College student makes his own braces with 3D printer
A New Jersey college student made his own braces using a 3D printer. Now, he's flashing a nearly perfect smile. And, he didn't break the bank.
The digital design student wanted straighter teeth on a budget, so he used his design know-how and a 3D printer at school for his home-made clear brace.
Thankfully it worked but I wouldn't recommend anyone else try it.- Amos Dudley
"It wasn't just about straightening my teeth," Amos Dudley tells As It Happens host Carol Off, " it was a project for my portfolio that would demonstrate my skills as a designer."
Dudley researched his project using orthodontics textbooks before making a mould of his teeth and scanning that into his computer. He eventually 3D-printed 12 clear plastic braces, for each of the 12 steps he needed to reshape his teeth.
"Thankfully it worked but I wouldn't recommend anyone else try it," Dudley says.
While similar invisible braces can cost upwards of $10,000, Dudley's total price was about $75.
"They're very similar to retainers they give you after you have braces. It's basically invisible when you put it on," says Dudley.
But he cautions people not to use a 3D printer and CAD software to do at-home orthodontics, "I think it was even remotely safe because I had a very simple case (of straightening)."
That hasn't stopped others from asking him to play orthodontist.
"A lot of people have asked me (to make them braces) and I have to decline, it's not legal to practice medicine without a licence and there's a lot of liability."