Nine in ten dentists recommend carving up that iPhone dock your own dang self

But not this guy. Seriously, he's gonna stick drill that in somebody's mouth after this? Not ours, no thank you. Tipster Adam Marcus wanted to make some room for his iPhone 3G in his old iPhone dock, and got a teeth fixin' out of the whole deal, but we'd say somebody should call the dentist police on the both of them.

[Evan @ Jul 30th 2008 7:38AM]

Jeez, typos galore tonight.

"Seriously, he's gonna stick drill that in somebody's mouth after this? "

You transposed that and drill.

[GadgetTamer @ Jul 30th 2008 8:08AM]

So THAT'S why that didn't read right... i think i need some more coffee...

[ben @ Jul 30th 2008 9:32AM]

This is fucking asinine. I would be more worried about the fact that the drill was used on a patient and not washed than on a piece of plastic and not washed. I can't catch meningitis from a piece of plastic.

[dUc0N @ Jul 30th 2008 10:45AM]

Seriously... who said he didn't wash it after? If he's worth the paper his dentistry license is printed on, he scrubbed that thing down hardcore, then ran it through an autoclave (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoclave) a couple times. Or maybe even discarded the head to that drill (since drills are likely pricey but heads cheap).

Though, as hard as it is for me to see this as incredibly newsworthy, I can concede that he should've just found a dremel somewhere.

[OneLove @ Jul 30th 2008 11:55AM]

Leave Paul Alone!

[BowserUSC @ Jul 30th 2008 3:16PM]

The drill bits are replaceable. Every new patient should be getting a new sterilized bit unless your dentist is a cheapskate. Next time you sit down in the chair, check out your instruments and you'll notice the plastic wrapping on all the tools.

[sr1329 @ Jul 31st 2008 8:20AM]

Firstly, that's not a drill bit but an abrasive disk used to make composite resin fillings smooth with the rest of the tooth. Secondly those are disposable.

Also, you would need to go through several of those to mod the iDock, they lose abrasiveness quite quickly.

If you think using dental instruments to do tech related mods is new, think again. Those drills are perfect for a lot of things techies would love to do.

[Adderz @ Jul 30th 2008 7:40AM]

Could this news be any more lame or pointless.

Anything to get another iphone story in...

[Alex F @ Jul 30th 2008 7:42AM]

So very very true.
If it was a HTC Touch Diamond dock, $10 says it wouldn't be up here

[Limeni @ Jul 30th 2008 7:46AM]

buy an iphone

[Adderz @ Jul 30th 2008 7:51AM]

While i love Apple. I dont even own a single Windows PC, i have 3 macs and an ipod, i dont understand why the iphone has generated so much hype.

Yes its nice, yes i will be getting one, no i dont really care that a dentist can carve out his dock, no i dont care that they have miniscule little cracks you can barely see and no i dont care about "one day after" "one week after".

Youd think the people at Engadget wouldn't get caught up with the hype..but you'd be wrong.

[MasterCKO @ Jul 30th 2008 1:40PM]

now all they need to round out the news day is something pointless to take a pot shot at Microsoft for.

[Darkroom @ Jul 30th 2008 2:17PM]

i agree there's far too much iPhone news, but i like this story... a highly paid dentist, who could easily afford a new 3G dock, chooses to carve the old one... it's gold... not only is this a big "fuck you" to apple, but it goes to show that even the wealthy are certainly aware of the bullshit cash grabs from certain companies...

[Uh? @ Jul 30th 2008 5:45PM]

Why did you even bother to click the link if it's got iPhone in it? I'm in the UK and manage to ignore all the US-only posts. The only reason articles get posted is that so people read them - people tend to read iPhone and Apple articles. It's as selfish to bash iPhone/Apple posts as it would be for me to bash the US-only posts.

If you don't care - move on. Sorry to rant.

Doesn't Engadget provide a no-Apple stream anyway?

[Nick @ Jul 30th 2008 7:41AM]

What is wrong with a dremel?

[j_g_puff @ Jul 30th 2008 8:19AM]

Nothing is wrong with a Dremel. It's God's preferred hand-held rotary tool. Heck, you can even file down your own chompers with it.

[Alex F @ Jul 30th 2008 7:41AM]

I thought dentists could afford they're own iphone docks without risking their careers.

[rob @ Jul 30th 2008 9:55AM]

that dentist poses practically a 0% chance of risking his career...
1) using one of the bits for his drill on a piece of plastic isn't gonna contaminate the bit
2) the same bits have been in probably hundreds of other people's mouths
3) autoclave - 121 degrees C... im certain he autoclaved that after using it on his iphone dock

[simon @ Jul 30th 2008 12:59PM]

How is this guy risking his career? Th bur he is using is easily replacable. Why are people assuming that the bur is either from someone's mouth or else will be used in someone's mouth. Smarten up people - they don't last forever and are often rplaced. That's why they come (individually sealed) in multipacks. As for the handpiece it is not being exposed to an pathogens with this procedure. It would be fine to disinfect it - autoclaving after this is not required. To all those who say that a dremel works fine - true but given the choice i would prefer to use a high torque (preferably electric) highspeed with a diamond folloed by a good slowspeed with an acrylic bur.

