Oct.1, 2013

One of the great advantages of 3D Printing is the ability to design and create customized versions of everyday objects. Engineers from Blizzident have invented a new kind of toothbrush that is tailor-made to fit into a person's mouth using 3D scanning and 3D printing.

According to the company, By simply biting and grinding, Blizzident automatically cleans all teeth perfectly within six seconds, and you can even floss and clean your tongue at the same time.

How it works:

All Blizzident-bristles are tailored to your own teeth. They are placed on the surface of your teeth in a 45 degree angle. They are also aligned exactly along your gumline in a 45 degree angle. Additionally there are interdental bristles between all your teeth.

How to get a Blizzident:

To make the brush, the dentist takes an impression of all your teeth (with biting position) or scans them directly (thus creating a digital 3D model directly) and then uploaded to Blizzident. The makers need to find out the optimal placement of 600 bristles by simulating biting and chewing movements and then create a computer aided design (CAD) model of the brush accordingly. The brush is then printed out using 3D printing, to be precise here, stereolithography technology, which employs a vat of liquid ultraviolet curable photopolymer "resin" and an ultraviolet laser to build parts' layers one at a time.

How to use a Blizzident:

To brush with the Blizzident, you simply bite down on it and grind your teeth for about six seconds. The biting motion achieves the same effect as the two common teeth cleaning motions — the Modified Bass technique, in which the brush is positioned at a 45-degree angle to the teeth and moved back and forth, and the Fones technique, in which the brush is held at right angles to the teeth and moved circularly.

The tailor-made 3D printed toothbrush is now available online for $/€299. Prices of direct scan or impression+digitizing range between $75 and $200, but the company says this invention could actually save people money in dental costs, as well as saving time spending on brushing and flossing teeth. the Blizzident lasts one year, you can then buy a refurbished one for 89.- $/€ and a completely new one for 159.- $/€.

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

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that one guy wrote at 12/8/2015 3:52:25 AM:That looks like a clit ticklerChris wrote at 11/20/2014 4:37:37 PM:'''THIS IS A SCAM, I PAID OVER A YEAR AGO FOR MY TOOTHBRUSH AND NEVER RECEIVED IT ! THE PHONE NUMBER IN THE U.S.A. IS RECORDING ONLY AND EMAILS AREN'T RETURNED. THERE IS NO OTHER CONTACTS FOR THIS COMPANY. DON'T GET SWINDLED AS I DID. THIS SUPPOSED CHRIS MARTIN IS A SCAM ARTIST'''Lena wrote at 10/5/2013 12:09:29 AM:Cool, but doesn't solve the bigger problem of what happens to them when you throw them away. Still adds to the mountain of plastic...Fausto wrote at 10/3/2013 11:42:46 AM:It would seem that the refurbish process is done over your custom made brush, not a random one. They take the old one and do some work on it to make it functional again (probably replace the bristles).John wrote at 10/2/2013 10:51:04 AM:and the best thing is, you have to use an extra toothbrush to clean the teeth from the other side.Critical Human wrote at 10/2/2013 10:05:55 AM:@Dental Student - Actually, fluoride is useless and toxic to humans. It doesn't belong in mouths nor in bodies. It's typical of (many) "dental students" to regurgitate ADA profiteering talking points. Luckily, many dentists are rejecting such talking points and opting for science and reason. Hard science doesn't back up pro-fluoride claims. Meanwhile, (concerned, intelligent) people are increasingly opting for natural, fluoride-free toothpastes and they are not having any increase in caries. Likewise, they're avoiding dental fluorosis and the residual effects of putting a highly toxic substance into their gums. Studies show that simple regular brushing and flossing with water, with and even without toothpaste, is the only serious aspect of removing plaque keeping teeth (and thus one's body) healthy. Moreover, remineralizing teeth can be done cheaply with various natural, nontoxic method (from diet to oil swishing several minutes a day (e.g. coconut oil)): methods not profitable to industries of harsh, toxic chemical treatments and their unfortunate, unwitting proponents. To anyone interested: Google such things as remineralize teeth; oil pulling; natural tooth care, and so forth -- if science, reality, and health as it pertains to dental care interests you.Harry Pachty wrote at 10/2/2013 8:00:53 AM:I thought there are smart people in 3D printing, of course the bristles of a toothbrush need to be replaced once in a while because they get worn out, when calling this a refurbished one, how can people think they would get one from someone else?Jd90 wrote at 10/2/2013 5:30:46 AM:That said, I don't plan to buy a product like this, ever.JD90 wrote at 10/2/2013 5:29:10 AM:Wow, toothpaste being a scam? "Scamming" you out of $2 every six months? I'd pay that to avoid using some nasty home-made concoction.Dental Student wrote at 10/2/2013 12:09:23 AM:Toothpaste is not a scam. The baking soda you are using is not doing anything other than acting as an abrasive to remove staining. Toothpaste contains flouride, which promotes remineralization of enamel, acting to prevent cavities. Baking soda is cheaper, but it is not as effective as toothpaste.nosfe ratus wrote at 10/1/2013 10:20:35 PM:just sayin' , do you realise that you'are bruching the wrong way?fest wrote at 10/1/2013 10:16:11 PM:"Bri wrote at 10/1/2013 4:06:57 PM: A refurbished toothbrush, wtf?" Yeah, kind of defeats the purpose of custom one, doesn't it?Andrew Y wrote at 10/1/2013 9:33:44 PM:Washing it would also be a pain.Pete wrote at 10/1/2013 8:42:06 PM:The whole idea of this $/€ pricing is disgusting. An € is not comparable to a $ - you're penalizing me 35% extra for what exactly?Your Mom wrote at 10/1/2013 8:38:05 PM:I don't use toothpaste (because it is a scam). I use baking soda which is dirt cheap.MikeDawg wrote at 10/1/2013 8:22:36 PM:I don't understand why this needs to be custom fit to your mouth per-se. I suspect it would be something easily sized out, to say, a small, medium, large scale.Alex Dodge wrote at 10/1/2013 7:46:59 PM:I'd be more interested if it didn't look like something you'd pull out of a Zerg.Juan Valencia wrote at 10/1/2013 7:13:19 PM:You would want to brush longer than 6 seconds with a fluride toothpaste to support remineralization of the teeth. This wouldn't allow for that per se. You would also need a lot more toothpaste. :-)Bri wrote at 10/1/2013 4:06:57 PM:A refurbished toothbrush, wtf?



