5 ms·

Is there any company working on "cloning" or growing teeth? That way we don't have to worry about cavities or root canal any longer? When I was a kid, I was sur

Is there any company working on "cloning" or growing teeth? That way we don't have to worry about cavities or root canal any longer? When I was a kid, I was sure we'd have this tech by now. How hard is it to grow teeth?

sdiupIGPWEfh 4y ago
Seems like we've been able to grow human teeth in mice and other lab animals for over a decade. How far away can we be from trials in actual humans? I'd sign up without hesitation, even if there were substantial risks.
- 2Gkashmiri 4y ago
  two things.. 1. that flaccid teeth meme 2. sharks teeth i would be comfortable with having a fresh set of teeth every other year or 3 or 5 years later. It would mean i could be a little bit more lazy and/or not have to "SUFFER". i hate that, the teeth are the worst
dazc 4y ago
Good oral hygiene is all that is needed, and (in the UK, at least) we've been mostly failing at this basic level of common sense prevention for eternity. I guess it's the same for dieting, people looking for magic solutions when the simple answer is to eat less.
- taeric 4y ago
  Between people looking for magic solutions and other people deriding the masses for being lazy... yeah, not much room left in the field for learning and growth. I do agree there is something to pushing for a bit more hygiene for things. That said, I also think there is something to be said for looking at the items holistically. To wit, I'm not brushing my pet's teeth every night, and I have yet to ever have one that needed intervention due to cavities. Especially not in mid life. I know some folks that have, of course. So, it isn't like it is completely unheard of in the animal kingdom. I'm curious why it is so different for us, though. Would love to see a good treatment of that topic.
  - dazc 4y ago
    I'm sure you already know that your pets don't consume much sugar and that's the main reason they don't get cavities? Maybe humans will, eventually, evolve to a state where our teeth renew themselves naturally, without intervention? Who knows?
    - taeric 4y ago
      I mean, you aren't wrong. They also eat a lot of really hard to chew things that scrape at their teeth and gums. And, I'm sure, breeding selected for pets that don't have massive teeth problems. That is, I get it, very complex topic. You can see other similar "patterns" that are of little help in the animal kingdom. See a "fat" animal, and it is almost certainly one that doesn't eat meat as a primary nutrient source. Similarly, lean animals are typically predators. Would be a fallacy to think you have to be a meat eater to be lean, though. The topic that has been intriguing to me lately, is the link between mouth breathing and poor oral health. So many topics that we don't know nearly as much about as we want individually. Much less all mixed up together.
    - whateveracct 4y ago
      Pets get other stuff though. My understanding for cats at least is there's a heavy genetic component. I have two brother cats and one has bad teeth [1] and one has good teeth. But they eat the same and get their teeth brushed the same. [1] As in, he lost one and needed his teeth cleaned by age 7 (not old). That said, I didn't get into a habit of brushing their teeth until they were several years old, and both of their teeth are excellent now (vet doesn't see either of them as needing a cleaning in the foreseeable future). So dental hygiene is helpful even for cats!
      - taeric 4y ago
        7 is fairly old for cats, I thought? Not ancient old, but well past early life. I fully agree on it having a hefty genetic component. Pure breed?
        4y ago
- noodlesUK 4y ago
  I think this is a pretty reductive take, both for dental and dieting. There are a lot of reasons a person might not be able to take care of themselves very well, and we should certainly try to make it easier for them, rather than just dismissing it as a solved problem and a moral failing of anyone who runs into issues.
- roundandround 4y ago
  Good oral hygiene is only fixing one reason for needing replacement teeth. Artificial replacement remains subpar and causes gradual erosion in the jaw that will catch up with people who have accidents early in life.
oneoff786 4y ago
Can’t just clone them. Gotta grow them in your mouth with stem cells.
- ip26 4y ago
  So why can’t we do that yet? Maybe it’s an economic curse. Wealthy people tend to have good teeth. Sure, here and there a cavity. But the bulk of the market for new teeth is probably poor.
  - oneoff786 4y ago
    Teeth aren’t exactly the top priority but stem cell research could regenerate vital organs. It’s very much an area of active research. It’s just hard.
  - lost_tourist 4y ago
    Only because they tend to have much more aggressive parents about teeth health, going to the dentist, etc. it has nothing to do with being rich, even the lowest 10% in income can afford toothpaste and a toothbrush which you can probably get for free. The problem is that it's low on the list of priorities.
bilsbie 4y ago
Even if it was invented it would be super expensive.
interestica 4y ago
I've always half-wondered if wisdom teeth could be saved. Either for re-insertion. Or as the source for the required stem cells for regrowth. I mean, evolutionarily, the late appearance of those teeth were probably to replace broken molars?
- jononomo 4y ago
  If you get 95% of your calories from hunting you will spend a lot of time chewing tough pieces of meat. Kids who grow up chewing meat and gnawing on bones develop larger and wider jaws (and more attractive faces) and they have space for wisdom teeth.
- pcthrowaway 4y ago
  They often get broken up on removal, from the videos I've watched. So not sure how useful that would be
nerdbert 4y ago
It seems like I've been hearing for the last 40 years that tooth-re-growing tech was just around the corner, and in five years none of us would have to worry about dental problems anymore. Still waiting. Soon I'm going to have to break down and buy a toothbrush.
ip26 4y ago
It’s clearly not a simple process with very particular behaviors, but i agree, based on current knowledge of teeth it seems like this should be in reach for humanity.
rapjr9 4y ago
There has been some work, nothing commercialized yet that I've heard of: https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/02/dentists-may-soon-completely-regenerate-your-teeth-damaged-from-cavities.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/02/dentists-may-soon-comp... https://www.engadget.com/2016-07-03-regenerative-tooth-fillings.html https://www.engadget.com/2016-07-03-regenerative-tooth-filli... https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2016/july/fillings-that-heal-your-teeth.aspx https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2016/july/fi... https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/07/28/0228219 https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/07/28/0228219 I've seen a report on PubMed about a successful growth of a new replacement tooth from stem cells in a rabbit as well, can't find the link at the moment. This seems to be a summary of a lot of different research on regrowing teeth, and it states up front that only regrowing enamel seems to be on the near horizon: https://dentalfreak.com/teeth-regeneration-and-regrowth-current-research-and-future-treatments/ https://dentalfreak.com/teeth-regeneration-and-regrowth-curr... It seems SDF was approved for kids 7 or so years ago in the US: https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/07/18/0057230 https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/07/18/0057230 SDF is used on the very old a lot also (much easier to use for those with Alzheimer's for example). You can ask for it but not a lot of US dentists have experience applying it or keep it in stock. Some dentists will adamantly refuse to apply it, probably because it reduces their profit since if it stops decay there is no filling needed, though it could also be because it can cause staining in unpredictable places (anywhere with decay, and the gums also) that takes months or years to disappear. In general it would seem the dental profession has no reason to welcome a cure for tooth decay and every reason to delay one. It would not put them them entirely out of business, but it certainly would reduce business. There have been some other interesting developments in dentistry: https://munewsarchives.missouri.edu/news-releases/2011/1220-%e2%80%9cpainless%e2%80%9d-plasma-brush-is-becoming-reality-in-dentistry-mu-engineers-say/ https://munewsarchives.missouri.edu/news-releases/2011/1220-... https://nanovabio.com/ https://nanovabio.com/ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104115106.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104115106.h... https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/upshot/surprisingly-little-evidence-for-the-usual-wisdom-about-teeth.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/upshot/surprisingly-littl... The sterilizing cold plasma torch is already being used in some surgeries I believe.

