AI will change the world, as we know it! The future is silicon rather than carbon! These headlines are everywhere at the moment. Robot dentists also coming soon?: Is there really no danger, Will Robinson? For lovers of the Jupiter II and Lost In Space this textual reference is priceless. But can you really trust Dr Smith? I know I would not want the dear doctor poking around inside my oral cavity. I mean let’s gets down to tin tacks, who was the dentist on the Jupiter II? The Robot? Most likely, although fitting those fat appendages for arms into dental surgery scrubs must have been a real pain.

My Dentist Looks Like A Robot

Homo sapiens just love technology. Ever since we shaped that rock into a tool capable of cracking coconuts and the heads of enemies we have been enamoured. Metallurgy was just the natural evolutionary process along the way toward the iPhone. Our smart phones can talk and listen to us. The obvious next step is dental surgery. After all there is already a lot of supplementary help being provided by digital technology to dentists in the here and now. AI is scanning X-rays for diagnostic data to enhance the accuracy of dental services. These programmes and digital tools are allowing dentists to plan treatments with much greater precision. The bad old days of your dentist removing the wrong tooth are definitely over.

Robotic Dental Clinics & The Robinsons

Was Judy or Penny Robinson the dental hygiene nurse on the Jupiter II? I know that long time fans of the show will have their own favourite wishes in regard to such matters. This does lead us to the important consideration about the possible impersonality of the digital realm. Does dealing with robots detract from intimate health care, like dentistry? I don’t know about you, but conversing with the automated check out chick at my supermarket does grate on my nerves sometimes. Do I miss the multiple facial piercings and tattoos of the old fashioned human checkout chicks? Perhaps, and the absence of a bipedal humanoid figure in my line of view may diminish the relational value I can take from the experience.

Who Will Smile At My Discomfort In The Future?

The brutal pseudo-science of economics will eventually cast all human beings aside from technology driven sectors. This means that there will be, in time, no dental hygienists, dentists or receptionists on hand when you visit your local dental clinic. I imagine it will be like going to the multiplex cinemas today, where there is one withered old man in a hidden control centre twiddling the dials and everything else is automated. It reminds me of what remains inside of the Daleks in another perennial sci fi classic Dr Who. The time lord being a doctor may, indeed, be a more appropriate analogy for the future of health care in an automated robotic world.

The Buzz Of Light Year’s Advanced Dentistry

The standard of available dental care will be light years more advanced, however. This is the wonderful thing about technological progress, it relentlessly improves the world.

“Digital technology offers the convenience of virtual consultations, enabling patients to discuss their concerns and receive initial advice without visiting the dental office. Online appointment scheduling further streamlines the process, eliminating phone calls and allowing patients to choose a suitable time. Digital tools provide an interactive and personalised approach to patient education. Animated videos and treatment simulations help patients understand complex procedures, making them active participants in their oral health journey. It enhances treatment acceptance and empowers patients to make informed decisions.
Keeping track of appointments and following up with patients is made easier with automated reminders and follow-up systems. These digital tools ensure that patients stay on top of their oral health and avoid missed appointments. They also foster a positive patient-practice relationship, showing that the practice values their time and health.”
– OT Solutions

Whatever Happened To Will Robinson?

Lost In Space was more than just light TV entertainment. Indeed, The Robot character represented humankind’s obsession with technology. If you remember, The Robot was the central subject for an endless tussle between good and evil, which were represented by the Robinsons on one hand and Dr Smith on the other. This battle symbolised our own fight for technology to be a force for good rather than things like war. Rockets can take us to the moon or they can rain down on cities carrying nuclear warheads. Our robot can be a healing dentist or a mobile ray gun. It is up to us to decide where we want the wonders of digital technology and AI to take us. Will Robinson, perhaps, represented our eternal innocence – our childlike exploration of new universes. I wonder whatever happened to Will Robinson?

The Robotic Future Of Dentistry

Perhaps, Will grew up to become a dentist. Who knows, he may have opened the first entirely digital dentistry service on a planet in the Alpha Centauri galaxy. What we do know is that Homo sapiens will always need reliable help with their dental problems. We are living in an exciting era, where technology is extending its high precision paws to enhance many aspects of our lives. Robot dentists: There’s no danger, Will Robinson! The Robot assures us that everything will be alright. Despite those flaky arms faffing all over the place. His deep soothing American voice reminds us that the danger is not emanating from him. Technology is not the source of the danger, apparently. However, if there is a Dr Smith lurking nearby with his hand on the button – I am not so sure. AI is not perfect, as it is the culmination of our programming and our input. Even computers can make mistakes, just far less often. We all long for absolute certainty, but it does not exist in reality.

Catching Dental Diseases From Dr Smith’s Offsiders

“Dentistry has lagged behind medicine in embracing health IT but the extensive adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) is the first step in a more structured digitalised direction. The use of connected health technologies and HD has, however, remained largely unexplored and its potential for improving patient care has yet to be harnessed. Therefore, the goal of this narrative literature review is to present a blueprint that attempts to master the challenge of HD collection, sharing and analytics, including a forecast of upcoming developments of artificial intelligence (AI) in oral healthcare and dental research.”
– Karger.com

A useful analogy might be the police and their search for those individuals who have committed crimes. Cold cases are those that have borne no fruit in terms of catching those responsible for serious offences like rape and murder. Data plays a very important role in apprehending criminals. Digitalising records and cross referencing these via computer programmes has been integral in catching more crooks. Health records and the advanced analysis of them can catch more diseases before they kill people. Dental health records can offer opportunities to prevent more serious conditions occurring before it is too late to arrest them. Futuristic dentistry will be more than just robots waving laser drills about on a fine day, I predict.

Future dentistry is littered with dystopian images of robot dentists taking over our teeth and gums. But there’s no danger, Will Robinson! Or is there? The jury is out, and will likely stay out while it’s replaced by cyborg citizens.

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