[George A. Romero @ Jul 30th 2008 7:42AM]

You can get a Dremel and carve it out.

[BigBloke @ Jul 30th 2008 7:44AM]

Slow news day huh?

[Si @ Jul 30th 2008 7:45AM]

Sorry, did you forget to post the story?

[Eckofish @ Jul 30th 2008 7:55AM]

I'm not sure what's stranger, the fact that engadget thinks using dental shaping tools on clean plastic is worse than using it for hundreds of mouth jobs weekly, or the fact that they think there are dentist police.?

[Jon B @ Jul 30th 2008 7:57AM]

So much hate spreading through Engadget. Chill people, this is a blog.

[Bradley @ Jul 30th 2008 8:02AM]

Those heads are disposable.

[Lucky @ Jul 30th 2008 8:11AM]

Bradley's comment is packed with win.

That and it's a cutting disc attached there, not a drill bit.
After this, he likely tossed it and it was perfectly fine to use in the next rotting mouth.

[Kaminix @ Jul 30th 2008 10:16AM]

I was just looking for someone to say that for me.
Paul Miller should go to the dentist more often.

[John @ Jul 30th 2008 8:05AM]

I guess its like the media who claim to not be biased but clearly are. I have no problem that engadget is in the tank for apple, but dont claim not to be at the same time.

[vander @ Jul 30th 2008 8:13AM]

and in other news.. cat gets stuck up tree, owner calls for help.. on her new 3G iPhone.

[deyanimay @ Jul 30th 2008 8:16AM]

the help locates here via the built in gps

[eineins @ Jul 30th 2008 8:22AM]

Second person calls on winmo device ... apple sues.

[Lucky @ Jul 30th 2008 8:54AM]

Third person calls using "free with activation" device and everyone laughs at him in a hearty French tone.

[ben @ Jul 30th 2008 9:38AM]

Fun game:
Search "phone" on google news.
Add "With the 3G iPhone" to the end of any headline.
Voila! Engadget article!

[ben @ Jul 30th 2008 9:43AM]

Also works with "call"

[Haytham @ Jul 30th 2008 8:13AM]

u r really so desperate for any i mean anything with the word "iphone" in its contest....
get over it guys
its just another headset....

[MIke @ Jul 30th 2008 8:19AM]

Risking careers? Are you people that ignorant? All of those parts are disposable.

[Nomi @ Jul 30th 2008 8:32AM]

Thats pretty smart...you can get a fine finish with that.

[Gordy @ Jul 30th 2008 8:34AM]

Once again, the Universal Dock works just fine. Hell, it even holds the iPhone with the case on.

[Lucky @ Jul 30th 2008 8:46AM]

Who the hell are you to bring logic into any of this?

[Major4Play @ Jul 30th 2008 8:36AM]

God dammit ! How dare that tight arsed dentist rip off the iphone industry in such an underhand way.
If you buy a new iPhone buy a new dock too ! thats what apple fans do !
Imagine doing something yourself like this might as well buy a PC
[sic]

[Frank Furter @ Jul 30th 2008 8:50AM]

Whaddya call a guy that fails medical school......

[DrStone @ Jul 30th 2008 9:10AM]

A dentist!

[Mikey @ Jul 30th 2008 9:21AM]

Someone who is still smarter than Frank Furter

[Frank Furter @ Jul 30th 2008 9:23AM]

He likes it! He likes it! Hey Mikey!

[UltraMagnus0001 @ Jul 30th 2008 3:11PM]

Someone that get's paid more than an idiot

[fred @ Jul 30th 2008 9:14AM]

Dental insurance is expensive.

Glad to know that the money is going to good use.

[Mikey @ Jul 30th 2008 9:23AM]

Engadget... you blew the joke on your headline. It's always "4 out of 5 dentists recommend Crest" or whatever, not "9 out of 10." You could never get that last 1/2 dentist per 5 to agree on anything.

[Rick @ Jul 30th 2008 10:01AM]

At least he wasn't a proctologist. Imagine where the Roto-Rooter type tool had been before. I guess he could then blame Apple for the shitty reception on the iPhone 3G after the "operation".

[Homeboy @ Jul 30th 2008 10:21AM]

In a few weeks he'll be fixing using the same very tools to fix the cavity like cracks that will appear on the back of his white iPhone.

[Dana @ Jul 30th 2008 11:25AM]

I'm a dentist and use my air-driven high speed handpiece on lots of things...yes after and before trips through the autoclave. Dremel is good, but to be honest, I've spent hundreds of hours of my life with a 300K rpm, 90-degree handpiece in my hands, half the time only being able to see through a mirror. I can do a better job with it than I can with a Dremel.

My best project was when I got some metallic-looking 2x4 grid material to fit into my overhead light fixtures. The rooms look a lot better without the typical office-styled diverters on them.

"But the most important thing about shop safety is to wear these, safety glasses."