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First 'tooth regrowth' medicine moves toward clinical trials in Japan

970 points by elorant 3y ago

bot12345 3y ago
This is a very interesting development in dental care. Looking forward to seeing the results of the clinical trials.
rilindo 3y ago
[flagged]
- jimlongton 3y ago
  > A new UCL paper has revealed that the wide-spread belief that the British have poorer teeth than our American cousins is, in fact, a myth. > The research led by Richard Watt, Professor of Dental Public Health in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, found that the mean number of missing teeth a person has is significantly higher in the US. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/eastman/news/2015/dec/us-vs-uk-who-has-better-teeth https://www.ucl.ac.uk/eastman/news/2015/dec/us-vs-uk-who-has...
  - stbenjam 3y ago
    [flagged]
  - rilindo 3y ago
    Given the health care in the US, that isn't surprising.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
  - xeromal 3y ago
    Missing teeth != Poor teeth. Pretty sure the joke is just that british have tea-stained brown teeth. Also, pretty sure it's just a joke in the same realm that rednecks from appalachia carry a piece of hay in their mouth.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
  - catiopatio 3y ago
    I always assumed this was a comment on the level of dental care provided by the NHS. For example, they’ll happily provide you a root canal without a crown – a crown costs significantly extra. I doubt many dentists in the US would be comfortable providing that standard of care.
    - pessimizer 3y ago
      I'm pretty sure it's now based on the observation that very wealthy and important people in Britain don't have giant blinding veneers. Americans think that the class terror that forces them to spend thousands or tens of thousands on their children's teeth (and their own) is universal, rather than a norm that we find ourselves locked into now. Americans with anything going on with their teeth look poor or disreputable, and it severely hurts your job chances. Rich British people are just like "do you know who I am?"
    - jahnu 3y ago
      https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/what-dental-services-are-available-on-the-nhs/ https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/what-dental-service... £300 seems not very significant if we are comparing the US to the UK in this discussion.
      - catiopatio 3y ago
        A £300 optional surcharge to perform what US dentistry rightfully considers the baseline standard of care is going to result in a lot of people’s teeth having subpar function and appearance.
        jahnu 3y ago
        But they don’t pay for almost anything routine in the UK. In the US my understanding is you are not typically getting any free dental care. £300 is not a major expense for a typical person in the UK.
        catiopatio 3y ago
  - mejutoco 3y ago
    I looked it up, because I was curious about the ranking per country, not only US vs UK. Uk is 4th best according to this ranking https://www.yongeeglintondental.com/2018/07/23/healthy-primary-teeth/ https://www.yongeeglintondental.com/2018/07/23/healthy-prima...
  - wpietri 3y ago
    I am glad they did this work, but I don't think it gets at what's behind the joke about British teeth. For me, the exemplar is the Austin Powers jokes about his teeth. It's not that the average Brit has fewer teeth than the average American. It's that a person who American would expect, for reasons of class and style, to have an engineered smile (very white, very even teeth) instead had a perfectly natural one. Even the movie suggested that the stereotype was somewhat outdated. But to the extent we still have the stereotype, it's about upper- and upper-middle-class use of orthodontia and whitening. Plus the distinctive American emphasis on the big smile, which to a lot of non-Americans can seem mildly deranged.
  - dan-robertson 3y ago
    I think the idea that people have in terrible teeth in the UK is a bit outdated, but did you look carefully at the study? The ‘better teeth’ you report is 7 missing teeth on average in the uk vs 7.3 in the US. Both of those numbers seem high to me: you’d need to have all wisdom teeth plus three more removed for example. It made me wonder whether that average was biased by old people[1] with many missing teeth[2], who I think aren’t that relevant to the idea about teeth being bad in one country rather than another. For the ‘oral health impacts’ measure, which corresponds to a questionnaire, OHIP-14[3], with questions like ‘have you been self-conscious because of your teeth, mouth or dentures?’ The score for the UK is lower than the US here, though I guess the measure is less objective and you can imagine cultural factors would impact the answers (eg maybe people from one country would downplay things more, or if worse teeth are more socially acceptable in the country, people there may be less likely to be embarrassed about their teeth. I think the kind of ‘bad teeth’ more common in the U.K. is crookedness (eg overlapping incisors or over/underbite) and teeth being more yellow. The paper notes that they weren’t able to measure things like that. My general impression is that bad teeth in the US (on someone who grew up there) are a pretty strong signal that someone grew up poor, and this is a little less the case for the UK. [1] the paper claims these are ‘age-standardised’ numbers. I don’t really know what that means but I guess that it means the number is mostly meaningful for comparing the countries rather than what people in those countries are like. For ages 25–44, they report averages of 3.7(UK) vs 4.6, which still looks a bit high to me. There’s about five times the rate of toothless mess in the US for that age group which made me think there might be some small population in the US with many missing teeth that isn’t so large in the UK, but the paper found the same income-based inequality in number of missing teeth [2] The paper claims to have gotten similar results when excluding the toothless [3] Slade GD; Derivation and validation of a short-fortn oral health impact profile. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology 1997; 25; 284-90.
TheAceOfHearts 3y ago
Hopefully this ends up going somewhere. We've been hearing for decades how there's certain bacteria that nearly removes the requirement to brush your teeth regularly, but it never seems to reach the general public. Exciting times ahead if we can ultimately destroy the need for the dental care industry. In a few decades having to brush your teeth regularly will probably be regarded as an antiquated practice.
- andyjohnson0 3y ago
  There would preaumably still be a need for brushing for hygiene reasons, as well as gum health, even if tooth decay was a solved problem.
  - letitbeirie 3y ago
