A Trip to the Dentist

Lie back, relax and open wide as Professor Mark Miodownik peers into the air-powered world of dentistry. From the dreaded whine of the dental drill to the futuristic precision air jets that can carve – and even help rebuild – our teeth, this episode of Puffed Up explores how compressed air has completely resculpted dentistry.

Joined by Professor of Tooth Decay Avijit Banerjee and Rachel Bairsto from the British Dental Association, Mark looks back at the somewhat uncomfortable history of dentistry and discovers just how much scarier a trip to get your teeth seen was before compressed air hissed its way into the clinic.

But dentistry isn’t the only medical field that’s supported by compressed air. Critical-Care Physician Dr Jean Bonnemain reveals that air powered technologies reach deep into our hospitals too – from the medical gases that help patients breathe to inflatable devices that support failing organs.

And on the cutting edge of medicine, Mark explores how compressed air is powering a new generation of soft robots: devices that could assist breathing, mimic the movements of living tissue, and deliver drugs precisely where they’re needed inside the body.

Producer: Mel Brown
Assistant Producer: Alex Rodway
Presenter: Mark Miodownik
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem