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'Tooth Repair Drug' May Replace Fillings (bbc.com)
Teeth can be encouraged to repair themselves in a way that could see an end to fillings, according to scientists. From a report on BBC: The team at King's College London showed that a chemical could encourage cells in the dental pulp to heal small holes in mice teeth. A biodegradable sponge was soaked in the drug and then put inside the cavity. The study, published in Scientific Reports, showed it led to "complete, effective natural repair." Teeth have limited regenerative abilities. They can produce a thin band of dentine -- the layer just below the enamel -- if the inner dental pulp becomes exposed, but this cannot repair a large cavity. [...] Scientists discovered that a drug called Tideglusib heightened the activity of stem cells in the dental pulp so they could repair 0.13mm holes in the teeth of mice. A drug-soaked sponge was placed in the hole and then a protective coating was applied over the top. As the sponge broke down it was replaced by dentine, healing the tooth.
Punch line still coming?
...development, namely food additives that could actually help heal your teeth or at least as an micro-repair that's not damaging to the body, but will fill up microcavities over time.
What this world is coming to - is for you and me to decide.
Unless they can charge more than they do for fillings (or at least make more profit), I don't see this taking off in the US.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
There are two interesting statements in the article that makes me hope this isn't vaporware.
Prof Sharpe said a new treatment could be available soon: "I don't think it's massively long term, it's quite low-hanging fruit in regenerative medicine and hopeful in a three-to-five year period this would be commercially available."
and
However, the drug has already been trialled in patients as a potential dementia therapy.
"The safety work has been done and at much higher concentrations so hopefully we're on to a winner," said Prof Sharpe.
No, they'll figure out how to monetize it.
There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
Is probably the only field of medicine that hasn't changed substantially in the past 100 years.
You obviously need new glasses if you can't see another candidate.
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
Or this could go the path of NovaMin and never be approved by the FDA in the United states. It would not b in the interest of BIG DENTAL.
"A 'person' is smart. 'People' are dumb, panicky animals and you know that."
That's easy, and works the same for regrowing teeth. At the moment looking after your teeth is important, you only get one set of adult teeth after all.
The moment that you can replace and repair teeth, the incentive to look after your teeth drops away drastically. Knackered your teeth no problem just grown a new set.
Who exactly will be removing old teeth, implanting the seeds of new teeth and doing all the repair stuff. You guessed it dentists, though they will require some retraining in the new techniques, but as an IT professional no sympathy there. They will in fact be busier than ever.
The group that are going to have find new jobs are all the people involved in dental prosthetic's. Nobody is going to have false teeth for example when you can just grow new ones. Even things like crowns, inlays and onlays will go the way of the dodo, just remove the tooth and grow a new one.
So the future is bright for dentists, remarkably less so for those involved in the production of dental prosthetic's and associated industries.
Try 'fuck' :)
"Trump!!", the new Godwin.
Don't worry, the average hole (caries) is much bigger than 0.14 mm when found.
"Trump!!", the new Godwin.
TIL Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis is a thing.
I bet some people would give their eye-teeth for a tooth eye.
Geeze Louise, The Bard was right when he wrote "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. "
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Umm this would be really profitable for dentists for two teasons:
1. It doesn't prevent cavities. A steady stream of customers is guaranteed.
2. It involves installing a micro-sponge. Did you think they would do it for free?
Do you know what fluoridation is? It's an insidious communist plot to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids. Fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face.
If they can do more of this, quicker: then it can take off.
If they can do it with less overhead but charge relatively the same (or a bit less): then it can take off
"Tideglusib"
I'm pretty sure I got an offer to buy WoW Gold ingame from someone with that name last night.
-Styopa
I'll choose the regrowing treatment because my mouth already looks like swiss cheese in the x-rays. I expect they'll drill out the damaged enamel and then replace it with the regrowing sponge, then cap it off with something much like they already use. I doubt it will be cheap, but if I'd been using that for the last twenty years, I'd probably still have all my teeth.
B) Eliminate all the stupid users. This is frowned upon by society.
Easy peasy, make up the difference removing teeth from the poor unfortunates that experience hyperdontia as a result of this treatment.
nb - do not GIS that if you want to sleep tonight
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
This in turn led to a deluge of ill-informed anti-science...
