/diy/ - Do It Yourself

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960579]

Good news everyone!

My DIY Invisalign project is almost over, and it's worked quite well. Maybe some of you guys remember this from last summer.

I'll post the old photos, as well as my new straighter teeth.

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960581]

Here's where they are now. There's two aligners left to go in the original set I made.

I'm considering taking a new mold and re-scanning it to make some minor course correction adjustments. Not sure if I'm gonna do that yet, I'm pretty happy where they ended up.

[Anonymous No.960582]

>>960579
Im sitting here wondering why a picture of teeth and the tripfag name "ortho ao2quw3589rjudoa" looked so familiar..

Congratulations on it actually working, inb4 teeth fall out.
I remember your thread up for ages but unfortunately I didn't follow it. I look forward to seeing the before and after pictures.

[Anonymous No.960584]

>>960579
Thats not how timestamps work

Looks like it worked out well enough for you though.

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960585]

The original mold. Notice LI-r (right lateral incisor) projected outward, and the right central incisor was depressed inward and overlapped a bit.

[Anonymous No.960586]

>>960584
>that's not how timestamps work

That's not what tits look like, and there's no sharpie anywhere in the picture. OP's just got it all wrong.

[Anonymous No.960587]

>>960579
>>960581
>>960582
Holy shit, This actually put a smile on my face. This is one of the successes of /diy/. Thanks for letting us know what happened.
What was your story again? Insurance fucked up? What country?

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960588]

Here's a photo of the manufactured aligner

>>960584
Eh, I didn't think to timestamp the original photo, and I took the second one literally five minutes ago. ah well.

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960589]

>>960587
USA. I had braces when I was a kid, but I neglected to wear the retainer because I was a dumb kid. My teeth drifted. It would have cost between 2-4k to get them re-fixed with invisalign.

I figured I could make my own pretty easily.

Mold making materials > laser scanner > Blender animation of teeth motion > high resolution 3d print > vacuum forming > hand finishing with a rotary tool.

Cost about 40 bucks for the materials total.

The aligner trays have also been doubling as whitening trays. I bought some carbamide peroxide gel from Amazon for 10 bucks. It's working ok.

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960592]

[Anonymous No.960594]

>>960579
put this thread on your Resume

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960595]

I made a little rig out of sheet metal and sponge tape to make the big bed of the Formech vac machine fit the small squares of retainer material.

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960596]

Here are the aligner steps. There weren't very many (I measure the travel distance, and divided that by 0.25mm, the recommended amount of tooth movement per aligner according to my reference texts).

I made multiple physical copies of the aligner for each step though, because the aligner plastic would deform a bit throughout the week. That way, I could switch to a new one at the same 'level', and it would continue to exert force on the teeth.

[Anonymous No.960597]

>>960589
You are one of the few people I've seen that let me hang onto hope for humanity.

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960601]

>>960597
Awe, thanks!

here's some of the used-up aligners. They definitely stretch a bit throughout their use. In retrospect perhaps I should have used a thicker plastic? Thankfully I had multiple copies of each step.

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960604]

>>960597
Awe, thanks!

here's some of the used-up aligners. They definitely stretch a bit throughout their use. In retrospect perhaps I should have used a thicker plastic? Thankfully I had multiple copies of each step.

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960605]

>>960597
Awe, thanks!

here's some of the used-up aligners. They definitely stretch a bit throughout their use. In retrospect perhaps I should have used a thicker plastic? Thankfully I had multiple copies of each step.

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960606]

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960607]

>>960606
God damn it.

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960609]

I'll stop for now with another picture of the original alginate mold. 3d printed an impression tray, cuz I didn't feel like buying one.

I'll answer any questions if you've got em.

>no I won't be offering this as a service for money

[Anonymous No.960613]

>>960579
Bump, give this hero an internet, well done.
Are you a dentist or have any training in orthodontics ? What were your references ? Did you fear fucking up your teeth at one moment or another ? Could you compile your threads in a blog or have them archived ?

[Anonymous No.960617]

>>960613
I didn't have any training, nor am I a dentist. If anyone tries this, the they assume ALL the risk. I did read and reference Contemporary Orthodontics (5e) by William Proffit DDS, PhD, and Orthodontics at a Glance by Gill Daljit, as well as some other invisalign-related texts I found online.

I got the idea when I was researching actual invisalign, and noticed that the real stuff has striations as if it were vac-formed off of a 3d print (it is). I realized I had all the tools, so why not go for it?

(here's some genuine invisalign, for reference- check out those lines!)

