I fully agree here. There’s nothing unsettling about a robot using sharp tools to drill into my face . . .
Robot dentists are about to become a thing after an A.I. company called Perceptive pulled off the first fully automated dental procedure. A robotic arm controlled by A.I. shaved down a guy’s tooth for a crown.
It works by 3D mapping the inside of your mouth. Then it clamps onto your jaw, and a drill moves in circles to grind your tooth down. (Here’s a video.)
They claim it offers enhanced “precision and efficiency” compared to human dentists, and also an “improved patient experience.”
Getting a crown normally requires two visits, one hour each. But they say it’ll be able to do a full crown procedure in about 15 minutes.
It’s not ready for primetime yet, so you won’t see one at your next check-up. They say they’re still five years away from FDA approval. But the plan is to eventually have them at dental offices all over the country.
They recently raised $30 million in funding. One of the investors is Dr. Edward Zuckerberg, who’s a dentist and also Mark Zuckerberg’s dad.
