Gizmodo: tooth

Nanoparticles Will Make Your Teeth Too Slick For Bacteria

Jason Chen — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:30:00 EST

Using a polishing technique previously employed in the semiconductor industry, a professor has discovered that it's possible to make a tooth too slick to have bacteria stick to. For reals.

The professor and his student have shown that "bad" bacteria cannot stick to the surface, which is great, since it's the type of bacteria that cause dental bills. Teeth polished with nanoparticles still may have bacteria on it, but from what I'm reading, can be easily removed. Easier than with brushing, or else this thing isn't really an advance at all.

It's too bad that by the time the technique is productized and deployed to actual dentists, I'll be 50 and have been toothless for 20 years. [Science Daily]

High-Pressure Tooth Spray Cleans Teeth With Water, Not Bristles

Jason Chen — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:00:00 EDT

Toothbrush-like contraptions that spray water into your teeth holes have been around for years, but Philips' new patent has several innovations that makes sure you don't blast your gums into submission. The spray head has probes that can detect how far away it is from your teeth, ensuring optimum distance.

Plus there's talk of having a light beam that reflects off your enamel to determine how clean your teeth are and when you need to move on. We'd take one of these if they integrated the water spray into one of their Sonicare brushes, which work fantastic already. Try and make enough money to pay back your student loans now, dentists! [New Scientist]

Tooth Grinding Remote, Researchers Hate to See You Smile

Mark Wilson — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:30:37 EDT

At last, we have an excuse other than stress to crack our molars and spend thousands on dental repair. Researchers at Osaka University have developed a remote sensitive to tooth grinding. Surprisingly, it's fairly low-tech in nature. IR sensors are placed over patients' temples because the temples are an area that moves only with the specific activation of rear molar movements. In other words, talking and eating won't open your garage door.

As of right now, the device can only turn a CD player on and off (I mean, give a guy a DVD player at least). But scientists are confident that the controls have far more potential, with the goal of checking email on a mobile device. It reminds me of Back to the Future II. "You get to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy!"
[digitalworldtokyo via ubergizmo]