Why do teeth don't regenerate?
Why do teeth don't regenerate?
Seems pretty dumb in our biological design to not be able to regenerate such a functional (and also easily breakable) part of our body.
You're viewing a single thread.
Your baby teeth and adult teeth all began developing before you were even born. Our DNA still contains all the genes that sharks use to grow their endless conveyor belt of replacement teeth, but in humans these genes are deactivated by the 20th week of foetal development.
The advantages of keeping the same teeth through adulthood is that they can be securely anchored in the jawbone, which allows us to chew tough plants and grains.
https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/why-cant-we-regrow-teeth
though a drug is being developed that could allow us to regenerate teeth
You’re saying we could reactivate the gene and get infinite teeth?? 🫨
Possible, but it may come with downsides you don't like.
Let me guess, the downside is infinite teeth.
The downside could be something that nobody has imagined yet. That is the problem with change. I'm not against this, but I demand reasonable study. (but not unreasonable levels - vaccines and GMO have been studied enough to conclude they are generally safe despite people yelling more study needed)
Teething 3.0.
Imagine teeth grew like our nails and had to be clipped regularly
Stop
I hate that, please stop
Rodents then?
Subscription based teeth?
worse, you have to pay to stop them from growing
Isn’t this the Street Sharks origin story?
Are those the snapping guys in West Side Story?
Nah, these guys
Side effects may include dry mouth, diarrhea, attacking swimmers at the beach. Do not take Teethenall if you are allergic to shellfish.
attacking swimmers at the beach
That I could live with.
Vagina teeth? That's my fetish.
That sorta makes it sound like a nightmare
I could be wrong, but I don't think that's how the drugs in development work. They cause the existing teeth to produce more enamel or something.
you are wrong. all their tests are on subjects missing teeth, not with reduced enamel. this is literally growing replacement teeth.
I stand corrected. Thanks!
I was thinking of this:
https://dental.washington.edu/trials-begin-on-lozenge-that-rebuilds-tooth-enamel/
But your link is far more exciting.
Hopefully that's what it ends up being, as the idea of growing new teeth has been around in science and media for a long time.
The latest work I've seen reactivates the genes to start growing any existing teeth that had stopped. It's for early development problems in children, not for adults. But of course the media seized on the "regrow teeth" part and ran with it. Unless there's a way to implant new teeth seeds and then get them going, adults are still out of luck.
The trial, which will take place at Kyoto University Hospital from September to August 2025, will treat 30 males aged 30-64 who are missing at least one molar.
Teeth cannot produce enamel. Enamel is not a living tissue and it was produced by cells outside of the tooth in a coral-like manner. In order to grow a new tooth, you need it to be fully surrounded by specialized living tissue for the whole growth cycle.
PS: I honestly expected something like this to come out of bioelectric computation research, but progress seems slower there. Or rather knowledge and techniques in other fields is reaching critical mass, giving us these advances.
Maybe "produce" isn't the right word, but I was thinking of these lozenges that made headlines a few years ago.
though a drug is being developed that could allow us to regenerate teeth
I think the last time I was this excited about medical science was the COVID vaccine. How I would love to replace my root canal crowns with real teeth!