Oh, hang on, I think there is a whoosh going over my head.
Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
And now the whoosh is a guy riding a nuke down to it's target.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
If it costs more and a dentist tries to use only the new fillings so he can make more profit, patients will simply go to a different cheaper dentist who uses the old fillings.
If it costs less and a dentist tries to use only the old fillings so he can preserve his profit, people will simply go to a different cheaper dentist who uses the new fillings.
Either way, the dentist who tries to take the route with larger profit margin will lose customers and probably go broke. And people will be able to get fillings for cheaper. That's how competition works in the free market. The only way a dentist would be able to thwart this is if he (or his dental group) did like 80%+ of the fillings in the country.
I don't think you deserved to be down modded. I've also taken a similar approach in the past. Eat sardines, get lots of sun, eat no starches or drink anything sweet and not brushing and even very severe tooth aches tend to go away in a week or so.
Anecdotal of course but I do think there must be something to be said for saturating the teeth with lots of minerals and having tons of vitamin d available.
Why is the parent moderated flamebait?
Do you mods realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, children's ice cream.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Wahoo! *waves cowboy hat*
Not all cavities are 0.13mm or smaller. I'm not a dentist, but aren't most cavities larger than that?
Slashdot: Playing Favorites Since 1997
Have you seen British teeth in recent decades? Theirs are nicer than those of us who live in the US, now.
Maybe nicer, but only if can pay out of pocket, or you can find an NHS dentist...
Brexit may exasperate this probably as many dentist in the UK come from EU countries...
On the flip side, Brexit will bring a need for more dentists.
I think dentistry is a fine profession, something that is unlikely to be replaced by AI any time soon. Having a high-paying vocation that students can strive for seems like it would be a win for any Brits who have children.
Your view of Brexit, that all the dentists would flee the UK leaving no one to care for peoples' teeth, seems a bit unrealistic.
Sugars because they are bad for our teeth, and starches because they are converted to sugars by amylase https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amylase.
FRA: STFU GTFO
Speaking as someone with an onlay, I would go with a new tooth in a flash. Inlays/onlays dont last forwever each time they come off you loose a bit more real tooth, and eventually you will loose the tooth. New tooth every single time.
I've also heard that salt might be iodized, and that milk might be pasteurized . Goiter and food poisoning were good enough for my grandparents, so many thanks for you Portlandians for bringing these back. Kids today are soft, I tell you, soft!
The group that are going to have find new jobs are all the people involved in dental prosthetic's. Nobody is going to have false teeth for example when you can just grow new ones. Even things like crowns, inlays and onlays will go the way of the dodo, just remove the tooth and grow a new one.
So the future is bright for dentists, remarkably less so for those involved in the production of dental prosthetic's and associated industries.
I've been hearing that for 30 years now and I'm still making dentures, now the crown and bridge guys are getting their asses handed to them by CAM. Of course there is not enough money in our end to lure in any fresh meat and schools are closing left and right. Our state has only 15 seats in school, so when I retire, you people better keep your teeth.
Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
Do you know what fluoridation is? It's an insidious communist plot to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids. Fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face.
That is why I only drink distilled water and pure grain alcohol!
Except that drinking overly pure water can cause its own set of health issues. The dissolved minerals (and their associated ions) in most drinking water important elements of a healthy diet. Thanks to osmosis, super pure water will strip the minerals out of your bones and cell membranes. You WANT some magnesium, calcium and potassium in the water you drink
A severe toothache usually means the pulp is infected and dying. The nerves in there are dying also, and when the nerve is dead - a miracle! - no more pain. If you're reasonably healthy generally, the infected area might not expand further, until you are fairly old and your immune system weakens. Then the rot may progress into your jaw.
Severe toothache usually means permanent damage is being done. Don't ignore it; don't pretend that when it goes away everything is good again.
Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
We must maintain our purity of essence and preserve our precious bodily fluids!
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
whoosh (was below your head)
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
just like in the 16th century when Europe ruled the world.
As the poster guy said, the whoosh guy is riding to earth on the back of a nuke, waving his cowboy hat.
SJW n. One who posts facts.