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A new dental robot is being developed at the University of Basel in Switzerland to help drill teeth. It’s called a MIR, or miniature intraoral robot, and its small design allows it to be placed inside a patient’s mouth.
The goal is to speed up the process of installing a new crown when tooth decay is detected. Today, a patient with tooth decay requires multiple follow-up appointments to prepare the tooth for a new crown, including the placement of a temporary crown. Using MIR, the dentist can examine the patient’s mouth and order a new crown during the first appointment, reducing the number of visits required.
The larger components of the robot, including the motor and controls, are kept outside the mouth and are connected to the robot via cables and a drive shaft. It is similar to the process used in cars to transfer motion from the engine to the wheels.
The dental robot is attached directly to the patient’s teeth.
The robot is mounted on a specially prepared dental splint, which is fixed to the teeth. If the patient moves his head, the robot moves with him.
It has so far been tested on fake porcelain teeth in the mouth of a fake patient, but is not yet ready for use in humans. The team plans to add sensors and a camera so the robot can track its location, even during a power outage.
Watch this: Dental robot for dental drilling tested
To see the robot in action, watch the video in this article.
