Japanese researchers test pioneering drug to regrow teeth
Japanese researchers test pioneering drug to regrow teeth
People with missing teeth may be able to grow new ones, say Japanese dentists testing a pioneering drug they hope will offer an alternative to dentures and implants.
Unlike reptiles and fish, which usually replace their fangs on a regular basis, it is widely accepted that humans and most other mammals only grow two sets of teeth.
But hidden underneath our gums are the dormant buds of a third generation, according to Katsu Takahashi, head of oral surgery at the Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital in Osaka.
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Tests on mice and ferrets suggest that blocking a protein called USAG-1 can awaken the third set, and the researchers have published lab photographs of regrown animal teeth.
In a study published last year, the team said their "antibody treatment in mice is effective for tooth regeneration and can be a breakthrough in treating tooth anomalies in humans".
Waiting for a pharmaceutical company patenting the shit out of this and selling it $500,000 per tooth, and for insurance companies denying covering it because it is "experimental" or "unnecessary". Fun times in the USA.
Still, there is the rest of the world to be considered where health insurance actually deals with pharmaceutical companies and makes them sell their products with realistic prices.
It will be unnecessary as long as dentures are the cheaper option. If there is a drug that can regrow teeth then denture manufacturers will start jacking up their costs now to offset the decline in need. Eventually they will be equally priced, they will both be $1 million.
Except that you can't really compare dentures and teeth. Not having teeth brings along a bunch of side effects like loss of bone structure in the jaw that wouldn't happen with teeth.
I don't like your take. It's not cynical or pessimistic enough
OK, so you’re not really regrowing teeth, you’re growing a hidden, third, backup tooth using some sort of gene therapy.
Cool
Babe, I can tell you haven't clipped your teeth in a while
I'd rather be chewing on bark like a rodent.
Can't wait to grow my teeth out
What I'm expecting
And what you'll get:
Can I have my current teeth removed and grow in a set that are less fucked up?
Granted, your existing teeth will fall out all at once the next time you are really nervous and your new set of teeth will finish growing in when you turn 98.
Does that mean I’m guaranteed to live until at least 98? Deal
Babe wake up, Teeth, the movie is becoming a true story
almost 30 years ago I was hearing about a company that grew new teeth, I can't remember if in your jaw or for later implantation. I've been waiting for EVER!
I dunno if I'd like teeth like the ones in the pic. I mean sometimes they'd be fun, but not always.