    Yeah even if the bacterium magically took care of gum health, it would need to somehow be able to dissolve tartar (calcium phosphate) without dissolving teeth (also calcium phosphate).
tgv 3y ago
Don't get your hopes up, and keep brushing your teeth: "The tooth regrowth medicine is intended for people who lack a full set of adult teeth due to congenital factors (anodontia)". There is a vague hope to develop it so that people who lose teeth can use it to regrow, but that seems to be another ball game.
- water-data-dude 3y ago
  Bummer, I was hoping for shark teeth powers
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - Tagbert 3y ago
    This will give you the regrowth but the teeth will look like shark teeth. That might cause some odd looks and be careful not to bite your tongue. You’ll only be able to do that once! :-)
    - Electricniko 3y ago
      Tongue replacement is already a thing, oddly enough.
      - withinboredom 3y ago
        Ha! I bit off my tongue from falling a pretty good height. My knee came up and hit my chin, forcibly closing my mouth on my screaming face. When I could finally move again (was paralyzed for a bit), and got to the hospital, they just told me to keep my mouth shut. Apparently, your tongue is just a muscle, so it will reattach itself. It was a shitty few weeks, but at least I didn’t break any bones or land on my head.
        Reason077 3y ago
        Ouch! I did something similar snowboarding in my early 20s. Landed a badly timed jump on to hard, flat snow and slammed my knee into my chin. Thankfully did not catch my tongue, but shattered several teeth! I remember wondering how I’d ended up with a mouthful of sand and grit. It wasn’t sand.
nntwozz 3y ago
Sounds exciting and less of a hassle than CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing shark DNA (sharks regrow teeth when needed). They lose at least 30.000 teeth over a lifetime…
- lockhouse 3y ago
  Try our new plasmid Shark Bite by Ryan Industries…Regrow teeth whenever they’re needed!
  - tandr 3y ago
    (In reaally small letters below) Consumer warning: might cause drowsiness, or anxiety. Teeth growth is guaranteed, but the location of newly grown teeth is not. Consult your doctor if you have high blood pressure, pregnant, or breastfeeding. Do not take with alcohol.
    - 20after4 3y ago
      Extended version: low-contrast grey on white: Teeth growth is guaranteed, the location and the shape of newly grown teeth is not. Expect replacement teeth to be distinctly sharper than your existing molars. Use caution when chewing. Although rare, some patients experience changes in appetite that can be permanent. Avoid swimming and contact your doctor if you experience strong cravings for raw meat, or a noticeable increase in desire to bite people or pets.
      - tandr 3y ago
        "Do not swim if you suspect there could be even traces of blood in the water."?
- amelius 3y ago
  From a Google search: > Unlike humans, all sharks are born with teeth. They grow in conveyor-belt rows, with the biggest teeth facing outwards. Over time, the smaller teeth in the back move up, replacing the front ones. Most sharks have between 5-15 rows, and the whale shark has a whopping 3,000 teeth in its mouth! Not sure if you'd want that!
endisneigh 3y ago
It’s not the same thing but you can currently buy novamin and nano hydroxyapatite based pastes which help to remineralize enamel (they do not regrown teeth completely). On the note of dental hygiene I recommend, in addition to the standard stuff: 1. Rising your mouth with water immediately after eating. If you’re at a restaurant just drink some water, swish rigorously for 15 seconds and swallow. 2. Flossing regularly soon after eating. Couple with a water flosser if possible.
- moffkalast 3y ago
  Have you seen your enamel improve using those? I've used a Sensodyne one for a year with zero results and switched back. My dentist seemed unsurprised by those results, so the effect is probably miniscule in general if there's any at all.
  - mdorazio 3y ago
    I'll offer another point in support of your experience. I purchased the non-US Sensodyne, verified it had Novamin, used the entire tube as directed with no water drinking for at least half an hour afterward, and saw zero results.
  - endisneigh 3y ago
    Unless you bought the foreign one you didn’t get novamin. Try again with David’s with uses nano hydroxyapatite and can be bought in the USA
    - moffkalast 3y ago
      Well I'm in Europe, so I'm not sure if I can buy the same ones. It had novamin listed on the packaging ingredients so unless they're blatantly lying, it had it.
      - endisneigh 3y ago
        Heh, touché. The European one should have novamin. The effect isn’t supposed to be drastic. In fact I stopped using novamin as well because the studies I read didn’t show substantial difference vs fluoride toothpaste. I assume your dentist didn’t notice much? I’d still give nano hydroxyapatite a try.
Buttons840 3y ago
I wonder how teeth regrowth would work? Our adult teeth don't "push out" like it seems, but our body "grows out and around" the adult teeth formed from early age (maybe even birth? I'm no expert). You can look up pictures of baby skulls where the adult teeth are visible deep in the bone; a baby's adult teeth are formed already, and located in the bone around the lower nose area, some almost on the side of the nose; the baby will grow into them. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous_teeth https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous_teeth
- adastra22 3y ago
  The tooth forms at some point.
- NetBeck 3y ago
  From what I found on teeth development: >The first stage begins in the fetus at about 6 weeks of age. This is when the basic substance of the tooth forms. >Next, the hard tissue that surrounds the teeth is formed, around 3 to 4 months of gestation.[0] [0] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/anatomy-and-development-of-the-mouth-and-teeth https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-preventi...
- taurusnoises 3y ago
  Thank you for ruining my mind with this imagery.
  - hackernewds 3y ago
    I got a strong trypophobia shiver from seeing that skull image. (I know it's an objective medical affinity)
  - firecall 3y ago
    It's weird isn't it! The reverse of how we think it works from external observation alone. It's totally normal to think they grow like nails, but only twice.
deleted 3y ago
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westurner 3y ago
"Anti–USAG-1 therapy for tooth regeneration through enhanced BMP" (2021) https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abf1798 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abf1798 https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=6855835701389665111&as_sdt=5,47&sciodt=0,47&hl=en https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=6855835701389665111...
- westurner 3y ago
