Student 3D prints his own aligner

Amos Dudley, born the USA, in 1993, is a college student who 3D printed his own aligner, 2016, to help correct his crooked smile. It’s cheaper than using the braces prescribed by the dentist.

"Then it was just a matter of animating them into their correct positions. measured the total distance of travel, and divided it by the maximum recommended distance a tooth can travel per aligner. Each frame of animation was baked into a new STL model”.

Using a 3D printer, he came up with 12 models and using a vacuum form machine, he produced plastic aligners over the top, using special dentist plastic he bought on eBay. He built his own aligners for about 60 USD.

"These have to sit in the mouth without breaking down or releasing toxic chemicals, so the quality of the plastic is important”, he highlighted. Amos started to use the device, only taking it to eat.

"As far as I know, I’m the first person to have tried DIY-ing plastic aligners. They’re much more comfortable than braces and fit my teeth quite well. I was pleased to find, when I put the first one on, that it only seemed to put any noticeable pressure on the teeth that I planned to move - a success! Most importantly, I feel like I can freely smile again", he observed.

However, the inventor doesn’t advise anyone to 3D print their own aligners. There can be damage which could result in loss of the supporting tooth root, gum recession, or, in the worst case, loss of teeth.

The student’s experiment is mostly a statement so that he can show that people are unhappy with the state of the orthodontic appliance industry for having such high prices.

“I won't be making retainers/aligners for people (even if you offer money). I've thought about the possibility and decided it's not a good idea for a large number of reasons. Sorry!”, he wrote on his blog.

Adapted from: https://bit.ly/2HpeoQU
More info: http://amosdudley.com/weblog/Ortho