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[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 29 points 1 month ago

Lots of hopium in the article. The base treatment seems to be for 2-7 years old missing teeths.

I mean you can't just inject some stuff and have a random tooth grow out.

[-] TwinTusks@bitforged.space 7 points 1 month ago

I'm 36, so you telling me theres a chance I won't need dentures when I'm in my 70s?

[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

There's a crazy lot of stuff that will happen in the upcoming decades. IMO.

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Well, that's not actually the first thing they're testing:

Now, scientists will see just how similar, because humans will soon undergo a similar trial in September of this year. Lasting 11 months, this study will focus on 30 males between the ages of 30 and 64—each missing at least one tooth. The drug will be administered intravenously to prove its effectiveness and safety, and luckily, no side effects have been reported in previous animal studies.

I'm guessing the idea is to catch teeth that could have developed but never did (hey, I'm missing one that way). Otherwise I'm not sure how they'd control which type and how many show up.

Annoyingly there's no English language link, so it's hard to say. I'm not even clear on what they did with the ferrets.

Annoyingly there’s no English language link, so it’s hard to say. I’m not even clear on what they did with the ferrets.

Here you go! https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abf1798

A ferret got an extra tooth

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Ah, thanks!

So the meat of this is actually the mouse models, looks like. Strains of mice with genetically missing teeth got them back.

They basically just juiced normal ferrets to see what would happen, and they grew an extra incisor as you can see in the images posted. I'm guessing developing genetically toothless ferrets wasn't in the scope of their funding. You can get all kinds of weird lab mice "off the shelf", though.

[-] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

Based on the studies I've seen, that's exactly what the researchers are hoping for in the long run

[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Crazy if it works, but the whole biotech field is boiling right now so who knows?

[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

There is a lot of research and interesting things going on right now, from those latest vaccines that are amazing (and not only for vaccinating), CRISPR, longevity research etc etc etc.

It really feels like we went from "trying out 100.000 random things to see if we can somewhat cure something" to using a more direct approach like targeted interventions and designed drugs & molecules.

[-] witty_username@feddit.nl 28 points 1 month ago

Mark my words this is going to be used decoratively like a tattoo or a piercing

[-] MashedHobbits@lemy.lol 14 points 1 month ago

Two words, penile implant.

[-] RandomStickman@fedia.io 25 points 1 month ago
[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago

What a wonderful phrase!

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 month ago

That seems like overkill if you just want bumps.

[-] OwlPaste@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Waiting for someone to aiprompt what that would look like!

[-] Dorkyd68@lemmy.world 22 points 1 month ago

One question. How much? Unless its very very affordable i.e. cheaper than implants then it's just another dental resource I can't afford. In the US insurance companies will label this as cosmetic and thus only for the wealthy

Awesome science though, just hope some of the less fortunate can actually afford it

[-] Zachariah@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago
  • While bones can regrow themselves when they break, teeth aren’t so lucky, and that leads to millions of people worldwide suffering from some form of edentulism, a.k.a. toothlessness.
  • Now, Japanese researchers are moving a promising, tooth-regrowing medicine into human trials—the first patients will be receiving the drug intravenously in September of this year. 
  • If the trial is successful, the researchers hope the drug will become available for all forms of toothlessness sometime around 2030.
[-] EleventhHour@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Ok, so how does it work? Does it regrow a single tooth if it’s missing, or do you have to pull them all out, and it regrows the whole set?

[-] cynar@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

It's likely an injection into the jaw. We already have the pathways to grow new teeth, and where. It's what kicks out milk teeth. It's likely a case of triggering it.

Worst case, your old teeth fall out.

[-] EleventhHour@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

In the previous comment, the one I replied to, it says the drug is administered intravenously. I thought, like you did, it would be some sort of gel or cream or injection into an old tooth socket or something like that. However, it seems that the drug is administered intravenously and works systemically.

I find this all very fascinating

Yeah, so what if you're like me and you've had a tooth pulled and replaced with an implant? There's a titanium drywall anchor embedded in my skull with a fake tooth bolted to it. What happens if I take this drug? Does it push the bone graft out?

[-] EleventhHour@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Yeah, I’m in the same boat with a couple of teeth. I really wanna know what would happen in that case, lol.

Perhaps they would have to remove any dental implants before proceeding with the therapy.

[-] zante@lemmy.wtf 6 points 1 month ago

I can probably hold out but it’s going to be close .

[-] Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee 3 points 1 month ago

Do they have to be grown in the normal tooth places, or can I grow myself some teeth knuckle dusters?

[-] assassinatedbyCIA@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Next up, contagious teratomas

this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2024
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