  From "Reactivating Dormant Cells in the Retina Brings New Hope for Vision Regeneration" (2023) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35871917 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35871917: direct neuronal reprogramming (for retinal growth), Tissue NanoTransfection, Muller glia "TNT" out of Ohio State: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tissue_nanotransfection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tissue_nanotransfection ; direct (epithelial,) stroma reprogramming Regenerative medicine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_medicine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_medicine From https://www.ada.org/en/resources/research/health-policy-institute/coverage-access-outcomes https://www.ada.org/en/resources/research/health-policy-inst... : > What share of U.S. children and adults have dental benefits? > Dental benefits coverage varies by age. For children ages 2-18, 51.3 percent have private dental benefits, 38.5 percent have dental benefits through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and 10.3 percent do not have dental benefits. For adults ages 19-64, 59.0 percent have private dental benefits, 7.4 percent have dental benefits through Medicaid, and 33.6 percent do not have dental benefits. Source: Dental Benefits Coverage in the U.S. TIL about Dental lasers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_laser https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_laser What percentage of dentists offices have lasers in the United States? https://www.google.com/search?q=what+percentage+of+dentist+office+have+lasers+in+the+United+States https://www.google.com/search?q=what+percentage+of+dentist+o... FWIU, dental lasers cost from $4-40K per unit, per station in the office; and they may be tuned for specific applications or general purpose. There's a waveguide to guide the beam; and there are new waveguide methods for steering photon beams through opaque tissue (with e.g. dual beams). "Scientists Have Discovered a Drug [Tideglusib] That Fixes Cavities and Regrows Teeth" (2017) that's already FDA approved for Alzheimer's but there are yet no clinical trials of it as a cavity fill?? https://futurism.com/neoscope/scientists-have-discovered-this-drug-fixes-cavities-and-regrows-teeth https://futurism.com/neoscope/scientists-have-discovered-thi... Tideglusib: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tideglusib https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tideglusib Can teeth be grown in molds from e.g. stem cells, or nanotransfected tissue with/without a 3-d printed scaffold or [...]? Dental care probably has direct returns in labor productivity?
myself248 3y ago
On the other side of things, why don't we use little bits of botox to prevent wisdom teeth from growing in the first place?
- jurassicfoxy 3y ago
  Maybe you just came up with a good idea for a PhD in dentistry.
  - myself248 3y ago
    I'm already full-up on hobbies, jobs, and callings, thankyouverymuch!
- spartanatreyu 3y ago
  Wisdom teeth aren't the problem, they're supposed to be there. Wisdom teeth getting compacted are a symptom of a larger problem. If a child is not fed enough tough foods, then they end up not using and developing their facial muscles correctly. If those muscles which should be guiding the jaw into it's correct position aren't being used correctly, they end up causing the jaw to not develop properly. Now you end up with a mouth-breathing child who has a reverse swallow, crowded teeth, and is going to need braces, a retainer, and possibly a CPAP machine.
  - jvidalv 3y ago
    Can you back this data up with any source? Afaik here in Spain is rather common to have your wisdom teeth pullet out (I have), and it's the first time I hear this theory.
    - tomjakubowski 3y ago
      It's based on this hypothesis that bone growth, including in the jaw, is determined by the exercise of soft tissues. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_matrix_hypothesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_matrix_hypothesis
timonoko 3y ago
In medieval times they used to rob teeth from healthy young subjects. It was possible to "implant" those teeth just by jamming them by force into gums. Success rate unknown. So you could grow teeth in-vitro from patient's own stemcells and then implant those. I would be safer and not much testing needed.
- borissk 3y ago
  Interesting. Why do you think it's not being done?
  - timonoko 3y ago
    Dont know. Few years back there was even talk about growing new fingers by preventing the growth of scarring tissue. What ever happened to that project?
    - ecuaflo 3y ago
      Longaker lab is at the forefront of anti-scarring from what I know with their verteporfin research around blocking engrailed 1 gene expression during wound healing to prevent fibrosing and encourage perfect wound healing. They’ve only done it on skin though, haven’t seen anything about fingers or limbs
    - fractallyte 3y ago
      The tip of my finger was cut off a few months ago in an accident. Treatment consisted of a breathable dressing which sealed the fingertip around the stump, thereby prevented it from drying out and scarring. It was very smelly and messy for a few weeks, but it worked - my fingertip grew back. It's a bit deformed (because the emergency doctor gave me a 'manicure' before dressing the wound), but it's there. Lots of results on Google if you search for "fingertip regeneration". Otherwise, I can provide academic/medical references.
      - raisedbyninjas 3y ago
        I'd read that children could regrow fingertips. This article suggests that just having the base of the fingernail is what's needed. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/06/10/190385484/chopped-how-amputated-fingertips-sometimes-grow-back https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/06/10/1903854...
penguin_booze 3y ago
Oh, good. Now, do 'hair'.
- pknomad 3y ago
  People are making progress on that front too: https://news.uci.edu/2022/06/30/uci-led-team-discovers-signaling-molecule-that-potently-stimulates-hair-growth/ https://news.uci.edu/2022/06/30/uci-led-team-discovers-signa...
w4lker 3y ago
Wow, I 've never thought that I would see that in life
amelius 3y ago
Can't we somehow transplant the gene from rodents that makes their teeth regrow during their entire lives?
ACV001 3y ago
This is not only not dentist's dream, but this is their nightmare as well as others' like toothpaste producers.
- andai 3y ago
  Change is the state. Embrace Tooth Regrowth Serum Salesman.
- mock-possum 3y ago
  I mean there are other good reasons to brush your teeth apart from just tooth decay. Your gums are important too - also if you’re ever going to kiss anyone, they’re probably going to prefer your mouth not smell and taste like a decaying corpse.
- Tade0 3y ago