[Anonymous No.960620]

>>960589
>fucking over the bullshit dental industry this hard and being self sufficient
I love you man

[Anonymous No.960630]

>>960617
this is much nicer than the dark ages horse shit I had as a kid (ten years ago)
they were still using those horrible shitty sharp wire bullshit things and they kept breaking on insertion for me.

actually, these hawley retainers look OK. my orthodontist must have been a complete fuckwit. the wires were sharp. they had sharp ends. instead of a flat plate, there was a sharp piece of wire used as a spring attached to a screw. the sharp wire used to cut up my mouth. needless to say, my compliance lasted about two weeks before i gave up that shit because I couldnt think, talk, concentrate at school or sleep with the motherfucker in. parents were mad as hell over spending 1400$ on that plate and I wouldnt wear it. turns out the orthodonist was a hack. I always thought it was ridiculous to have sharp bits of wire stabbing my lips, gums and tongue, making them bleed.

[Anonymous No.960815]

>>960609
How'd you get the laser scan?

[Anonymous No.960833]

>>960579
>DIY orthodontics

Now I've seen everything

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960834]

>>960815
There's a decent laser scanner at my college.

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.960905]

Hey guys, here's a full writeup with all the steps I remembered to photograph, on my website.

goo dot gl slash SOZsek

Thanks for your help throughout the process. DIY is life.

[Anonymous No.960910]

>>960579
>>960905
Sorry to dis you, but this is nowhere DIY, nor the statement about $40 is even remotely close to truth.
Maybe materials costed you tta much but all the tools required aren't free. You could consider tool free only if it's readily available. High res 3D scaner, high accuracy 3D printer, aren't.
You could build some of those with good enough accuracy, but then this whole DIY thing would cost around $2000 at least.

That doesn't mean i don't think what you made is cool given the availabilty of the tools.

[Anonymous No.960913]

>>960579
>I’m planning on fabricating a bunch of retainers for the current position, which I can use - till I die - at night.
So this treatment isn't permanent like normal braces? I don't it. Also why would it differ from braces?

[Anonymous No.960915]

>>960910
fuck off

what OP did was literally DIY

plus, 3D scanners and printers are fairly DIY territory

[Anonymous No.960916]

>>960913
Normal braces require you to wear a retainer indefinitely, after they finish, or your teeth will drift.

[Anonymous No.960923]

>>960916
Huh? I had braces for 2 years in highschool, now i have nice straight teeth and no retainers.
My friend's gf just got her braces removed and has no retainer.
Is that a meme?

[Anonymous No.960924]

>>960923

Wait till you're an adult. They will drift, I promise you. Especially if you still have wisdom teeth.

[Anonymous No.961042]

>>960589
How would you rate the pain compared to actual braces/retainer?

[Anonymous No.961076]

OP, do you think something more along the lines of this (http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-night-time-orthodontic-retainer/)) could work as well, for actual corrective adjustments? I have a bag of Instamorph and will probably make a set of retainers out of it (I lost my upper retainer years ago), but if I can somehow tweak it to actually straighten my teeth out again that'd be great.

Any reference material or tips so I can actually have some idea what I'm doing?

[Anonymous No.961079]

Wow you acctually did it. Nice job there. Lets please forget all the doubt /diy/ had in the first place.

[Anonymous No.961083]

>>960617
You know that as this can in no way shape or form be illegal for you to offer to other people with "easier" circumstances that don't need the full million dollar procedure to straighten their teeth out..

I'd start making cash if I were you

[Anonymous No.961084]

>>960924
I had a bar on the backside from C-r to C-l, I just ripped it off almost a year after the entire brace process was over, and I've had them "hanging loose" for about 10 years now(15-25), no movement. Wisdom teeth out without any issues, didn't need to remove em and they didn't move shit while surfacing.

[Anonymous No.961106]

This shit is blowing up on hackernews.

news dot ycombinator dotcom slash item?id=11275925

[Anonymous No.961108]

>>960924
I had braces in Highschool (16 and 17yo), now i'm 29, that's 11 years and my wisdom teeth stoped growing 3 years ago. No change in my teeth at all.

[Anonymous No.961190]

cool stuff

[Anonymous No.961208]

ok, you win. i shit talked your project months ago (undergoing invisalign myself) but it fucking worked. bravo

you should try banking out your teeth. i think my ortho is going to do it to 104° or so (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CODd_iQfpeY))

[Anonymous No.961212]

>>960589
But what is the total cost factoring in time? You said invisalign would have been 2-4 k.

[Anonymous No.961302]

>>961212
Factoring time, it's a worse value prop.

As a student though, people aren't actually willing to pay you for your free time, so it's irrelevant.

[Anonymous No.961725]

>>960579
Submit this to hackaday.io right now !!

[Anonymous No.961874]

>>960579

insaneeeeee

good job

[Anonymous No.961916]

>>960579
: )

http://boingboing.net/2016/03/14/open-source-your-face-and-3d-p.html

http://kottke.org/16/03/diy-orthodontics

[Anonymous No.962269]

>>960579
Looking good mah boy, what 3d printer did you use?

