you avoid sugar and floss religiously, and have a decent calcium intake, that takes care of most of the potential problems.

Not true.

Mouth pH and mouth biome make all the difference.

Also spacing between teeth.

I used to be friends with someone that ate bags of gummy bears a day.

Never flossed, brushed a couple of times a week.

Zero cavities well into his 30s, maybe longer.

Re: Robot dentist performs first human procedure

#232

It’s going to become increasingly apparent in the US over time the degree to which doctors & the regulatory state are blocking us from getting cheap new care. Already ML algos are more accurate at diagnosing melanomas from an image than dermatologists - but we will never get that tech because doctors are fiercely protective of their salaries and have captured the arm of the state to help them do so.

And the lowest hanging fruit doesn't even necessarily have to do with AI or robotic tech. In the US you need a prescription within the last year to buy contact lenses. European countries do not require this. Not only does this mean contacts are more expensive and come from fewer suppliers, but demand for appointments with eye doctors would never go down, even though a test of vision could easily be done now by an aut…

>In the US you need a prescription within the last year to buy contact lenses.

I was told you even need prescription to buy glasses, which is ridiculous.

Even many places online require it, but some just let you input the values.

When I said this to an overnight glasses website's customer care they basically said if I ordered without a prescription I'd be committing a crime.

You really can't make this up!

Re: Robot dentist performs first human procedure

#233
post #56
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being a doc, I can confidently tell you you are totally incorrect as to why things happen the way they do in healthcare. That won't surprise you, I guess. I long tried to make outsiders, and especially tech people, understand what our job is, but discussions always lead to the same stereotypes.

So, what is your job? I will be honest, I've had better luck with google than most doctors. I've had doctors say things which were completely incorrect. I've had doctors prescribe unnecessary and not advised meds for what they diagnosed me with(incorrectly). I have friends who are pharmacists and they agree with my opinion, and they interact with doctors daily.

> So, what is your job?

Grant the status of their profession to their opinions.

Even worse with lawyers. AI will never make a real difference in that field.

Re: Robot dentist performs first human procedure

#234
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Come on, doctors are some of the most highly compensated wage earners. Every working stiff at all income levels sacrifices disproportionately to their income, and if I were a high school teacher, I'd belly laugh at this doctor pity party.

Doctors have such high social standing that you're downvoted for saying the obvious

60% of my US med class were idiots.

I have no clue if that's improved (with another decade of training, since I dropped out), but an even larger majority are miserable.

Re: Robot dentist performs first human procedure

#235

It’s going to become increasingly apparent in the US over time the degree to which doctors & the regulatory state are blocking us from getting cheap new care. Already ML algos are more accurate at diagnosing melanomas from an image than dermatologists - but we will never get that tech because doctors are fiercely protective of their salaries and have captured the arm of the state to help them do so.

Part of the problem is quackery. Remove the regulatory state and all the sudden you have people claiming bleach enemas as a cure all (We have that with the regulatory state, but those people get prosecuted). I don't think that some regulations ensuring the tooth drilling robot isn't going to explode teeth is unwarranted even though that drives up cost of development.

You don't need preemptive regulation over the entire medical industry to arrest people for quackery.

Re: Robot dentist performs first human procedure

#236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>the billing sucks This has not been the case in my experience. Dentists have always told me exactly how much I owe them, and the one time I forgot a payment, they called me and texted me to let me know and I resolved it in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile a hospital visit sent me a bunch of bills in the mail ranging from $50 to $100, they refused to tell me the total sum even when I visited in person, and when I misse…

Perhaps they were referring to the idea that dental "insurance" doesn't cover more than a set amount which is far under the price of most dental surgeries. It is only intended to cover preventative maintenance. As far as I am aware, there is no way to get actual insurance for teeth in the US, even via medical insurance.

[deleted]

Re: Robot dentist performs first human procedure

#237
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some doctors* The front line primary care doctors and nurse practitioners dont make as much as IT people quite often.

Lets not lump in nurse practitioners. I'm absolutely in favor of giving more responsibilities to NPs and paying them more than they currently are. Data on doctor salaries is very difficult to come by publicly, however H1B salaries indicate the average pay for H1B PCPs is $200k [0]. These are the lowest paid physicians. If you look at the data, many many physicians are making much more than that - with many specialiti…

Who is paying the malpractice etc. insurance for these doctors? Those salaries may effectively be a lot lower.

Re: Robot dentist performs first human procedure

#238

Will robot dentists facilitate the option to lay face down for procedures so that the debris and saliva falls out instead of needing the suction tool?

This, and the fact that a sterilized robot is way less likely to transmit airborne pathogens than a dentist and an assistant wearing a surgical mask at best. Maybe not v.1.0b4, but I'd sign up for v.1.2.

Maybe I'm out of the loop, but is this a known issue? As in, are dental offices a higher risk location for diseases to spread?

Re: Robot dentist performs first human procedure

#239
post #177
post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have good news: https://www.amazon.de/s?k=electric+toothbrush ;)

Waiting for the toothbrush that brushes all teeth at once in about 15 seconds

I actually had this thought one day. Do billionaires waste time brushing their teeth? If yes, why? If no, do they use a solution that they just stick their face in and it brushes for them?

That's what I'd do as a billionaire anyway. I wonder how I'd solve peeing...

Re: Robot dentist performs first human procedure

#240
post #181
post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They also exist eg https://sonic-brush.net - but they aren't very good yet.

That's a dropshipping site for AliExpress products shipping from China. You'll save money if you buy the product straight from AliExpress without a middleman in between. However as you said, the toothbrush doesn't actually work.

Is there a general way to tell if a site is (likely) a dropshipping site?
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