  My experience is that this field is very, let's say, business-savvy, so it's safe to say they'll figure out how to profit off of this. Most dentists that I've been to have more business than they're able to serve, so I suppose their client base won't dry up too soon - especially that such procedures are bound to be expensive - at least initially. Then there's orthodontics, because who says that this new tooth will grow perfectly straight?
vinni2 3y ago
> The idea of growing new teeth is every dentist's dream. Reall? Dentists prefer rotten teeth which takes a lot of money to fix.
bilekas 3y ago
I misunderstood this article. I read that yes, they can trigger new teeth to grow. For some reason I thought they nailed how to regrow tooth enamel for example. My thinking was, if you can grow a tooth, you can regrow the current. THAT is the dream. But this super amazing study and experiment isn't going to change the world of orthodonti. Brush your teeth and keep the floss handy!
EMM_386 3y ago
Please, I beg science ... anything like this. I do what I'm told to do. Yet as the years pass it's been cavities, root canals, extractions, crowns, and everything else. The worst part isn't even the procedure, it's the cost (in the U.S. at least!). Thousands and thousands of dollars any time they need to do anything. And that's with dental insurance. They like to deny claims. Dental should be covered under medical but that's an entirely different story. For now, I hope science keeps working on this.
- spdustin 3y ago
  Also in the US, and also frustrated with the cost of dental care. I was poor growing up, so the solution to major dental issues was an emergency extraction. And I’m not exactly rolling in it now, and having to deal with several missing fillings, all uppers needing considerable work after an ill-informed “LVI” veneer experience ~20 years ago, and a decade old temporary implant that I could never afford to have finished with the permanent. And yes, I do my damnedest to take care of my teeth. Issues just keep piling up, and just one procedure for one crown—with dental insurance—would still be >$1k. It’s depressing, honestly.
  - olliej 3y ago
    It's super rough in NZ as well. Dentistry (though not optional orthodontics like cosmetic braces) in NZ is free until you turn 18. The day you turn 18, it becomes private care only, and it's entirely out of pocket - just as you go off to university and have no money for 3+ years.
    - midoridensha 3y ago
      Unlike the Anglosphere countries apparently, here in Japan dental care is considered "medical" and an essential part of healthcare, and is covered by medical insurance just like any other medical problem. Cosmetic stuff of course is extra, but the essentials are covered no differently than any other procedure.
      - 3y ago
issafram 3y ago
Cool we can regrow teeth, but hair regrowth is fucking impossible because God hates me.
- tjpnz 3y ago
  Just get rid of it. You'll feel so much more confident.
  - crossroadsguy 3y ago
    Actually I get bruises and scratches on my scalp when my head is clean shaven. With hair? Rarely if never. And as for confidence and looks, nothing beats with hair. So technically yeah that's a escape it would be better to have them back. And in my case the decline is actually due to local water quality and pollution (3rd world).
deleted 3y ago
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windex 3y ago
I've given up on science being able to do anything other than for mice or create a new subscription service for lifelong meds. I suppose actual cures aren't profitable. I am tired of being cynical but that's the cycle we have all been on.
- 20after4 3y ago
  Extreme cynicism is extremely warranted.
calo_star 3y ago
When can we have anything effective against tinnitus...
beenBoutIT 3y ago
If this can effectively regrow replacement teeth it seems that the dentist will want more than anything to suppress or somehow monopolize the technology in order to maintain their role as "fixers of teeth". Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before any doctor (or layman) will be able to pull damaged teeth and then easily regrow them, avoiding the endless thousands that would be otherwise charged for dental repairs.
- Johnny555 3y ago
  >Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before any doctor (or layman) will be able to pull damaged teeth and then easily regrow them I'd sure like to know that the person pulling my tooth knows how to evaluate it with an x-ray to see if it really needs to be pulled (and to see if the bone structure beneath it is healthy enough to regrow a tooth), and is trained to administer appropriate dental painkillers. If I asked my primary care physician to do it, I'd expect him to refer me to a dentist.
  - calderwoodra 3y ago
    I agree - even though these things are generally really easy to do (second year dental students successfully do all of this under supervision), the reason a dentist is needed is for when something goes wrong.
  - YetAnotherNick 3y ago
    At least in my area, teeth removal is at least 10x cheaper than root canal. I don't think GP meant there will be 0 dentists, it would be just that lot of preventative care and tooth repair work will be gone, which I were to guess will reduce dentists quantity and quality requirement significantly.
- 20after4 3y ago
  Yeah I never hold out any hope for new miracle medical or dental treatments because there are far more profits to be made from treating symptoms.
uniformlyrandom 3y ago
> The tooth regrowth medicine is intended for people who lack a full set of adult teeth due to congenital factors. congenital = abnormal. Mean it only works if you never had teeth, not when you had yours removed.
orcul 3y ago
Long overdue.
stan_kirdey 3y ago
ChatGPT and now this, damn it is good to be alive
londons_explore 3y ago
Nearly all teeth problems start as diet problems. Have you ever seen a wild animal with bad teeth? Darwin makes sure that nearly all wild animals have perfect teeth. Humans would too if we ate our natural diet of mostly fruit and some meat.
Croftengea 3y ago
This is the key sentence, IMHO: > Once confirmed to have no ill effects on the human body, it will be aimed at treating children aged 2 to 6 who exhibit anodontia. This greatly limits usefulness of the whole enterprise. The problem is that this condition is not likely to be found at that age, it's found later when the problem is evident to parents. What is actually needed is some treatment for teenagers or young adults.
bjarneh 3y ago
> "The idea of growing new teeth is every dentist's dream" Wouldn't that be every dentist's nightmare? Who gonna want that root canal or crown when they can just pull + regrow?
- pantulis 3y ago
  Well, that "pull + regrow" would also be performed by a dentist anyway and I guess it would be more expensive than your usual canal & crown procedure.
cwkoss 3y ago
I want to be able to regrow a new set of teeth every ~5-10 years. Why stop at 2? Could be funded by tooth fairy receivables.

