Engadget

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean USB toothbrush to stay fresh at your desk

Lydia Leavitt — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:41:00 EST

For the modern dental enthusiast, we present to you the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean USB toothbrush -- because keeping your stank breath fresh at your computer is essential for early morning Skype calls. Long since gone are the days where brushing your teeth was limited to the bathroom. Nowadays, you'll need to keep those chompers fresh no matter where you might find yourself, including (but not limited to): the computer lab at school, your home office, your boss' office, or maybe even the Apple Store. Claiming up to 100 percent plaque removal and 44 percent more bristles, some are going so far as to call this £250 ($405) teeth gleamer the "iPod of toothbrushes." Check out the full PR and the so fresh, so clean jam after the break.

Update: the folks at Philips emailed to let us know the USB toothbrush will sell for a suggested $219.99 in the US.

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Philips Sonicare DiamondClean USB toothbrush to stay fresh at your desk originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hanako 2 robot acts like a human dental patient, makes us say 'aah' (video)

Amar Toor — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:43:00 EST

No, she's not in a state of shock, nor is she hunting for plankton -- she's simply waiting for the dentist to polish her pearly whites, just like any other conscientious robot. Known as the Showa Hanako 2, this humanoid was originally developed last year as a tool for dentists looking to practice new procedures. Now, engineers at Japan's Showa University have updated their dental denizen, adding a motorized head and replacing her PVC skin with a more realistic silicon coating. She also boasts speech recognition capabilities and can execute freakishly natural movements, including blinking, sneezing, coughing and, under more unsavory circumstances, even choking. See her in action for yourself, after the break.

Continue reading Hanako 2 robot acts like a human dental patient, makes us say 'aah' (video)

Hanako 2 robot acts like a human dental patient, makes us say 'aah' (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stronger-than-steel palladium glass paves way for dental implants of the future

Christopher Trout — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:13:00 EST

A team of researchers at Caltech and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created a new type of glass that's stronger than steel, but it might not make it out of your oral surgeon's office. The material is a combination of glass' simplest form, called marginal glass, the metal palladium, and small fractions of phosphorus, silicon, germanium, and silver, making it resistant to massive amounts of pressure and strain. A glass this strong has endless potential in the way of structural application -- think cars, planes, and bridges. Thing is, though, palladium is super expensive, and researchers involved in the project say the best applications are in products like dental implants, which are currently made of soft, stiff noble metals, more likely to cause complications like bone atrophy. Chances are we won't see super strong glass bridges anytime soon, but the new glass dental implants could be in your mouth as early as 2016.

Filed under: Science

Stronger-than-steel palladium glass paves way for dental implants of the future originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers hope tooth regeneration gel will reduce the need for fillings

Donald Melanson — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:46:00 EST

We may still not have jetpacks or flying cars, but it looks like the 21st century might be about to get a bit more futuristic. As Discovery News reports, a study published in the ACS Nano journal is offering some fairly convincing evidence that a new type of hormone gel could potentially regenerate teeth and eliminate the need for fillings in at least some cases. According to the French scientists behind it, the gel has already managed to make cavities in mice "disappear" after only a month, and the peptide used in the gel, MSH, has also previously been shown to encourage bone regeneration. Of course, it will be a little while yet before your dentist puts down the drill -- the researchers say there still needs to be "several years" of clinical trials, and note that it likely won't replace fillings altogether (or prevent them).

Researchers hope tooth regeneration gel will reduce the need for fillings originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: doctors implant tooth into eye, restore sight, creep everyone out

Vlad Savov — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:25:00 EST

Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis. It's a real procedure that really does revive people's ability to see, yet we get the feeling that people will be more, um, excited about how it's done than why it's done. The seemingly Mary Shelley-inspired doctors extract a tooth from a blind person and drill a hole through it, where a prosthetic lens is placed, and the resulting macabre construction is implanted into the blind person's eye. The tooth is necessary as the body would reject an artificial base. It's not at all pretty, and it cannot repair every type of blindness, but it's still a major step forward. To hear from Sharron Thornton, the first American to have undergone the procedure, check the video after the break, but only if you can handle mildly graphic content -- you've been warned.

[Via Daily Tech]

Continue reading Video: doctors implant tooth into eye, restore sight, creep everyone out

Filed under: Science

Video: doctors implant tooth into eye, restore sight, creep everyone out originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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40 Second Toothbrush complicates, horrifies

Laura June — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:59:00 EST

We're not going to claim that the toothbrush can't be improved upon -- we know from experience that's not the case. But there is such a thing as going too far. The 40 Second Toothbrush, however, doesn't really claim to be more awesome than your standard stick-and-bristles affair -- just to be much, much faster. How does it cut the timesink of brushing the pearlies down by 66 percent? By having four intense-looking heads, which are capable of hitting up to six surfaces at once, at a rate of 810 swipes per minute. We haven't taken the thing for a spin ourselves, so we're not going to bother naysaying it, but we will say that it looks like a terrifying way to begin or end a day. The mouth violating 40 Second Toothbrush runs $99.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer and is available right now.

