I’ve been excitedly telling my doctors that this is possibly on the horizon. And I make sure to point out there’s a real pubmed article with an actual picture of a ferret in it that has a little extra tooth grown in. Most are surprised but excited when I talk about it.

It’s absolutely not pie in the sky like so many things seem, it literally worked on a mammal already.

This has already been a thing, but with one important twist: When sugar was first imported to Europe, only rich people could afford it, and as such, their teeth went rotten far more quickly than those of poor people.

Having black or rotten teeth was a status symbol for quite a while.

Yep. I lost a tooth to dropping a cell phone on my face while laying on the couch. The edge hit my lower teeth.

This is my thought, and why I really want to know what needs to still exist for this technology to be viable before I decide on if I want a molar pulled.

The article seems to imply the drug works on a dormant bud of a 3rd set of teeth that mammals have but which don’t normally develop into teeth…but I don’t know how accurate that is. Do you really need the original tissue with the bud, or is possible to encourage ordinary gum or bone cells at a location to turn into a bud that this technology then works on?

Definitely will have implications on how it’s best to go about with tooth extractions and implants for anyone hoping this tooth technology will mature within their lifetimes.

I’m young enough that it’s very possible with this research that my cohort will be the first group of seniors that never get dentures, but instead get new teeth grown. And my hope that it will become like Lasik was for eyes–commonplace enough that little tooth-regrowing clinics pop up everywhere. Like, I know it’s popular to think only the richest will be able to afford it…but a part of me suspects the sheer number of poor people who will clamor for this will mean they can make their profit in quantity rather than charging huge prices to rich people. Poor people are more likely to lose teeth, after all. There’s more of a demand for this technology among that demographic.

I mean, just think of what it was like for teeth to come in when you were a kid. Or wisdom teeth coming in.

I think we can deal with going through that process again. It’s not unfamiliar to anyone, after all, we all lived through it at least once or twice growing up.

It would be worth the wait, though! One thing (among others) that makes this sounds so great is that it wouldn’t put others out. If I was 90, and wanted the chance at some teeth, and survived another five years, what a great boost in quality of life without keeping a younger candidate on a list. Same as for that 10 year old I imagine, great confidence boost and probably improved of diet.