# Robot dentist does first surgery **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 6, 2024, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-dentist-does-first-surgery/1005331 "2024-08-06T10:36:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-dentist-does-first-surgery/1005331/1 "2024-08-06T10:36:27Z")
I don’t know that I would volunteer to be the test subject here. On the other hand, it would stop that uncomfortable feeling from being that close to a person’s face who you don’t know. “Beep boop, I really wanted to be a sculptor. Oh well. Beep boop!” > **[Robot Performs First Ever Fully Autonomous Dental Surgery on Live Patient](https://futurism.com/neoscope/robot-first-fully-autonomous-dental-surgery?utm_source=ground.news&utm_medium=referral)** > > A dental robotics company claims to have used an AI-controlled robot to perform the first fully autonomous dental procedure on a human. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-dentist-does-first-surgery/1005331/2 "2024-08-06T13:08:17Z")
I’ve been wanting this for years! The article describes the robot as being much faster, which is great, but I think the three big advantages would be 1) no transmission of disease between dentist and patient, 2) you could position the patient face down so that all the liquids and debris drains out of the mouth to a collection basin rather than into the patient’s airway, and 3) any use of nitrous oxide anaesthetic can’t affect the dentist. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-dentist-does-first-surgery/1005331/3 "2024-08-06T14:55:38Z")
I’m intrigued that a Boston-based company went all the way to Colombia to test its machine, but I assume there’s some sort of explanation for that. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-dentist-does-first-surgery/1005331/4 "2024-08-07T16:12:20Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I’m intrigued that a Boston-based company went all the way to Colombia to test its machine, but I assume there’s some sort of explanation for that _Much_ less expensive and _much_ less red tape to early-test a medical device in humans outside of the US before doing it here once it’s reasonably certain it works as expected. Not that it’s unsafe when tested outside the US, as it will have undergone animal testing for safety and efficacy. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-dentist-does-first-surgery/1005331/5 "2024-08-08T05:43:20Z")
Robot surgeries are at least 25 years old, this is just the first dental one. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-dentist-does-first-surgery/1005331/6 "2024-08-08T13:26:39Z")
Does it give you a toothbrush and other free samples afterward? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-dentist-does-first-surgery/1005331/7 "2024-08-08T13:27:50Z")
Yes, it must. It’s a lesser-known Law of Robotics. All robots must fight cavities. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-dentist-does-first-surgery/1005331/8 "2024-08-08T13:57:37Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Robot surgeries are at least 25 years old, this is just the first dental one. This isn’t just a robot surgery; it’s a fully-autonomous robot surgery. Previous “surgical robots” were just doing what a human surgeon told them to do. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-dentist-does-first-surgery/1005331/9 "2024-08-08T14:10:52Z")
I didn’t know robots _had_ dental problems. Does it use Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics to ensure gentle dentistry? Does it ask banal questions that you can’t possibly answer with it working on your mouth, like “heard any good algorithms lately?” That’s all I got. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-dentist-does-first-surgery/1005331/10 "2024-08-08T14:38:19Z")
Cleaning can be painful with the wrong dental hygienist. I’m leery of letting a robot scrape plaque from under my gum line and teeth.