Ah yes, the terror of braces are back! But these ones are different. Called the YAYA, these braces don’t scar you for 2 years (or more if you’re unlucky) of your life. They’re designed to be snapped on and off (for a recommended 20 hours a day) so that you can take them off when you eat chewing gum, or brush your teeth, or appear in photographs without looking like you’ve barbed-wired your mouth.
These braces are designed to be wireless (literally) and work automatically, minimizing trips to the dentist. The braces use magnetic energy to move teeth into place and can move each tooth individually, painlessly.
The design comprises standard micro-controller units that sit at the back, housed in white plastic, making them easy to spot dirt on (hence encouraging you to keep them clean), and a transparent 3D printed mold of your teeth that are connected to the micro-controller at the back.
The YAYA even comes with an app that aside from reminding you to wear your braces periodically, allows you to get live stats of your progress, even letting you to see your teeth move and align in 3D as time goes by! Too bad the YAYA’s a concept, or I’m sure 4 out of 5 dentists would recommend it!
Designers: Chenan Ni & Zhangyan Ling.
