The Owner of Grand Denture Clinic in Steinbach says his staff have found an innovative way to help healthcare workers: donating 3-D printed mask clips.

Timo Gerzen says his company owns a medical-grade 3-D printer that has had more spare time than usual lately. With COVID-19 precautions preventing his business from operating at full capacity, Gerzen has busied his staff by getting them to print these clips.

The clips are intended to relieve chaffing from the ears (photo credit: Timo Gerzen).Essentially, the clips are narrow strips of plastic with a couple of hooks on them that rest on the back of the wearer’s head. Instead of looping the face mask over one’s ears as per usual, the hooks relieve that pressure, preventing constant irritation.

“These clips were basically non-existent before the pandemic because nobody had to wear masks all day long,” states Gerzen. “Now, with this becoming the new normal, a lot of people are getting sores behind their ears and some people are starting to get infections there.”

As Gerzen explains, the 3-D printer is typically used to create temporary dentures, teeth, and custom impressions. He says it works about 30 times more efficiently than an average hobby printer which makes it an ideal tool for printing these medical supplies en masse. The machine has already printed hundreds of clips and Gerzen plans on printing hundreds more. He adds, so far, the reaction to this small gesture has been positive.

“It makes life a lot easier for healthcare workers who have to deal with a lot of other things already.”

Gerzen says they have already made deliveries to the Bethesda Regional Health Care Centre and several senior care homes around Steinbach. As supplies are limited, Grand Denture Clinic is distributing the clips exclusively to local to those in the medical field.

“Not everyone will want them or can take them or will use them,” admits Gerzen, but he urges anyone who would benefit from the clips to reach out.  

Grand Denture Clinic has a medical 3-D printer they can use to print mask clips up to 30 times faster than a hobby printer (photo cred: Timo Gerzen).