Using material originally incorporated into missile-tracking devices, two companies working with NASA invented translucent ceramic braces. The shatter-resistant, non-discoloring braces were created to meet the need for corrective dental wear that is effective and durable yet also visually appealing. With hundreds of thousands sold each month, the braces are claimed to have had the most successful introduction of any orthodontic product, and they've never slowed down.
A defense contractor was looking for a material to use in domes over military radars that track heat-seeking missiles when it contacted a NASA Industrial Application Center to learn more about translucent polycrystalline alumina (TPA). In 1986, following NASA's investigation of the material, another company reached out to the contractor, seeking a material for transparent dental braces. Together, the two companies developed "invisible" braces that were released the following year.
Learn more about how NASA helped develop technology that impacts invisible braces within your city's medical environment!