• @Fondots@lemmy.world
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    592 years ago

    Teeth have always kind of struck me as something we could eventually not just replace or regrow and make as good as new, but actually replace with something better.

    Teeth are, by their nature, subject to a lot of wear and tear, corrosive environments, have a lot of nooks and crannies that need to be cleaned regularly, etc.

    How fucking cool would it be to have some sort of cyborg teeth made of some material that won’t wear down, is more corrosion resistant, stronger than your natural teeth, etc? You could use your teeth as a bottle opener with impunity, or do everything else your parents always warned you not to do with your teeth.

    I’m certainly no doctor or material scientist to suggest what the ideal tooth replacement material would be, but imagine having some kind of titanium alloy super teeth that would never wear down, corrode, or get cavities no matter what kind of neglect or abuse you subject them to, and are purposely engineered for easier flossing, may e even more efficient biting and chewing. Sure, the Jaws look isn’t everyone’s aesthetic, but some of us might consider it a worthwhile trade-off.

    In the meantime though, this is damn cool if it pans out.

  • @JdW@lemmy.world
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    262 years ago

    Seeing as teething babies cry a lot, I wonder how painful this process will be.

    • @shalafi@lemmy.world
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      102 years ago

      That’s because their teeth are busting through their fleshy gums. Presumably this would be growing out an existing hole.

      Dare ya to search “baby teeth skull”.

    • kamen
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      92 years ago

      Have you had your wisdom teeth grow? I figure this would be the same. With mine it wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience, but it wasn’t too bad either - and if it’s the same with that new treatment, I’d be willing to take the pain over the alternative of staying toothless when I grow old.

      • @Starzil@lemm.ee
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        32 years ago

        Are you supposed to be able to feel wisdom teeth growing? Cause when I got mine there wasn’t any pain

        • kamen
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          22 years ago

          I guess that ideally you don’t feel anything at all, but I’ve heard from a few people that there was some itchiness and irritation, which mirrors my experience, so…

          • @Starzil@lemm.ee
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            12 years ago

            Fortunately didn’t get any of that. Just accidentally biting my inner cheeks with them as they grew.

    • @guacupado@lemmy.world
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      32 years ago

      Crying isn’t always about pain. Babies can’t talk and don’t have the capacity to realize what’s going on. A lot of their crying can simply be chalked up to the frustration of not being able to communicate, not necessarily from pain.

    • @Chriszz@lemmy.world
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      112 years ago

      Soon we’ll be farming volunteer humans for bone marrow stew. Sign up, have several bones removed—femur, tibia, you name it—and cracked open for that sweet juicy marrow. Then a steady supply of bone growing pills to start the process all over again.

  • @xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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    2 years ago

    That’s pretty awesome for some folks - my uncle had three sets of teeth, so the last set was extremely brittle. I’m curious if calcium supplements and this drug could provide an alternative to dentures.

      • Someology
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        2 years ago

        No, some people have a complete third set. Some people only have a partial third set, or even have third teeth in just a few positions within the mouth. A dentist who told me about this said it’s a little rare, but not super rare.

      • @xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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        82 years ago

        Yes, they came in in his thirties, which was like 40-50 years ago. It hasn’t happened to anyone else in the family thankfully, though he himself never had kids.

        • @neutral@lemmy.world
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          32 years ago

          I have a friend that recently showed me his third set of teeth coming in about a centimeter below where his regular teeth grew in.

          • @xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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            42 years ago

            If at all possible make sure your friend is talking to a dentist or orthodontist about that - they may need calcium supplements.

    • @Haziiieeeeeee@lemmy.world
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      72 years ago

      Only if you’re American and can pay 15k, the rest of us will wait 5 years… Have our appointment cancelled wait 4 more and by the time we’re assessed they will tell us we waited to long and there is nothing they can do for us.

      It took them 6 years to take my gallbladder out even with it causing horrid pain… I mean covid did happen in the middle but still diagnosed 2016 and surgery is 2021 is kind of fucked by any standards.

      • @Aceticon@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        As far as I know, no national health systems cover cosmetic dental work.

        Certainly both in the UK and in Portugal I always had to pay for it from my own pocket.

        Mind you, neither of those countries has anywhere near US prices even for private healthcare.

  • aeternum
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    162 years ago

    This is for congenital lack of teeth. not for people who have had their teeth removed.

    • @ClockworkOtter@lemmy.world
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      142 years ago

      That appears to be the current goal, but it still looks like the phase-1 will be on healthy adults which is pretty creepy to imagine!

      • @JareeZy@feddit.de
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        2 years ago

        Not really. The research papers mention an interaction between an antibody and a gene that controls tooth growth in both humans and mice. If that gene is supressed, there is no tooth growth.

        However, every tooth you can ever grow, or at least the embryonal tissue for it, is already present at birth. There is no way to get more, and activating this gene would not give you additional tissue to develop into new teeth.

  • @Cihta@lemmy.world
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    152 years ago

    I could be crazy but I swear I’ve heard this a number of times before. It always seemed wonderful as my teeth tend to self-destruct. But nothing ever seems to come from it.

    It would be nice if we just naturally grew a new set every 10 years or so but people with strong teeth would be quite annoyed at that especially if they had to do alignment.

    • Queen HawlSera
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      72 years ago

      Honestly I was hoping crispr would take off more than it actually did come because I’d love to splice myself with the jeans of a shark and just get better teeth every time I lose a tooth

      • @Patches@sh.itjust.works
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        92 years ago

        I am scared if it ever takes off - it will only exist for the rich.

        We will soon have a world of CRISPR enhanced humans, and well… me.

      • @Cihta@lemmy.world
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        32 years ago

        That would be amazing… imagine face planting from a stupid stunt and being like no biggie they’ll grow back. Works for kids and we already know from admittedly gross tumors the human body can grow hair and teeth. Just have to get them in the right place.

        Also agree with the other comment to your post… crispr will likely be for the rich. Hell, it probably already is. A cynical view but i don’t sit at that table so who knows.

    • @Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world
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      32 years ago

      My wifes nieces and nephew all had something (DNA? stem cells? Not sure, cant remember) taken by someone in the family who is working on this science to regrow teeth. He doesn’t seem to think its too far off last time i spoke to him.

      • @Cihta@lemmy.world
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        22 years ago

        I didn’t mean to imply it wasn’t possible. I have a relative that works for ITER. And similarly it’s possible but not in my lifetime i imagine.

        It might seem silly to relate the 2 but it’s just a feeling… major applicable innovation seems lacking.

        Also waiting on sodium-ion or glass batteries as well.

  • @Vlixz@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    This is absolutely amazing! I have oligodontia myself and just the thought of being able to actually get those teeth back is pretty cool! I already have 3 implants - still have 8 more to go - but placing them HURTS… would be pretty interesting to see how far they’re in a couple of years.

  • Captain Aggravated
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    132 years ago

    Okay. I had a broken tooth removed and replaced with a titanium implant. What would happen to me if I took this drug?