Lasting Impressions | Summer 2016

36 x NSU LASTING IMPRESSIONS Student Impressions In the lobby of NSU’s Terry Building, steel tooth forms from 1912, a metal tongue guard patented in 1926, and a circa 1940 set of molds for making acrylic teeth are among the antique dental devices and instru- ments on display. One day, several 21st-century dental devices and instruments invented by second-year CDM student Daniel Young may be part of the display. Young, 26, said he gets his ideas for inventions while working in the CDM simulation lab. His first invention, for which Young and the CDM are seeking a U.S. patent, resulted from Young’s frustration in working with one instrument. “I thought, ‘I can do something better,’ ” he said. Young envisioned an improved version of the instrument and drew it by hand. Next, he created several versions on a computer and made plastic models using a 3-D printer in the HPD Library’s 3rd Dimension Innova- tion Lab. Then, he made a video demonstrating the use of the instrument in the simulation lab. All of this while being a busy dental student. “He’s a very busy man,” said Domenic Digioia, a CDM second-year student. “From the day I met Danny when we started here, he was throwing out ideas.” Young is determined and loves what he is doing, Digioia said. “I think he’s on the right track. I think his inventions will be improved over time.” Student has an Inventive Approach BY DAVID A. SCHWARTZ