970 points by elorant 3y ago

bot12345 3y ago

This is a very interesting development in dental care. Looking forward to seeing the results of the clinical trials.

rilindo 3y ago

[flagged]

jimlongton 3y ago
> A new UCL paper has revealed that the wide-spread belief that the British have poorer teeth than our American cousins is, in fact, a myth. > The research led by Richard Watt, Professor of Dental Public Health in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, found that the mean number of missing teeth a person has is significantly higher in the US. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/eastman/news/2015/dec/us-vs-uk-who-has-better-teeth https://www.ucl.ac.uk/eastman/news/2015/dec/us-vs-uk-who-has...
- stbenjam 3y ago
  [flagged]
- rilindo 3y ago
  Given the health care in the US, that isn't surprising.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- xeromal 3y ago
  Missing teeth != Poor teeth. Pretty sure the joke is just that british have tea-stained brown teeth. Also, pretty sure it's just a joke in the same realm that rednecks from appalachia carry a piece of hay in their mouth.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- catiopatio 3y ago
  I always assumed this was a comment on the level of dental care provided by the NHS. For example, they’ll happily provide you a root canal without a crown – a crown costs significantly extra. I doubt many dentists in the US would be comfortable providing that standard of care.
  - pessimizer 3y ago
    I'm pretty sure it's now based on the observation that very wealthy and important people in Britain don't have giant blinding veneers. Americans think that the class terror that forces them to spend thousands or tens of thousands on their children's teeth (and their own) is universal, rather than a norm that we find ourselves locked into now. Americans with anything going on with their teeth look poor or disreputable, and it severely hurts your job chances. Rich British people are just like "do you know who I am?"
  - jahnu 3y ago
    https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/what-dental-services-are-available-on-the-nhs/ https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/what-dental-service... £300 seems not very significant if we are comparing the US to the UK in this discussion.
    - catiopatio 3y ago
      A £300 optional surcharge to perform what US dentistry rightfully considers the baseline standard of care is going to result in a lot of people’s teeth having subpar function and appearance.
      - jahnu 3y ago
        But they don’t pay for almost anything routine in the UK. In the US my understanding is you are not typically getting any free dental care. £300 is not a major expense for a typical person in the UK.
        catiopatio 3y ago
- mejutoco 3y ago
  I looked it up, because I was curious about the ranking per country, not only US vs UK. Uk is 4th best according to this ranking https://www.yongeeglintondental.com/2018/07/23/healthy-primary-teeth/ https://www.yongeeglintondental.com/2018/07/23/healthy-prima...
- wpietri 3y ago
  I am glad they did this work, but I don't think it gets at what's behind the joke about British teeth. For me, the exemplar is the Austin Powers jokes about his teeth. It's not that the average Brit has fewer teeth than the average American. It's that a person who American would expect, for reasons of class and style, to have an engineered smile (very white, very even teeth) instead had a perfectly natural one. Even the movie suggested that the stereotype was somewhat outdated. But to the extent we still have the stereotype, it's about upper- and upper-middle-class use of orthodontia and whitening. Plus the distinctive American emphasis on the big smile, which to a lot of non-Americans can seem mildly deranged.
- dan-robertson 3y ago
  I think the idea that people have in terrible teeth in the UK is a bit outdated, but did you look carefully at the study? The ‘better teeth’ you report is 7 missing teeth on average in the uk vs 7.3 in the US. Both of those numbers seem high to me: you’d need to have all wisdom teeth plus three more removed for example. It made me wonder whether that average was biased by old people[1] with many missing teeth[2], who I think aren’t that relevant to the idea about teeth being bad in one country rather than another. For the ‘oral health impacts’ measure, which corresponds to a questionnaire, OHIP-14[3], with questions like ‘have you been self-conscious because of your teeth, mouth or dentures?’ The score for the UK is lower than the US here, though I guess the measure is less objective and you can imagine cultural factors would impact the answers (eg maybe people from one country would downplay things more, or if worse teeth are more socially acceptable in the country, people there may be less likely to be embarrassed about their teeth. I think the kind of ‘bad teeth’ more common in the U.K. is crookedness (eg overlapping incisors or over/underbite) and teeth being more yellow. The paper notes that they weren’t able to measure things like that. My general impression is that bad teeth in the US (on someone who grew up there) are a pretty strong signal that someone grew up poor, and this is a little less the case for the UK. [1] the paper claims these are ‘age-standardised’ numbers. I don’t really know what that means but I guess that it means the number is mostly meaningful for comparing the countries rather than what people in those countries are like. For ages 25–44, they report averages of 3.7(UK) vs 4.6, which still looks a bit high to me. There’s about five times the rate of toothless mess in the US for that age group which made me think there might be some small population in the US with many missing teeth that isn’t so large in the UK, but the paper found the same income-based inequality in number of missing teeth [2] The paper claims to have gotten similar results when excluding the toothless [3] Slade GD; Derivation and validation of a short-fortn oral health impact profile. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology 1997; 25; 284-90.

