I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked • Hacker News Board

Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked

#81

Post by daveguy » Sun, Mar 13, 2016, 2:29 PM UTC

It looks like the author took into account the safety of the plastic in creating these, which is a good thing. Maybe more so than dentists. You know "silver" fillings aka dental amalgum? They are 50% mercury by weight and are still being used. Supposedly safe because it is inhalation of mercury that is poisonous. Removal of those fillings with a drill can be dangerous. When some guy told me about this and was talking about it being the next asbestos/mesothelioma, I was thinking "sure! That sounds like conspiracy crap!" Then I looked it up on the FDA site like he suggested:

http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedur...

Anti-vaxxers are idiots and it is obvious that vaccines don't cause autism (original study was a fraud). The health benefit of vaccines is as undeniable as the lack of correlation to autism.

That said, dental amalgum is a chunk of mercury in your mouth. FDA says it is safe for people over 6yrs old, but I personally will stay away from it for any future dental work.

Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked

#82

Post by amelius » Sun, Mar 13, 2016, 2:34 PM UTC

dezork wrote: post #66

rl3 wrote: post #31

Not 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…

I used Keystone PROFORM .030" Retainer Material. Keystone is a dental supplier, so I trust the plastic is biologically inert.

This whole issue should be mentioned in the article, just in case anybody ignorant wants to do this with unsuitable materials.

Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked

#83

Post by wslh » Sun, Mar 13, 2016, 2:39 PM UTC

lpsz wrote: post #80

wslh wrote: post #78

There is an important issue missing in the article (beyond the warning notice): the occlusion. The modification of the dental structure requires a whole functional analysis that goes beyond the teeth. Anyway, the future is promising and the issues could be solved taking into account all the factors.

Would you please elaborate more in layman's terms?

Your occlusion/teeth position is not arbitrary and it impacts other parts of the system like the maxilla, the mandible, and even your tongue. Changing it only based on aesthetics can unbalance the forces that you were applying before the treatment and other issues can appear.

This doesn't mean that every dentist really cares about this issue but you should search for a professional who cares about this.

Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked

#84

Post by dezork » Sun, Mar 13, 2016, 2:41 PM UTC

amelius wrote: post #82

dezork wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used Keystone PROFORM .030" Retainer Material. Keystone is a dental supplier, so I trust the plastic is biologically inert.

This whole issue should be mentioned in the article, just in case anybody ignorant wants to do this with unsuitable materials.

Good point. I'll add some info about this.

Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked

#85

Post by percept » Sun, Mar 13, 2016, 3:05 PM UTC

rev_bird wrote: post #25

percept wrote: post #2

Now that is awesome--those things aren't cheap. I'm going to send this to my dentist (who's cool enough to appreciate it).

It has not once in my life occurred to me to email my dentist.

I know--mine texted me the night after my filling, to see how it was coming along.

She does that for everybody, along with a number of other practices that do her and (would) her profession great credit.

Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked

#86

Post by driverdan » Sun, Mar 13, 2016, 3:16 PM UTC

dikdik wrote: post #45

forgotpasswd3x wrote: post #22

This 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.

Have you ever tried cheap generic inserts?

Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked

#87

Post by mratzloff » Sun, Mar 13, 2016, 3:54 PM UTC

49531 wrote: post #37

marincounty wrote: post #36

Earlier 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…

You should go in for checkups. An extraction has long-term side effects that should be monitored.

Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked

#88

Post by vaadu » Sun, Mar 13, 2016, 4:34 PM UTC

How soon before the FDA says this is illegal or the medical industrial complex lobbies congress to make this illegal?

Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked

#89

Post by beachstartup » Sun, Mar 13, 2016, 4:38 PM UTC

pkaye wrote: post #39

49531 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Some dentists can be pretty scummy. My mother in her early 60s didn't have dental insurance and went to a local dentist that was affordable for cleaning. She had a little bit pain in her mouth and her dentist recommended extracting all the teeth and replacing with implants for $1000s! She calls me up and I go visit with her to get an better idea. He gets ticked off because he though we were ready to go right ahead. I…

a lot of medical professionals are scummy. there's a word for it: quackery.

Re: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and they worked

#90

Post by mistermann » Sun, Mar 13, 2016, 4:38 PM UTC

mratzloff wrote: post #87

49531 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

You should go in for checkups. An extraction has long-term side effects that should be monitored.

I've been on this planet for quite some time and while I'm sure some side effects are possible, I've never once heard of anyone having a problem, whereas I've heard numerous stories of people having extreme difficulty paying for dental procedures.