3D Printing To Battle Gum Disease

By on October 20th, 2020 in Usage

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FRESH Flossing System Uses 3D Printing Technology to Battle Gum Disease In Seconds
The FRESH Flossing Tool [Source: FRESH]

Especially during COVID-19, pearly whites can be especially difficult to achieve, considering that we can’t always visit our dentist regularly.

A new oral health company, FRESH, has just introduced an automated pro flosser to deep clean between your teeth and below your gum line in a process they say takes a mere seven seconds. They also say it’s a first-of-its-kind product, being custom fit and fully automated.

Although healthy brushing habits are pretty common these days so deeper daily dental cleaning doesn’t sound like all too serious of a problem, FRESH cites research that has shown that about 91% of U.S. adults are experiencing tooth decay and that 47% have chronic gum disease. FRESH has used advanced digital technology and 3D printing techniques to customize the cleaning process in an attempt to personalize each user’s experience.

FRESH reports that two weeks’ use of their device was shown in clinical studies to reduce bleeding gums (an indicator of gum disease) by 87%.

“Our mission from the start has been to eliminate oral diseases which are the most common chronic diseases in the world,” Mike Hanuschik, Founder and CEO of FRESH, claims.

“We know that brushing alone is just not enough to prevent gum disease and cavities. Our goal in developing FRESH is to deliver the first oral care system that makes it incredibly easy and enjoyable to deep clean between your teeth and gums in just seven seconds so you’ll never have to lie to your dentist again. We’re extremely excited to see the impact this new platform will have on oral health.”

The System’s Features

I’m not going to lie, this new tool looks pretty cool!

It features a custom fit mouthpiece (created after a custom fitting which involves taking a digital impression of your teeth) with 64 carefully positioned flossing jets. It also has 10 water flow settings, a branded FRESH Pro Rinse, and an exit port to remove the water spray that often accompanies use of flosser devices.

The company’s FAQ also addresses some other important features, like:

“The Fresh flossing system enables you to easily switch mouthpieces. Each person who uses the system will need to purchase their own custom mouthpiece.”

And:

“Place your order online and we’ll ship an impression kit to your house. Once you’ve completed your impression, mail it back in the pre-paid package provided and we’ll take care of the rest. After your fully personalized mouthpiece has been generated, 3D printed, and tested, we will ship it directly to your home and you can immediately start enjoying the benefits of 7 second flossing.”

What I Think

I really like this initiative, because we really are all unique — especially in terms of our bodies. The benefits of 3D printing in the medical industry are HUGE, because there really is no one-size-fits-all kind of treatment when dealing with completely different patients. Yet, usually, anything that is custom-made is bound to have a high price tag attached.

It also addresses a problem that we don’t really tend to talk about. When the average person thinks “oral health”, the conversation revolves around traditional brushing and flossing habits, but there are times where that just isn’t enough.

Not even considering the customization aspect, 3D printing makes this tool so much more accessible to everyone, because of its ability to make the entire manufacturing and custom-fitting process less expensive. The system costs about $399.99, rather than the thousands that it could take to repair gum damage or buy a traditional “high tech flosser”.

Like in the case of Unlimited Tomorrow’s TrueLimb prosthetics, FRESH mails home impression kits, eliminating the middleman and thus bringing down costs here as well.

Via FRESH

By Madhu Chandrasekaran

Madhumita Chandrasekaran is an enthusiastic high school writer who is passionate about words and the world around her. Madhu first became fascinated with 3D printing when she attended the Canada Wide Science Fair in 2017 and witnessed a project highlighting the applications of bioprinting.  In the following year, she achieved a gold medal at the CWSF and an invitation to present her project “A Novel Approach to Efficiently Recycle Used Diapers in Optimizing Plant Growth” at the Prime Minister’s Science Fair at Parliament Hill, for which she received wide recognition.  In addition to receiving numerous awards for her work in STEM and Writing, she was the University Panel Director on the Project Pulse Executive Team for two consecutive years (2017-2018 and 2018-2019) and is a Swim Instructor for differently abled kids at Swimmingly.

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