Have you ever been tempted to twist the truth about how many biscuits you had with your cup of tea? Well, a new piece of tech is putting paid to that!
With smart wearables such as fitness watches increasingly helping us to live healthier lives, it wasn’t going to be long until someone came up with a solution for improving our diet and dental health. And right on cue, a new sensor has been developed by scientists at Tuft University which can record what you eat and drink.
The tiny device complete with its own antenna sits on the tooth, much like a tiny tattoo, and can relay accurate information about a person’s diet – even if they aren’t so truthful!
The sensor is able to react to a range of nutrients and chemicals. These include glucose (sugar), alcohol and salt. When a wireless signal is sent to the antenna, it is distorted by the sensor in a manner corresponding to the chemical or nutrient it has detected. It can also change colour if there is a high intake of a particular nutrient. This data is then fed back to be recorded.
While many parents might think this an ingenious way to snoop on their kids when they’re not around, it’s actually designed to help people remember what they’ve eaten and help curb unhealthy dietary routines.
Its potential could also include collecting saliva samples for analysis in the diagnosis of other conditions.
And of course, here at Number 18, we’d love to think that one day such smart tech could be used to help us monitor patients’ dental health, helping us provide tailored guidance to each patient, prevent tooth decay as well as diseases such as mouth cancer and diabetes. But as this is just a prototype, that might be some way off yet!
Still, if you’re hungry to let the bots keep a check on your dental health, there are plenty of ways you can do that, from dental apps to smart toothbrushes. In the meantime, if you’d like to book a dental checkup with our real-life dentists in Notting Hill, speak to our team at Number 18 Dental today!