[Anonymous No.962291]

>>960910
>Sorry to dis you, but this is nowhere DIY, nor the statement about $40 is even remotely close to truth.

MANY /DIY/ers have very capable shop facilities and computers used for many purposes.

Do I count my ~$5000 in lathe and milling machine and tooling against each bushing or shaft I turn each time I make a part?

Orthonon used what he already had.

Depending on how much he uses those tools they can approach "free" per project in the way that keeping vehicles for many years can result in a very low $/mile expense.

>>960916
Nope. Had braces longer ago than most Anons have lived. Retainer was a couple of years.

Orthonon rocks. Perhaps he could get with OrganizingAnons to provide lower cost dental care in poor areas of the world. Remember "non-profit" orgs can pay their staff well.

[Anonymous No.962292]

>>961083
Don't take legal advice from anyone who isn't a lawyer on your retainer.

[Anonymous No.962356]

>>960910
actually he used the tools at his college, at my community college (open campus) anyone can go in and ask the lab techs to complete jobs for them, menial things are given to first term students, advanced projects are used in classes.

at the state run college they have a foundry and smithy shop, that's also open to the public, but you also have to go through forms and submit the jobs.

It's even easier if you're a student in the programs, which it's obvious he is.

[None !2Code3TV3M No.962359]

>>960579
good to see it's worked out
next step, dentures and implants
got any missing teeth on your bottom row to play with?

>>960910
he did it all himself, this is DIY.
DIY doesn't mean lifehack yourself from trash, even if you think he could have made braces from paper clips and speaker wire

[Anonymous No.962387]

Gizmodo is trash

[Anonymous No.962616]

>>962292
>a lawyer on your retainer
Holy fuck.
Under rated post

[Anonymous No.962640]

>>962359
> tripcunts surfacing to defend tripcunts

No surprises there, at least ortho delivers more than questions everyone else has asked before. What have you done to earn your trip faggot?

[Anonymous No.962684]

Fucking sell that shit OP. Make millions. Hurry up and patent it or something. Get people to buy it on Tor for bitcoins and fuck over the dental industry by undercutting them with self-sufficiency.

I'd buy it.

[Anonymous No.962718]

>>960620
>>960620
>>960620
>>960620
THIS.
>>960579
Really well done OP!
but why did you 3dprint the tray for the alginate- are they that expensive so 3d printing pays?
does this also help against damage through bruxism?

[Anonymous No.962867]

>>962718
>why did he print the tray
Because he could.

[Anonymous No.962891]

Wow, OP made Hackaday.

[Anonymous No.963442]

You made CNN!
http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/16/technology/homemade-invisalign/index.html

Fyi if you didn't give them permission to use your images you are entitled to bill them for using your photographs, maybe even enough to afford real dentistry!

[ortho !!gB95I2paJIj No.963453]

>>963442
Yea, I decided to go ahead and give whoever asked for one an interview. I'm about to graduate, so hopefully some attention will do me good towards getting a job.

[Anonymous No.963456]

gj

[Anonymous No.963943]

>>963442
Saw this on facebook, thought the teeth looked familiar. Good on ya, OP.

[Anonymous No.963949]

This is a very bad idea, you could be causing root resorption that's progress can only be seen through dental x-rays.

[Anonymous No.963974]

>>963949
This!

[Anonymous No.963991]

>>963949
>>963974
>braces
>causing re-absorption of tooth minerals into body
Now I'm no dentist, but this seems far-fetched. Could you elaborate, please?

[Anonymous No.963995]

>>960579
good luck getting proper occlusion with the jaw in a resting position. thats the main reason people get orthodontic treatment. you can straighten them out all you want but if they dont lock nicely in a comfortable position, you are going to have some problems and maybe a lawsuit. dentist here.

[Anonymous No.963998]

>>963995
to be honest, my orthodontist fucked mine up so i dont see how this could be worse. if anything, proper orthodontic treatment will have to step its game up and really focus on the alignment of teeth if they want to compete with budget invisalign.

[Anonymous No.964000]

>>963991
>I'm no dentist
That's the problem. Nor are we, having some good background would be beneficial.

http://www.gregjorgensen.com/blog/2013/03/do-braces-make-the-roots-of-your-teeth-shorter/
>The enzymes that are summoned by orthodontic forces cause old bone to dissolve where there is pressure and new bone to be formed where there is a void. These responses are normal and are the basis for orthodontic tooth movement.
So, whta i understand form that is by applying force in wrong direction, or doing it wrongly you might cause serious harm.