TheAceOfHearts 3y ago

Hopefully this ends up going somewhere. We've been hearing for decades how there's certain bacteria that nearly removes the requirement to brush your teeth regularly, but it never seems to reach the general public. Exciting times ahead if we can ultimately destroy the need for the dental care industry. In a few decades having to brush your teeth regularly will probably be regarded as an antiquated practice.

andyjohnson0 3y ago
There would preaumably still be a need for brushing for hygiene reasons, as well as gum health, even if tooth decay was a solved problem.
- letitbeirie 3y ago
  Yeah even if the bacterium magically took care of gum health, it would need to somehow be able to dissolve tartar (calcium phosphate) without dissolving teeth (also calcium phosphate).

tgv 3y ago

Don't get your hopes up, and keep brushing your teeth: "The tooth regrowth medicine is intended for people who lack a full set of adult teeth due to congenital factors (anodontia)". There is a vague hope to develop it so that people who lose teeth can use it to regrow, but that seems to be another ball game.

water-data-dude 3y ago
Bummer, I was hoping for shark teeth powers
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- Tagbert 3y ago
  This will give you the regrowth but the teeth will look like shark teeth. That might cause some odd looks and be careful not to bite your tongue. You’ll only be able to do that once! :-)
  - Electricniko 3y ago
    Tongue replacement is already a thing, oddly enough.
    - withinboredom 3y ago
      Ha! I bit off my tongue from falling a pretty good height. My knee came up and hit my chin, forcibly closing my mouth on my screaming face. When I could finally move again (was paralyzed for a bit), and got to the hospital, they just told me to keep my mouth shut. Apparently, your tongue is just a muscle, so it will reattach itself. It was a shitty few weeks, but at least I didn’t break any bones or land on my head.
      - Reason077 3y ago
        Ouch! I did something similar snowboarding in my early 20s. Landed a badly timed jump on to hard, flat snow and slammed my knee into my chin. Thankfully did not catch my tongue, but shattered several teeth! I remember wondering how I’d ended up with a mouthful of sand and grit. It wasn’t sand.

nntwozz 3y ago

Sounds exciting and less of a hassle than CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing shark DNA (sharks regrow teeth when needed). They lose at least 30.000 teeth over a lifetime…

lockhouse 3y ago
Try our new plasmid Shark Bite by Ryan Industries…Regrow teeth whenever they’re needed!
- tandr 3y ago
  (In reaally small letters below) Consumer warning: might cause drowsiness, or anxiety. Teeth growth is guaranteed, but the location of newly grown teeth is not. Consult your doctor if you have high blood pressure, pregnant, or breastfeeding. Do not take with alcohol.
  - 20after4 3y ago
    Extended version: low-contrast grey on white: Teeth growth is guaranteed, the location and the shape of newly grown teeth is not. Expect replacement teeth to be distinctly sharper than your existing molars. Use caution when chewing. Although rare, some patients experience changes in appetite that can be permanent. Avoid swimming and contact your doctor if you experience strong cravings for raw meat, or a noticeable increase in desire to bite people or pets.
    - tandr 3y ago
      "Do not swim if you suspect there could be even traces of blood in the water."?
amelius 3y ago
From a Google search: > Unlike humans, all sharks are born with teeth. They grow in conveyor-belt rows, with the biggest teeth facing outwards. Over time, the smaller teeth in the back move up, replacing the front ones. Most sharks have between 5-15 rows, and the whale shark has a whopping 3,000 teeth in its mouth! Not sure if you'd want that!

endisneigh 3y ago

It’s not the same thing but you can currently buy novamin and nano hydroxyapatite based pastes which help to remineralize enamel (they do not regrown teeth completely). On the note of dental hygiene I recommend, in addition to the standard stuff: 1. Rising your mouth with water immediately after eating. If you’re at a restaurant just drink some water, swish rigorously for 15 seconds and swallow. 2. Flossing regularly soon after eating. Couple with a water flosser if possible.

moffkalast 3y ago
Have you seen your enamel improve using those? I've used a Sensodyne one for a year with zero results and switched back. My dentist seemed unsurprised by those results, so the effect is probably miniscule in general if there's any at all.
- mdorazio 3y ago
  I'll offer another point in support of your experience. I purchased the non-US Sensodyne, verified it had Novamin, used the entire tube as directed with no water drinking for at least half an hour afterward, and saw zero results.
- endisneigh 3y ago
  Unless you bought the foreign one you didn’t get novamin. Try again with David’s with uses nano hydroxyapatite and can be bought in the USA
  - moffkalast 3y ago
    Well I'm in Europe, so I'm not sure if I can buy the same ones. It had novamin listed on the packaging ingredients so unless they're blatantly lying, it had it.
    - endisneigh 3y ago
      Heh, touché. The European one should have novamin. The effect isn’t supposed to be drastic. In fact I stopped using novamin as well because the studies I read didn’t show substantial difference vs fluoride toothpaste. I assume your dentist didn’t notice much? I’d still give nano hydroxyapatite a try.

Buttons840 3y ago

I wonder how teeth regrowth would work? Our adult teeth don't "push out" like it seems, but our body "grows out and around" the adult teeth formed from early age (maybe even birth? I'm no expert). You can look up pictures of baby skulls where the adult teeth are visible deep in the bone; a baby's adult teeth are formed already, and located in the bone around the lower nose area, some almost on the side of the nose; the baby will grow into them. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous_teeth https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous_teeth

adastra22 3y ago
The tooth forms at some point.
NetBeck 3y ago
From what I found on teeth development: >The first stage begins in the fetus at about 6 weeks of age. This is when the basic substance of the tooth forms. >Next, the hard tissue that surrounds the teeth is formed, around 3 to 4 months of gestation.[0] [0] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/anatomy-and-development-of-the-mouth-and-teeth https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-preventi...
taurusnoises 3y ago
Thank you for ruining my mind with this imagery.
- hackernewds 3y ago
  I got a strong trypophobia shiver from seeing that skull image. (I know it's an objective medical affinity)
- firecall 3y ago
  It's weird isn't it! The reverse of how we think it works from external observation alone. It's totally normal to think they grow like nails, but only twice.

deleted 3y ago

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westurner 3y ago

"Anti–USAG-1 therapy for tooth regeneration through enhanced BMP" (2021) https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abf1798 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abf1798 https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=6855835701389665111&as_sdt=5,47&sciodt=0,47&hl=en https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=6855835701389665111...

