Thanks to a new technological innovation, we’ve learned that there are ways to make going to the dentist even less appealing than it already is.
The tech news source ZD Net reported that last week, a woman in China had two 3D printed teeth implanted in her mouth, but not by her dentist: for the first time, a robot performed the entire, one hour operation with humans hovering alongside to monitor.
The robot was equipped with pre-programmed steps, and apparently, no human needed to intervene throughout the dental surgery. While this technology is very much in the test phase, it appears it’s much-needed, especially in places like China where there is a severe shortage of dentists compared to the number of people who need them.
The report says the patient was awake during the procedure, which meant the robot was responsible for recalibrating each time any movement occurred. This really makes you wonder about the tough-as-nails woman who actually volunteered for the trial procedure. I think I’d rather be knocked out cold.
Apparently, the robot dentist – developed at a Chinese university – is designed to combine a dentist’s expertise with the benefits of technology, and especially as a way to cut down on human error that can occur during any type of surgical procedure. 3DPrint.com says robots are already ubiquitous in certain surgical applications, but this is the first one designed to offer dental services. The results were positive, with dental experts saying the implants were well within the standard fit for that type of procedure.