Something to work on with your hands

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David1991

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David1991 said:
Hey guys,

I've got some extra time on my hands right now and was wondering if you can give any suggestions to improve manual dexterity/skill. My dentist actually recommended a ship in a bottle saying if you can do those you can do anything (in a kind of joking around but serious way). I was thinking about buying something like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Ship-Bottle-Kit...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item563c2f7bb8

any other ideas?


Thanks
Click to expand...

whittle some wood, or make tiny creations with play-dough.
 
lotexigeus said:
whittle some wood, or make tiny creations with play-dough.
Click to expand...

If you're serious, would play-dough really help with future dental work?

Also, what do you guys think about the ship in a bottle idea?
 
David1991 said:
If you're serious, would play-dough really help with future dental work?

Also, what do you guys think about the ship in a bottle idea?
Click to expand...

I think it would. It's similar to manipulating composite into the correct contours etc. Maybe get some and use little tools to reproduce small objects that you have laying around the house.

I don't know much about ship's in bottles, but i'm sure it wouldn't hurt.
 
Squeeze a tennis ball to build finger and forearm strength.
 
Paint miniature models

3_silver.jpg
 
lotexigeus said:
I think it would. It's similar to manipulating composite into the correct contours etc. Maybe get some and use little tools to reproduce small objects that you have laying around the house.

I don't know much about ship's in bottles, but i'm sure it wouldn't hurt.
Click to expand...

Ship in a bottle sounds way cooler, and probably more structured and conducive to actual dentistry. Plus then you can take up scrimshaw, and you're only an eyepatch away from being basically a REAL pirate.
 
armorshell said:
Ship in a bottle sounds way cooler, and probably more structured and conducive to actual dentistry. Plus then you can take up scrimshaw, and you're only an eyepatch away from being basically a REAL pirate.
Click to expand...

You don't think building small materials (with the play-dough) would be better practice than putting the ship stuff together?

I guess I'll just buy the ship on ebay, it says some stuff isn't included but not what I would need unfortunately. Hopefully nothing too complex.
 
It's not as much fun as building a miniature ship, but you could practice carving teeth out of little blocks of hard wax. If you can order a Half-Hollenback and a Discoid-Cleoid through your dentist and just use those instruments to do your carving you will greatly improve your amalgam skills. The thing about carving is that if you mess up and remove too much material you have to start over so you learn really fast to be careful.
 
SeattleRDH said:
It's not as much fun as building a miniature ship, but you could practice carving teeth out of little blocks of hard wax. If you can order a Half-Hollenback and a Discoid-Cleoid through your dentist and just use those instruments to do your carving you will greatly improve your amalgam skills. The thing about carving is that if you mess up and remove too much material you have to start over so you learn really fast to be careful.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion. My dentist did mention giving me some molding stuff when I was shadowing him so maybe I'll ask him about it next time I go there.
 
get yourself an operative set-up with a high speed handpiece and slowspeed handpiece. buy some plastic practice teeth and practice drilling on them. sculpt them into animal shapes. there's a kid at my school who makes animal sculptures out of plastic teeth...it is pretty awesome the intricate work he is able to do.

other stuff like playing with playdough really isnt going to help i think...i think its more important to get used to using the handpieces because its very different from working with stuff like playdough.
 
How about leggos, G.I. Joes, or maybe matchbox cars... VROOOM VROOM!!

..Or Barbie
 
Last edited:
Stephie3 said:
get yourself an operative set-up with a high speed handpiece and slowspeed handpiece. buy some plastic practice teeth and practice drilling on them. sculpt them into animal shapes. there's a kid at my school who makes animal sculptures out of plastic teeth...it is pretty awesome the intricate work he is able to do.

other stuff like playing with playdough really isnt going to help i think...i think its more important to get used to using the handpieces because its very different from working with stuff like playdough.
Click to expand...

Not sure what that stuff is, but I'll talk to my dentist

goffdent: lol at your reasoning for editing
 
Building a ship in a bottle is an art if you do it the right way. My grandfather built some very detailed ships. He would carve/whittle the base of the ship out of wood, paint it, rig the sails, mold and paint the water inside the bottle, slip the ship with sails lowered through the neck of the bottle, and raise the sails. Its very meticulous and pretty amazing. This is what the a real one should look like:
http://shipinbottles.com/gallery.html
http://shop.shipsinbottles.com/category.sc?categoryId=4
 
Last edited:
youknowthedrill said:
Building a ship in a bottle is an art if you do it the right way. My grandfather built some very detailed ships. He would carve/whittle the base of the ship out of wood, paint it, rig the sails, mold and paint the water inside the bottle, slip the ship with sails lowered through the neck of the bottle, and raise the sails. Its very meticulous and pretty amazing. This is what the a real one should look like:
http://shipinbottles.com/gallery.html
http://shop.shipsinbottles.com/category.sc?categoryId=4
Click to expand...

Those look pretty serious. Does the one in the original post look worth it? Those ones make it seem pretty pathetic lol, I guess just something to work on would be good though.
 
Stephie3 said:
get yourself an operative set-up with a high speed handpiece and slowspeed handpiece. buy some plastic practice teeth and practice drilling on them. sculpt them into animal shapes. there's a kid at my school who makes animal sculptures out of plastic teeth...it is pretty awesome the intricate work he is able to do.

other stuff like playing with playdough really isnt going to help i think...i think its more important to get used to using the handpieces because its very different from working with stuff like playdough.
Click to expand...
LOL! Yeah, if you have money to burn.... A portable unit with handpieces and a dentoform with mount..... You're talking THOUSANDS of dollars.
 
SeattleRDH said:
LOL! Yeah, if you have money to burn.... A portable unit with handpieces and a dentoform with mount..... You're talking THOUSANDS of dollars.
Click to expand...

I put together my setup for ~200...including the air compressor. Granted, I had my own handpieces and dentoform from school...but I think you can get that off ebay for a decent deal.
 
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