westurner 3y ago
From "Reactivating Dormant Cells in the Retina Brings New Hope for Vision Regeneration" (2023) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35871917 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35871917: direct neuronal reprogramming (for retinal growth), Tissue NanoTransfection, Muller glia "TNT" out of Ohio State: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tissue_nanotransfection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tissue_nanotransfection ; direct (epithelial,) stroma reprogramming Regenerative medicine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_medicine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_medicine From https://www.ada.org/en/resources/research/health-policy-institute/coverage-access-outcomes https://www.ada.org/en/resources/research/health-policy-inst... : > What share of U.S. children and adults have dental benefits? > Dental benefits coverage varies by age. For children ages 2-18, 51.3 percent have private dental benefits, 38.5 percent have dental benefits through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and 10.3 percent do not have dental benefits. For adults ages 19-64, 59.0 percent have private dental benefits, 7.4 percent have dental benefits through Medicaid, and 33.6 percent do not have dental benefits. Source: Dental Benefits Coverage in the U.S. TIL about Dental lasers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_laser https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_laser What percentage of dentists offices have lasers in the United States? https://www.google.com/search?q=what+percentage+of+dentist+office+have+lasers+in+the+United+States https://www.google.com/search?q=what+percentage+of+dentist+o... FWIU, dental lasers cost from $4-40K per unit, per station in the office; and they may be tuned for specific applications or general purpose. There's a waveguide to guide the beam; and there are new waveguide methods for steering photon beams through opaque tissue (with e.g. dual beams). "Scientists Have Discovered a Drug [Tideglusib] That Fixes Cavities and Regrows Teeth" (2017) that's already FDA approved for Alzheimer's but there are yet no clinical trials of it as a cavity fill?? https://futurism.com/neoscope/scientists-have-discovered-this-drug-fixes-cavities-and-regrows-teeth https://futurism.com/neoscope/scientists-have-discovered-thi... Tideglusib: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tideglusib https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tideglusib Can teeth be grown in molds from e.g. stem cells, or nanotransfected tissue with/without a 3-d printed scaffold or [...]? Dental care probably has direct returns in labor productivity?

myself248 3y ago

On the other side of things, why don't we use little bits of botox to prevent wisdom teeth from growing in the first place?

jurassicfoxy 3y ago
Maybe you just came up with a good idea for a PhD in dentistry.
- myself248 3y ago
  I'm already full-up on hobbies, jobs, and callings, thankyouverymuch!
spartanatreyu 3y ago
Wisdom teeth aren't the problem, they're supposed to be there. Wisdom teeth getting compacted are a symptom of a larger problem. If a child is not fed enough tough foods, then they end up not using and developing their facial muscles correctly. If those muscles which should be guiding the jaw into it's correct position aren't being used correctly, they end up causing the jaw to not develop properly. Now you end up with a mouth-breathing child who has a reverse swallow, crowded teeth, and is going to need braces, a retainer, and possibly a CPAP machine.
- jvidalv 3y ago
  Can you back this data up with any source? Afaik here in Spain is rather common to have your wisdom teeth pullet out (I have), and it's the first time I hear this theory.
  - tomjakubowski 3y ago
    It's based on this hypothesis that bone growth, including in the jaw, is determined by the exercise of soft tissues. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_matrix_hypothesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_matrix_hypothesis

timonoko 3y ago

In medieval times they used to rob teeth from healthy young subjects. It was possible to "implant" those teeth just by jamming them by force into gums. Success rate unknown. So you could grow teeth in-vitro from patient's own stemcells and then implant those. I would be safer and not much testing needed.

borissk 3y ago
Interesting. Why do you think it's not being done?
- timonoko 3y ago
  Dont know. Few years back there was even talk about growing new fingers by preventing the growth of scarring tissue. What ever happened to that project?
  - ecuaflo 3y ago
    Longaker lab is at the forefront of anti-scarring from what I know with their verteporfin research around blocking engrailed 1 gene expression during wound healing to prevent fibrosing and encourage perfect wound healing. They’ve only done it on skin though, haven’t seen anything about fingers or limbs
  - fractallyte 3y ago
    The tip of my finger was cut off a few months ago in an accident. Treatment consisted of a breathable dressing which sealed the fingertip around the stump, thereby prevented it from drying out and scarring. It was very smelly and messy for a few weeks, but it worked - my fingertip grew back. It's a bit deformed (because the emergency doctor gave me a 'manicure' before dressing the wound), but it's there. Lots of results on Google if you search for "fingertip regeneration". Otherwise, I can provide academic/medical references.
    - raisedbyninjas 3y ago
      I'd read that children could regrow fingertips. This article suggests that just having the base of the fingernail is what's needed. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/06/10/190385484/chopped-how-amputated-fingertips-sometimes-grow-back https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/06/10/1903854...

penguin_booze 3y ago

Oh, good. Now, do 'hair'.

pknomad 3y ago
People are making progress on that front too: https://news.uci.edu/2022/06/30/uci-led-team-discovers-signaling-molecule-that-potently-stimulates-hair-growth/ https://news.uci.edu/2022/06/30/uci-led-team-discovers-signa...

w4lker 3y ago

Wow, I 've never thought that I would see that in life

amelius 3y ago

Can't we somehow transplant the gene from rodents that makes their teeth regrow during their entire lives?

