World's 1st 'tooth regrowth' medicine moves toward clinical trials in Japan - The Mainichi

3 years ago by wave_walnut to c/science

OSAKA -- A Japanese research team is making progress on the development of a groundbreaking medication that may allow people to grow new teeth, with c

TOKYO -- A Japanese research team is making progress on the development of a groundbreaking medication that may allow people to grow new teeth, with c

zalack 4 points 3 years ago

Unless I'm misreading the article, right now this seems to just be regrowth for a very specific medical condition where teeth didn't come in in the first place?

The article mentions the possibility of stimulating growth in a latent third set of buds all adults have. But that doesn't seem to be what this specific breakthrough is.

save

path: 0 767106, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 0

Sudo 1 point 3 years ago

Candy is back on the menu!

save

path: 0 769796, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 1

Infiltrated_ad8271 3 points 3 years ago

I can't wait to pay for another orthodontic treatment!

save

path: 0 769796 769797, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0

rhythmisaprancer 1 point 3 years ago

Wow, what a game changer this would be for so many people. I wonder how accessible it will be to the people who are most likely to need it?

save

path: 0 766894, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 13

livus 2 points 3 years ago

Most new things are not at all accessible to impoverished people (we saw this with covid vaccine inequality) and they are the ones most likely to have tooth loss due to lack of access to dental care.

save

path: 0 766894 766895, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 12

Ertebolle 1 point 3 years ago

This is true in the short term, but drugs and treatments can get cheaper over time, whereas implant dentistry is intrinsically expensive in a way that's unlikely to ever improve.

save

path: 0 766894 766895 766896, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 9

anathema_device 3 points 3 years ago

@Ertebolle "The tooth regrowth medicine is intended for people who lack a full set of adult teeth due to congenital factors. "

So, not likely to solve the problem of tooth loss through lack of dental care :(

@wave_walnut @rhythmisaprancer @livus

save

path: 0 766894 766895 766896 766897, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 8

I_Miss_Daniel 1 point 3 years ago

Bugger. Back to printing disposable ones on the Ender-3?

save

path: 0 766894 766895 766896 766897 769011, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 5

livus 0 points 3 years ago

Thanks for copying me in, I really should have read the whole article first!

save

path: 0 766894 766895 766896 766897 766898, hotness: undefined, score: 0, children: 1

Machinist3359 0 points 3 years ago

I was shocked to learn that dental sealant exists. This simple procedure is very effective in preventing cavities, so once a kid has adult teeth they'll be protected into their 20s.

Yet, many people don't know to ask for this and can't afford the upfront cost (about $40 per tooth). Yet, unless your kid has fewer than 3 cavities as a teen it is the most cost effective and wellness promoting option.

It's wild to me this isn't a heavily subsidized and promoted procedure, but I guess dental care =/= healthcare...

save

path: 0 766894 766895 769482, hotness: undefined, score: 0, children: 1

livus 1 point 3 years ago

I know what you mean. I'm always amazed no one ever told me about preventive dentistry, and some people I tell seem to view it with suspicion.

Worse, where I live the dentists you see as a poor person usually push extraction as a cost-effective option when something goes wrong. But it can cause issues with chewing (the other teeth can move), and bone loss in the jaw.

save

path: 0 766894 766895 769482 769483, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0