sdiupIGPWEfh 4y ago

Seems like we've been able to grow human teeth in mice and other lab animals for over a decade. How far away can we be from trials in actual humans? I'd sign up without hesitation, even if there were substantial risks.

2Gkashmiri 4y ago
two things.. 1. that flaccid teeth meme 2. sharks teeth i would be comfortable with having a fresh set of teeth every other year or 3 or 5 years later. It would mean i could be a little bit more lazy and/or not have to "SUFFER". i hate that, the teeth are the worst

dazc 4y ago

Good oral hygiene is all that is needed, and (in the UK, at least) we've been mostly failing at this basic level of common sense prevention for eternity. I guess it's the same for dieting, people looking for magic solutions when the simple answer is to eat less.

taeric 4y ago
Between people looking for magic solutions and other people deriding the masses for being lazy... yeah, not much room left in the field for learning and growth. I do agree there is something to pushing for a bit more hygiene for things. That said, I also think there is something to be said for looking at the items holistically. To wit, I'm not brushing my pet's teeth every night, and I have yet to ever have one that needed intervention due to cavities. Especially not in mid life. I know some folks that have, of course. So, it isn't like it is completely unheard of in the animal kingdom. I'm curious why it is so different for us, though. Would love to see a good treatment of that topic.
- dazc 4y ago
  I'm sure you already know that your pets don't consume much sugar and that's the main reason they don't get cavities? Maybe humans will, eventually, evolve to a state where our teeth renew themselves naturally, without intervention? Who knows?
  - taeric 4y ago
    I mean, you aren't wrong. They also eat a lot of really hard to chew things that scrape at their teeth and gums. And, I'm sure, breeding selected for pets that don't have massive teeth problems. That is, I get it, very complex topic. You can see other similar "patterns" that are of little help in the animal kingdom. See a "fat" animal, and it is almost certainly one that doesn't eat meat as a primary nutrient source. Similarly, lean animals are typically predators. Would be a fallacy to think you have to be a meat eater to be lean, though. The topic that has been intriguing to me lately, is the link between mouth breathing and poor oral health. So many topics that we don't know nearly as much about as we want individually. Much less all mixed up together.
  - whateveracct 4y ago
    Pets get other stuff though. My understanding for cats at least is there's a heavy genetic component. I have two brother cats and one has bad teeth [1] and one has good teeth. But they eat the same and get their teeth brushed the same. [1] As in, he lost one and needed his teeth cleaned by age 7 (not old). That said, I didn't get into a habit of brushing their teeth until they were several years old, and both of their teeth are excellent now (vet doesn't see either of them as needing a cleaning in the foreseeable future). So dental hygiene is helpful even for cats!
    - taeric 4y ago
      7 is fairly old for cats, I thought? Not ancient old, but well past early life. I fully agree on it having a hefty genetic component. Pure breed?
      - 4y ago
noodlesUK 4y ago
I think this is a pretty reductive take, both for dental and dieting. There are a lot of reasons a person might not be able to take care of themselves very well, and we should certainly try to make it easier for them, rather than just dismissing it as a solved problem and a moral failing of anyone who runs into issues.
roundandround 4y ago
Good oral hygiene is only fixing one reason for needing replacement teeth. Artificial replacement remains subpar and causes gradual erosion in the jaw that will catch up with people who have accidents early in life.