[Anonymous No.964002]

>>963991
this sounds as much bs as people worried about poisoning from amalgam fillings. its just shit people talk about when its rare, like a small oral xray giving cancer. sure, radiation can trigger cancer cells, but in such a small dosage its almost impossible to cause it.
>>964000
im a dentist. i only come on this board like once a month. post some questions and ill answer as i can, on and off this board like i said.

[Anonymous No.964004]

>>964002
>>963991
>>964000
I see resorption in braces patients all the time at the office I work at.

[Anonymous No.964014]

>>964002
Are you saying resorption is specifically caused by what this anon is doing, versus professional invisalign will not cause it? Or is it more random? Or are you saying it would simply be caught in a clinical setting faster thus avoiding potential problems?

[Anonymous No.964144]

Holy fuck he actually did it the absolute mad man! I feel bad for doubting you initially

[Anonymous No.964325]

Dentist here. Kudos for doing all this work yourself and bypassing the labs. It might interest you to know that labs like Invisalign and clear correct charge us (the dentist) several thousand dollars as a fee for the retainers before we then sell them to you.
As mentioned before however by some other dentists here, it's actually pretty dangerous to do this ortho work yourself. The biggest issues are 1. Occlusion and 2. Root resorption.
In regards to occlusion or how your jaw comes together, and only those with extensive experience or specialist knowledge will understand occlusion. What this means is, if you end up not getting your bite correct, severe reprecussions can occur. This isn't a rare occurrence, and this isn't a random event. Having the wrong occlusion can and will cause you severe issues in your jaw, including temporomandibular jaw dysfunction which may cause you pain and grief in the long term.
More seriously however, the risk with any treatment that involves teeth or orthodontics, is root resorption. As you know, teeth are surrounded by bone. The only way for them to move is via pressure from your retainer or braces. As they move, the roots and bone come in contact causing an inflammatory response to the pressure. As the tooth moves in a gradual fashion, however, the bone will then remodel around the tooth. This can only happen with precise and calculated forces. If the forces are too strong or too fast, the bone may not be able to remodel around the teeth. What you would be left with is issues with root resorption. This is also not a rare occurrence. Several small labs have cheaper alternatives like fast smiles or six month smiles etc, and they quite often end up in disaster for the patient. I myself have seen these issues in a clinical setting.

tldr: good idea, I reckon you've done well to come this far. But massive risk. Even if your old orthodontics were shit, doesn't really mean what you're doing now is right. Soz

[Anonymous No.964630]

Great job making the news orthonon! CNN picked up your story!

[Anonymous No.964632]

Great job making the news orthonon! CNN picked up your story!

[Anonymous No.964651]

Another dentist here. Do you have ny pics with your teeth in occlusion (bitten together)? It would be grea to see how your bite changed. If you don't have any pre treatment bigs no can do, but could you take some after pics with your teeht together? 3 pics preferably, one from front and two pulling your cheek away so we can see the side?

Also would you mind if I use your pics / story in a lecture at some point?

[Anonymous No.964667]

>>962292
appreciated

[Anonymous No.964673]

>>964651
> have ny pics
> would be grea to
> pre treatment bigs no can do
> your teeht together

> dentist

Why don't I believe you?

[Anonymous No.964676]

>>964673
>dyslexia does not preclude his being a professional Porsche driving thieving quack who would rape his grandmother for a few bucks, all the while blaming someone else (invalisign/whoever tf) for the charges, does it now, anon.

oh and a big /diy/ welcome to all dentists! Nice to see you cunts dropping by - not often some of us can afford to hear your opinion otherwise! Do feel free to fuck off again anytime as well, ta! & maybe think about why this thread exists on your way!

[Anonymous No.964694]

>>964676
Lol remember to avoid fluoride too. Looking forward to seeing you at my office soon when things go wrong after you /diy/ your own extractions mate :3

[Anonymous No.964752]

>>964676
Why so angry? I'm not from USA so I don't know how much they charge over there, but where I'm from it's certainly not that much. And why assume all dentist are greedy assholes? I was just doing a 3 unit bridge for my patient and one of the abutment teeth fractured. I won't go into all the reasons why it did but suffice to say it was not my fault and I could have charged him for the following root canal treatment + post & core I had to make in order to restore the tooth. But I didn't, because I'm a decent human being and so are most of the dentists I know. And I don't drive a Porsche, I drive 10 year old Subaru Legacy.

[Anonymous No.964761]

>>964676
So what's it like not having teeth?

[Anonymous No.964905]

>>964752
No one can tell when they need work or not.

Somehow when you go to a new dentist he finds some reason to rip out all the work your last dentist did within 2-3 years.

It's not particularly expensive in the us, even paying out of pocket, like $85 for a cleaning and 100-500 depending what filling material and how much anesthesia.