[Via Red Ferret]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

40 Second Toothbrush complicates, horrifies originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous: leaky fillings edition

Darren Murph — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:20:00 EST

We're not even going to pretend we fully grasp what's going on here, but the long and short of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences' latest findings are that cellphones can trigger the release of mercury from one's fillings. Yes, seriously. The study asserts that out of 14 test subjects with fillings, those who used mobile phones had a statistically significant increase of mercury from urine tests than those who refrained from yapping. The science behind all of this is far beyond our IQ levels, but we're a little freaked out/not freaked out, regardless.

[Via textually]

Filed under: Studies, Misc

Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous: leaky fillings edition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Osaka University develops teeth-controlled iPod interface

Darren Murph — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:54:00 EST

Just in case you weren't satisfied with the smorgasbord of options you already had when looking to control your iPod alternatively, researchers at Osaka University are hoping to shut you up. Thanks to new head gear that "uses infrared sensors and a microcomputer," individuals would be able to "operate music players by clenching their teeth." Essentially, the system "receives a command when the user clenches his or her teeth for about one second," which means that you can still chew gum and whatnot without getting it all confused. In the future, the team hopes to implement the technology into more devices, allowing folks to make funny faces to flip to the next slide in a presentation, answer a phone call, or even direct a wheelchair.

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Osaka University develops teeth-controlled iPod interface originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ultreo toothbrush uses ultrasound, but can it clean teeth?

Jeannie Choe — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:45:00 EST

Riveting news from the world of dental hygiene: the Ultreo ultrasonic toothbrush has officially launched, promising what sounds like the ultimate brush session -- oh you know, "ultrasound waveguide technology" and "precisely tuned sonic bristle action" and stuff like that. Unlike traditional sonic units that only use audible frequencies of 20Hz to 20,000Hz, Ultreo uses a tuned sonic / ultrasonic (over 20,000Hz) combo to offer more enamel-rattling power without compromising the user's veneers, bridges, or general safety. There's a programmable replacement indicator that prompts a brush head switch-out every 3 months, and the 2-minute auto shut-off timer makes sure you don't cop out too early. For about $149.00, true tooth-o-philes can sink their chompers into this latest addition to the bourgie toothbrush market.

[Thanks, Eric B]

Filed under: Household

Ultreo toothbrush uses ultrasound, but can it clean teeth? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rocket develops "paper battery" for use with RFID, cosmetics

Darren Murph — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 11:45:00 EST

Nearly a year after NEC rolled out its paper-thin ORB batteries, Korean battery manufacturer Rocket is launching (ahem) its own uber-thin battery. While juicy, scientific details aren't readily available, we do know that the "paper battery" won't include any toxic chemicals, is "flexible and thin," and molds together the companies "thin film technologies" with its battery knowledge. The company hopes to entice heavy RFID users, smart card manufacturers, and "cosmetic / drug delivery system" providers to utilize the paper battery in powering the already-miniscule devices. Oddly, Rocket also envisions its new creation being used in "teeth whitening, anti-aging, and wrinkle care," though we're not exactly sure how electrifying a tooth will brighten your smile. Nevertheless, the company hopes to have its newfangled power source attached to crates and body parts real soon, and confidently assures us that it "doesn't cause explosions or fires." Phew. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Rocket develops "paper battery" for use with RFID, cosmetics originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Nov 2006 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New low-intensity pulsed ultrasound device helps re-grow teeth

Stan Horaczek — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 10:08:00 EST

We'd gladly trade in most of our gadgets if it meant we never had to go under the drill at the dentist again. But researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada don't want our electronics, they just want a few more years to perfect their low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) technology that they hope will ultimately be able to re-grow lost or severely damaged teeth from the root, eliminating the need for pricey prosthetics and painful procedures. The pea-sized device, which can be held in place by a bracket or a crown, is controlled by a wireless remote and needs to gently massage the gums for 20 minutes a day over the course of four weeks to attain noticeable growth. This tech isn't expected to be available to the public for another two years, so hold off on that all-candy and Red Bull diet you've been planning for just a little longer while you ponder the rather incredible possibility that this method could eventually be used to grow human bones and actually make people taller without subjecting them to any kind of medieval torture.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

New low-intensity pulsed ultrasound device helps re-grow teeth originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jun 2006 10:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VELscope uses light to detect oral cancers

Marc Perton — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 11:25:00 EST

We're not too fond of trips to the dentist, for all the obvious reasons (plus the fact that we still can't get the image of Steve Martin as the sadistic tooth-ripper in "Little Shop of Horrors" out of our head). But if more tools like the VELscope come onto the market, we may just start checking in with the DDS more frequently. The device, developed by LED Dental in Vancouver, uses fluorescent light that hones in on tissues that glow when abnormal cells show up. That can give the dentist an edge in fighting cancers early on, before they progress too far. The device isn't on the market yet, but is expected to sell for about $5,000 when it's released. Now if they can just find a way to replace those drills with a similar tool, we're all set.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

VELscope uses light to detect oral cancers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Apr 2006 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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