oneoff786 4y ago

Can’t just clone them. Gotta grow them in your mouth with stem cells.

ip26 4y ago
So why can’t we do that yet? Maybe it’s an economic curse. Wealthy people tend to have good teeth. Sure, here and there a cavity. But the bulk of the market for new teeth is probably poor.
- oneoff786 4y ago
  Teeth aren’t exactly the top priority but stem cell research could regenerate vital organs. It’s very much an area of active research. It’s just hard.
- lost_tourist 4y ago
  Only because they tend to have much more aggressive parents about teeth health, going to the dentist, etc. it has nothing to do with being rich, even the lowest 10% in income can afford toothpaste and a toothbrush which you can probably get for free. The problem is that it's low on the list of priorities.

bilsbie 4y ago

Even if it was invented it would be super expensive.

interestica 4y ago

I've always half-wondered if wisdom teeth could be saved. Either for re-insertion. Or as the source for the required stem cells for regrowth. I mean, evolutionarily, the late appearance of those teeth were probably to replace broken molars?

jononomo 4y ago
If you get 95% of your calories from hunting you will spend a lot of time chewing tough pieces of meat. Kids who grow up chewing meat and gnawing on bones develop larger and wider jaws (and more attractive faces) and they have space for wisdom teeth.
pcthrowaway 4y ago
They often get broken up on removal, from the videos I've watched. So not sure how useful that would be

nerdbert 4y ago

It seems like I've been hearing for the last 40 years that tooth-re-growing tech was just around the corner, and in five years none of us would have to worry about dental problems anymore. Still waiting. Soon I'm going to have to break down and buy a toothbrush.

ip26 4y ago

It’s clearly not a simple process with very particular behaviors, but i agree, based on current knowledge of teeth it seems like this should be in reach for humanity.

rapjr9 4y ago

There has been some work, nothing commercialized yet that I've heard of: https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/02/dentists-may-soon-completely-regenerate-your-teeth-damaged-from-cavities.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/02/dentists-may-soon-comp... https://www.engadget.com/2016-07-03-regenerative-tooth-fillings.html https://www.engadget.com/2016-07-03-regenerative-tooth-filli... https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2016/july/fillings-that-heal-your-teeth.aspx https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2016/july/fi... https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/07/28/0228219 https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/07/28/0228219 I've seen a report on PubMed about a successful growth of a new replacement tooth from stem cells in a rabbit as well, can't find the link at the moment. This seems to be a summary of a lot of different research on regrowing teeth, and it states up front that only regrowing enamel seems to be on the near horizon: https://dentalfreak.com/teeth-regeneration-and-regrowth-current-research-and-future-treatments/ https://dentalfreak.com/teeth-regeneration-and-regrowth-curr... It seems SDF was approved for kids 7 or so years ago in the US: https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/07/18/0057230 https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/07/18/0057230 SDF is used on the very old a lot also (much easier to use for those with Alzheimer's for example). You can ask for it but not a lot of US dentists have experience applying it or keep it in stock. Some dentists will adamantly refuse to apply it, probably because it reduces their profit since if it stops decay there is no filling needed, though it could also be because it can cause staining in unpredictable places (anywhere with decay, and the gums also) that takes months or years to disappear. In general it would seem the dental profession has no reason to welcome a cure for tooth decay and every reason to delay one. It would not put them them entirely out of business, but it certainly would reduce business. There have been some other interesting developments in dentistry: https://munewsarchives.missouri.edu/news-releases/2011/1220-%e2%80%9cpainless%e2%80%9d-plasma-brush-is-becoming-reality-in-dentistry-mu-engineers-say/ https://munewsarchives.missouri.edu/news-releases/2011/1220-... https://nanovabio.com/ https://nanovabio.com/ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104115106.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104115106.h... https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/upshot/surprisingly-little-evidence-for-the-usual-wisdom-about-teeth.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/upshot/surprisingly-littl... The sterilizing cold plasma torch is already being used in some surgeries I believe.