5 ms·

New artificial tooth enamel is harder and more durable

106 points by jelliclesfarm 5y ago

fangorn 5y ago
Material science is great, but the hype... The structure is not really like enamel, the process is impractical for use in dentistry, but that's OK, because they haven't even checked if it can be used for dentistry (adhesion to real enamel). At least it could be used for <insert wild claims here>, someday, maybe, if, who knows.
- adriand 5y ago
  But is this the website you come to in order to read about mundane, commercially applicable dental treatments?
  - aaron695 5y ago
  - stavros 5y ago
    Why is "commercially applicable" more mundane than "not commercially applicable"? If anything, I'm excited by something I might be able to use more than something I won't.
- hulitu 5y ago
  As U2 said: Even better than the real thing.
- jandrese 5y ago
  So we are no closer to Thompson's Teeth? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzw6nRnaQG0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzw6nRnaQG0
denton-scratch 5y ago
The article is about tooth enamel, not about a decorative coloured glass coating bonded to metal.
- nabla9 5y ago
  It's about new enamel like structure that is impractical for teeth, but may be used in electronics.
- dang 5y ago
  Ok, we've put some teeth in the title above.
jen729w 5y ago
The SGU had a discussion about this the other week. Starts at 34:00. https://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcasts/episode-866 https://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcasts/episode-866
roschdal 5y ago
Thank you
mountainriver 5y ago
I always thought tooth enamel was kinda weak sauce
- saddist0 5y ago
  Well it wasn't prepared for all the shit food we eat nowadays, so ... yeah! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  - tmccrary55 5y ago
    I'm pretty sure the food people used to eat was way harder on teeth than cheeseburgers and pizza.
    - olliej 5y ago
      Maybe - there was a lot more carrion. There were also a lot fewer teeth. People didn’t get fillings and crowns in the past, they got their teeth pulled, knocked, or rotted out. Modern food is however much more acidic than food used to be, which is of course vastly more damaging than impacts, due at least in part to acid damage accruing. I know people also blame the amount of sugar in our diet, but beyond “yes we have a lot more sugar now”, I don’t know what they impact is.
aaronbrethorst 5y ago
Here's a story from last year about a clinical trial that is actually about strengthening tooth enamel: https://dental.washington.edu/trials-begin-on-lozenge-that-rebuilds-tooth-enamel/ https://dental.washington.edu/trials-begin-on-lozenge-that-r...
- choxi 5y ago
  Any idea how this compares to the nano-hydroxyapatite that’s used in some non-US toothpastes?
- howenterprisey 5y ago
  Are there any updates on that anywhere, by the way?
CyberDildonics 5y ago
Enamel isn't actually a material, it is a generic word for a smooth, hard protective coating. Tooth enamel is specific, but that isn't in the title.
jelliclesfarm 5y ago
Other uses for the material: [..]Outside of its obvious potential in dentistry, Kotov envisions the material being used to build better and longer-lasting pacemakers for people with heart conditions, or to reinforce crumbling bone in those with severe osteoporosis. He says the material could even be modified to create a “smart tooth,” a prosthetic chomper containing sensors that could sync to a smartphone. Such a device could monitor a person’s breath and mouth bacteria for anomalies, which would allow doctors to catch conditions such as diabetes before a patient is aware of them.[..] I am especially intrigued by the ‘smart tooth’ which have sensors connected to smartphone. Link: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/synthetic-enamel-could-make-teeth-stronger-and-smarter https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/synthetic-enamel-...

106 points by jelliclesfarm 5y ago

Material science is great, but the hype... The structure is not really like enamel, the process is impractical for use in dentistry, but that's OK, because they haven't even checked if it can be used for dentistry (adhesion to real enamel). At least it could be used for <insert wild claims here>, someday, maybe, if, who knows.

adriand 5y ago
But is this the website you come to in order to read about mundane, commercially applicable dental treatments?
- aaron695 5y ago
- stavros 5y ago
  Why is "commercially applicable" more mundane than "not commercially applicable"? If anything, I'm excited by something I might be able to use more than something I won't.
hulitu 5y ago
As U2 said: Even better than the real thing.
jandrese 5y ago
So we are no closer to Thompson's Teeth? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzw6nRnaQG0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzw6nRnaQG0

denton-scratch 5y ago

The article is about tooth enamel, not about a decorative coloured glass coating bonded to metal.

nabla9 5y ago
It's about new enamel like structure that is impractical for teeth, but may be used in electronics.
dang 5y ago
Ok, we've put some teeth in the title above.

jen729w 5y ago

The SGU had a discussion about this the other week. Starts at 34:00. https://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcasts/episode-866 https://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcasts/episode-866

roschdal 5y ago

Thank you

mountainriver 5y ago

I always thought tooth enamel was kinda weak sauce

saddist0 5y ago
Well it wasn't prepared for all the shit food we eat nowadays, so ... yeah! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- tmccrary55 5y ago
  I'm pretty sure the food people used to eat was way harder on teeth than cheeseburgers and pizza.
  - olliej 5y ago
    Maybe - there was a lot more carrion. There were also a lot fewer teeth. People didn’t get fillings and crowns in the past, they got their teeth pulled, knocked, or rotted out. Modern food is however much more acidic than food used to be, which is of course vastly more damaging than impacts, due at least in part to acid damage accruing. I know people also blame the amount of sugar in our diet, but beyond “yes we have a lot more sugar now”, I don’t know what they impact is.

aaronbrethorst 5y ago

Here's a story from last year about a clinical trial that is actually about strengthening tooth enamel: https://dental.washington.edu/trials-begin-on-lozenge-that-rebuilds-tooth-enamel/ https://dental.washington.edu/trials-begin-on-lozenge-that-r...

choxi 5y ago
Any idea how this compares to the nano-hydroxyapatite that’s used in some non-US toothpastes?
howenterprisey 5y ago
Are there any updates on that anywhere, by the way?

CyberDildonics 5y ago

Enamel isn't actually a material, it is a generic word for a smooth, hard protective coating. Tooth enamel is specific, but that isn't in the title.

jelliclesfarm 5y ago

Other uses for the material: [..]Outside of its obvious potential in dentistry, Kotov envisions the material being used to build better and longer-lasting pacemakers for people with heart conditions, or to reinforce crumbling bone in those with severe osteoporosis. He says the material could even be modified to create a “smart tooth,” a prosthetic chomper containing sensors that could sync to a smartphone. Such a device could monitor a person’s breath and mouth bacteria for anomalies, which would allow doctors to catch conditions such as diabetes before a patient is aware of them.[..] I am especially intrigued by the ‘smart tooth’ which have sensors connected to smartphone. Link: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/synthetic-enamel-could-make-teeth-stronger-and-smarter https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/synthetic-enamel-...