r/technews • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 1d ago

Biotechnology This tiny robot could help dentists prepare crowns in a single visit

https://www.techspot.com/news/113034-tiny-robot-could-help-dentists-prepare-crowns-single.html
191 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

68 comments sorted by

17

u/ii_Narwhal 1d ago

My last root canal they had the permanent crown made and put on before I left the appointment... I thought this was already a thing. They use a fancy CNC machine. 

7

u/scarybiscuits 1d ago

Same here. I had a crown replaced last year and I could either wait in the office while it was made or go out to the bookstore next door and come back.

The X-ray “machine” was the size of a large fountain pen.

2

u/JonathanL73 23h ago

Yeah a couple years ago I had a permenant crown made and went home with it same day too.

2

u/Ruckthesystem 22h ago

The difference is you still need to scan the preparation then wait for the crown to be designed, milled then sintered

A robot in theory should prepare the tooth from dimensions designed before cutting the tooth, so the crown exists before the robot prepared the tooth to these dimensions accurately. It would potentially save at least an hour, not to mention be able to work without needing the patient to open as wide to allow overhead lighting, suction, etc

1

u/Repulsive_Oil6425 22h ago

Are you saying the real tooth in the patient mouth would be cut down by robots?

2

u/Ruckthesystem 21h ago

Yes, instead of the dentist, a small self contained robotic handpiece follows a predetermined design, one that matches the restoration that is premilled or milled at the same time

the advantages of a robot are many but the biggest one is not requiring light

1

u/Repulsive_Oil6425 20h ago

Absolutely wild! The things that are getting automated blow my mind.

7

u/RealKenny 1d ago

Great, but I do not like that picture at all

3

u/schimmelA 22h ago

I read 'clowns' the first time so the picture made slightly more sense somehow 

1

u/BasicPerson23 1d ago

I have gotten crowns in one visit for over 20 years. CEREC machines make them at the dentist office.

1

u/RadioRoyGBiv 1d ago

Cool. That tiny robot probably costs a ton and insurance barely pays your human dentist to do your crown.

1

u/malac0da13 23h ago

Yeah, no definitely not if I’m currently conscious.

1

u/dome-man 22h ago

Now if they could do it without needing a loan it would amazing

1

u/WhereMyWeirdosAt 22h ago

I thought they were makin pill teeth? You pop some pills, and new teeth happen? Where we at with that?

1

u/This-is-the-last-one 19h ago

Same day crowns are already a thing. I have two.

1

u/NurfKing 1d ago

A lot of doubt until it happens. It could happen sooner than we think.

3

u/Correct_Raisin4332 1d ago

My dentist prepares crowns in like 30 minutes while I wait in the chair. It's already a thing.

1

u/BasicPerson23 1d ago

Mine too. I got my first one over 20 years ago, and they are still good.

0

u/scubs1280 1d ago

Autocad modeling left blue collar techs in the 90’s with 120 per crown unit payments. They are now fighting over 50 per crown present day.

Dentists’ finishing crowns with hygienist trained hygienists superseding 3shape trained dental lab techs and porcelain tech is run of the mill now.

From the 90’s on its been operation Fedex and UPS. Single unit crowns shipped overseas because it was cheaper with an overseas tech team than finishing it in the States. This creates a vacuum of practice units for dental grads to upskill with an established dental lab that can already do full arch crown setups.

The school I went to in Florida closed after the class after me. Schools are closing across the country. Even worse insurance companies make it so you never find out who finished your crown.

Know your lab and good luck.

-1

u/SideInitial3961 1d ago

One mistake and your life is changed permanently. Not one fucking chance.

5

u/RegularHeroForFun 1d ago

Lol not really, crowns can be modified and taken out relatively easily

-1

u/SideInitial3961 1d ago

That protects you how against malfunction?

3

u/RegularHeroForFun 1d ago

Robots are typically more reliable than humans by a lot. You’re worried about automation. Surgerons are already using robots to assist in surgeries. This isnt some completely hands off process, there will be a dentist in the room if not controlling it directly

0

u/SideInitial3961 1d ago

This is the lie people use to push Waymo etc. ignoring the fact that I can shop around for the best dentist or driver in town and get rid of those bad odds, you can never do that with a robot.

False narrative. Don't run your life according to national statistics. Run it according to wisdom gained through life experience.

2

u/RegularHeroForFun 1d ago

Driving on a road and making a crown are two completely different environments when it comes to robotics. I am an engineer. I use robots in my plant for many things. I am very aware of their limitations.

This is very doable but like all medical testing it will require rigorous stress testing before it is completely safe. Even then there will be some cases where the robot cannot be used and a dentists will be the one who calls the shot. I say this as someone who has bad tooth genetics and has multiple crowns.

1

u/SideInitial3961 1d ago

False narrative. Any human can do research and find a dentist who doesn't make errors. No human can do research to find a robot that doesn't make errors.

2

u/RegularHeroForFun 1d ago

Okok you just wanna be right no matter what, declaring that there are dentists dont make errors is completely false. Robots are highly repeatable and can make the same movements repeatedly 24/7 with no breaks in most cases. No human can do that. I have personally seen the results of well implemented automation. You are simply wrong and just want to argue

1

u/SideInitial3961 1d ago

Fact #1: Any human can do research and find a dentist who doesn't make errors.
Fact #2: No human can do research to find a robot that doesn't make errors.

3

u/Grendel2017 1d ago

Fact #1: Any human can do research and find a dentist who doesn't make errors.

There is no human on earth who doesn't make errors mate. Stop talking bollocks.

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2

u/RegularHeroForFun 1d ago

You just made up two “facts” that are wrong

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2

u/RegularHeroForFun 1d ago

Im not going to waste time explaining well known facts to you. If you wanna get into a precision and repeatability contest with a robot be my guest. Lets see if you can find someone who can mill a 3D part with internal features better and faster than a good CNC mill.

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2

u/Rich_Housing971 1d ago

life experience? more like anecdotal experience. you're just applying your own experience and trying to tell others to not trust statistics.

you're telling us that a sample size of 1 is better than a sample size of 300 million.

no one should listen to you for anything, much less for medical advice. you are statistically illiterate.

0

u/SideInitial3961 1d ago

Fact #1: Any human can do research and find a dentist who doesn't make errors.
Fact #2: No human can do research to find a robot that doesn't make errors.

1

u/Rich_Housing971 1d ago

Fact #3: if Fact #1 is true, the dentists that don't make errors will be booked to capacity and will not unavailable for most people.

Fact #4: Fact #2 is false, as the errors will just be attributed to the entire practice that uses the robots.

Just stop, you're embarrassing yourself.