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THERMOPOINTIn collaboration with NUS Dentistry
ThermoPoint reimagines how orthodontists can simulate the movement of teeth with braces. By introducing Polycaprolactone (PCL) as the gum material, it would give orthodontists the ability to study how teeth movement affects the roots, as it turns transparent when heated. Using metal ceramic heaters (MCH) and proper channeling, heat will be able to reach targeted areas of the gums to improve the simulation's accuracy and ease of use.
The study of malocclusions are crucial in dentistry training. However, this process is extremely tedious and messy, meaning that dental students can only practice a fixed number of braces simulations a semester

The current methods to simulate teeth movement in these wax models are currently through hot water baths to soften the wax - this pose as a risk for burns and inaccuracies as areas where heat does not need to be gets heated anyway
The team started to explore on alternative materials that could replace the wax substrate and came across Polycaprolactone (PCL) - a material with a low melthing point that has a glass transition state. This property was ideal as dentry students could now study the root movement as it is being heated
We then used metal ceramic heaters (MCH) modules to radiate heat directly to the ‘gum’ locations. This was achieved by designing specific channels to direct heat as well as reflect heat to specific locations

A proof of concept was made and proved to be successful with trails from NUS Dentistry
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