The Dangerous Trend of DIY Orthodontics
A college undergrad struggling with money and access to a 3D printer took matters into his own hands to correct his teeth.
You might have seen around the web a story about a guy who printed his own 3D plastic aligners to fix his crooked teeth. “I wasn’t smiling, and it was because I was unhappy with my teeth,” Amos Dudley wrote on his blog. He took a mold of his teeth with “some cheap alginate powder” and a 3D printed impression tray to see what his teeth were really like and realized that his print was very similar to the product Invisalign. He saw that he could essentially get all the materials he needed to print his own aligners with the help of some orthodontic textbooks. But not after some extensive research, according to his blog post.
Just, How Exactly Safe and Wise is This?
The answer to DIY aligners (and braces too) is NO! DIY aligners and braces can go horribly wrong! It is a dangerous trend and can do serious damage to your teeth and gums. Public warnings have been published by the American Association of Orthodontists. All orthodontic treatment should be done by an orthodontist.
Keep in mind: He had access to a 3D printer, other software, and labs through the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
In this case, he was lucky to have access to such software and that nothing serious happened to his teeth during his process. Not everyone has access to a 3D printer and considering the cost – it may be more expensive to acquire one, work on DIY aligners and hope to get it right than to just see your preferred orthodontist.
Leave the Orthodontic Care to Us
Advance Orthodontics offers Invisalign treatments and braces too – with all types of payment plans for patients. It’s not always the case that plastic aligners will do all the fixing, you will need expert opinion on how to best correct that smile!
Dudley has said that he will not make braces/aligners/retainers for anyone. He is a designer, not a manufacturer or an orthodontist.
Original blog post by Amos Dudley can be found here.