ACV001 3y ago

This is not only not dentist's dream, but this is their nightmare as well as others' like toothpaste producers.

andai 3y ago
Change is the state. Embrace Tooth Regrowth Serum Salesman.
mock-possum 3y ago
I mean there are other good reasons to brush your teeth apart from just tooth decay. Your gums are important too - also if you’re ever going to kiss anyone, they’re probably going to prefer your mouth not smell and taste like a decaying corpse.
Tade0 3y ago
My experience is that this field is very, let's say, business-savvy, so it's safe to say they'll figure out how to profit off of this. Most dentists that I've been to have more business than they're able to serve, so I suppose their client base won't dry up too soon - especially that such procedures are bound to be expensive - at least initially. Then there's orthodontics, because who says that this new tooth will grow perfectly straight?

vinni2 3y ago

> The idea of growing new teeth is every dentist's dream. Reall? Dentists prefer rotten teeth which takes a lot of money to fix.

bilekas 3y ago

I misunderstood this article. I read that yes, they can trigger new teeth to grow. For some reason I thought they nailed how to regrow tooth enamel for example. My thinking was, if you can grow a tooth, you can regrow the current. THAT is the dream. But this super amazing study and experiment isn't going to change the world of orthodonti. Brush your teeth and keep the floss handy!

EMM_386 3y ago

Please, I beg science ... anything like this. I do what I'm told to do. Yet as the years pass it's been cavities, root canals, extractions, crowns, and everything else. The worst part isn't even the procedure, it's the cost (in the U.S. at least!). Thousands and thousands of dollars any time they need to do anything. And that's with dental insurance. They like to deny claims. Dental should be covered under medical but that's an entirely different story. For now, I hope science keeps working on this.

spdustin 3y ago
Also in the US, and also frustrated with the cost of dental care. I was poor growing up, so the solution to major dental issues was an emergency extraction. And I’m not exactly rolling in it now, and having to deal with several missing fillings, all uppers needing considerable work after an ill-informed “LVI” veneer experience ~20 years ago, and a decade old temporary implant that I could never afford to have finished with the permanent. And yes, I do my damnedest to take care of my teeth. Issues just keep piling up, and just one procedure for one crown—with dental insurance—would still be >$1k. It’s depressing, honestly.
- olliej 3y ago
  It's super rough in NZ as well. Dentistry (though not optional orthodontics like cosmetic braces) in NZ is free until you turn 18. The day you turn 18, it becomes private care only, and it's entirely out of pocket - just as you go off to university and have no money for 3+ years.
  - midoridensha 3y ago
    Unlike the Anglosphere countries apparently, here in Japan dental care is considered "medical" and an essential part of healthcare, and is covered by medical insurance just like any other medical problem. Cosmetic stuff of course is extra, but the essentials are covered no differently than any other procedure.
    - 3y ago

issafram 3y ago

Cool we can regrow teeth, but hair regrowth is fucking impossible because God hates me.

tjpnz 3y ago
Just get rid of it. You'll feel so much more confident.
- crossroadsguy 3y ago
  Actually I get bruises and scratches on my scalp when my head is clean shaven. With hair? Rarely if never. And as for confidence and looks, nothing beats with hair. So technically yeah that's a escape it would be better to have them back. And in my case the decline is actually due to local water quality and pollution (3rd world).

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

windex 3y ago

I've given up on science being able to do anything other than for mice or create a new subscription service for lifelong meds. I suppose actual cures aren't profitable. I am tired of being cynical but that's the cycle we have all been on.

20after4 3y ago
Extreme cynicism is extremely warranted.

calo_star 3y ago

When can we have anything effective against tinnitus...

beenBoutIT 3y ago

If this can effectively regrow replacement teeth it seems that the dentist will want more than anything to suppress or somehow monopolize the technology in order to maintain their role as "fixers of teeth". Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before any doctor (or layman) will be able to pull damaged teeth and then easily regrow them, avoiding the endless thousands that would be otherwise charged for dental repairs.

Johnny555 3y ago
>Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before any doctor (or layman) will be able to pull damaged teeth and then easily regrow them I'd sure like to know that the person pulling my tooth knows how to evaluate it with an x-ray to see if it really needs to be pulled (and to see if the bone structure beneath it is healthy enough to regrow a tooth), and is trained to administer appropriate dental painkillers. If I asked my primary care physician to do it, I'd expect him to refer me to a dentist.
- calderwoodra 3y ago
  I agree - even though these things are generally really easy to do (second year dental students successfully do all of this under supervision), the reason a dentist is needed is for when something goes wrong.
- YetAnotherNick 3y ago
  At least in my area, teeth removal is at least 10x cheaper than root canal. I don't think GP meant there will be 0 dentists, it would be just that lot of preventative care and tooth repair work will be gone, which I were to guess will reduce dentists quantity and quality requirement significantly.
20after4 3y ago
Yeah I never hold out any hope for new miracle medical or dental treatments because there are far more profits to be made from treating symptoms.

uniformlyrandom 3y ago

> The tooth regrowth medicine is intended for people who lack a full set of adult teeth due to congenital factors. congenital = abnormal. Mean it only works if you never had teeth, not when you had yours removed.

orcul 3y ago

Long overdue.

stan_kirdey 3y ago

ChatGPT and now this, damn it is good to be alive

londons_explore 3y ago

Nearly all teeth problems start as diet problems. Have you ever seen a wild animal with bad teeth? Darwin makes sure that nearly all wild animals have perfect teeth. Humans would too if we ate our natural diet of mostly fruit and some meat.

Croftengea 3y ago

This is the key sentence, IMHO: > Once confirmed to have no ill effects on the human body, it will be aimed at treating children aged 2 to 6 who exhibit anodontia. This greatly limits usefulness of the whole enterprise. The problem is that this condition is not likely to be found at that age, it's found later when the problem is evident to parents. What is actually needed is some treatment for teenagers or young adults.

bjarneh 3y ago

> "The idea of growing new teeth is every dentist's dream" Wouldn't that be every dentist's nightmare? Who gonna want that root canal or crown when they can just pull + regrow?

pantulis 3y ago
Well, that "pull + regrow" would also be performed by a dentist anyway and I guess it would be more expensive than your usual canal & crown procedure.

cwkoss 3y ago

I want to be able to regrow a new set of teeth every ~5-10 years. Why stop at 2? Could be funded by tooth fairy receivables.