This was on "Good Morning America" today. I missed the show, but there was this story at the ABC news site...pretty concise.
After reading this, I think I'll pass, personally. (LOVED Jack's comment on it - think I'll pass on the dribble glass though!!)
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/D..._040520-1.html
Quote:
Small Bites
Can Dental Device Help You Lose Weight?
ABCNEWS.com
May 20, 2004— A simple dental device that transforms the shape of your mouth is being promoted as a way to help wearers lose extra pounds. But some are cautioning that buyers should beware.
The custom-made device, called the DDS system, sits on the roof of the mouth during meals. The theory is that wearers are forced to take smaller bites, instead of finishing a full plate of food in the blink of an eye.
Slowing the rate at which you eat allows the stomach enough time to signal to the brain that it is full, and that can cut down on the amount of food you eat.
The price of the retainer-like device ranges from $400 to $500. It must be fitted by a dentist.
"It's a very simple thing, it's safe, and it's easy to understand," said Dr. Clifford Williams, a New York dentist. "And because of that, there are no pills, there are no diet the patient has to go on. It's a behavior modification therapy."
Good on the Go
Kelly Lodish, a Detroit business executive who is always on the go, says she lost six pounds over the course of a month by using the device.
"It's easy to pop in on the run, it's small, and it's containable," Lodish said. "I'm a very busy person, I travel for business, so I find that I eat large portions, I eat on the run, I eat poorly. So what the DDS system does for me is it makes me to slow down and eat less."
The manufacturer, Scientific Intake of Atlanta, conducted a two-day study of 32 overweight individuals. It claims the 16 who wore the device consumed 25 percent less food.
But some are wary. Dr. Sheldon Nadler, president of the New York County Dental Society, says buyers should beware.
"I just think that people will not want a lifestyle where they just don't enjoy their food like they used to," Nadler said. "I remember many years ago they were wiring people's jaws shut so that they couldn't chew their food. Better you should lock your refrigerator."
A Test Run
Good Morning America asked two staff volunteers, intern Brian Days and tape coordinator Raelyn Johnson, to try out the device. Over the period of a few days, their mouths were molded and they were fitted with the device. It wasn't enough time to see whether they would lose weight, but they were able to gauge how comfortable the device is.
"I don't like fad diets," Johnson said. So anything is worth a try."
Days found that eating was taking him a while longer.
"I could probably down this whole plate in five or 10 minutes, no problem," he said during one meal. "Now it's going to take me a little bit longer. I've taken about three bites in five minutes."
He had some trouble tasting his meal.
"I can taste something, but it's not that juicy grilled chicken taste," Days said.
Johnson also said her meals weren't great.
"It didn't really go down too smoothly," she said after one meal. "I definitely usually would have eaten more, but that doesn't mean I won't be hungry later. It's just too much of a pain right now, I don't even want to bother with it."
The appliance was the brainchild of a woman who had Torus palatinus, a bulge of bone that grows from the center of the palate. She said it helped her stay thin all her life because she had to take smaller bites and eat more slowly. She got a patent on the appliance and licensed it to Scientific Intake almost three years ago.
not heard about this one at all 
That's pretty funny.....just exactly the mental image that came to my mind as well!