Bringing smiles to the slums – Jua kali dentistry in Kenya

I got this photograph from someone who had his teeth repaired in Gikomba – the center of Kenya’s Juakali innovation, and another one of Kenya’s slums . The home made gadget looks pretty terrifying but check out the results!

Looks barbaric but check out the results!

Made from brass and modelled on something much more professional, this manual tooth mould (I’m sure there’s a technical name for this gadget) is cheap and brings smiles back to faces.

4 thoughts on “Bringing smiles to the slums – Jua kali dentistry in Kenya”

  1. Actually, in many parts of the world this is the official way to cast acrylic teeth on plaster molds. Basically there is a negative space in the mold that uses lost wax method and you add the acrylic that will cure inside. The pressure is needed for there to be accurate molding and details to be passed on to the acrylic, and then you put it in a pot to cook, with press and all. I’ve done this myself. There is actually a video showing how the mold comes out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArIdedkm5Ao&feature=related
    This one in particular doesn’t look that un-professional to me, looks just like the one I have at home. In Spanish the boxes are Muflas and the contraption is a Prensa

  2. meda has it right. When I worked in a dental lab here in the US we used flasks like this placed in an autoclave overnight to cure the acrylic. Nothing barbaric about it at all.

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