9 replies to this topic

[manofsan]

Triggering a particular gene pathway in mice leads to teeth regeneration:

http://www.physorg.c...ws83345072.html

Is this pathway available in humans?

[halcyondays]

They have already come up with a way to regrow teeth in humans that should be commercial in two years. It works in rats already, and they have human tests going on right now I believe. The process uses ultrasonic pulses or something like that 20 minutes a day to stimulate blood flow. They had a bit writeup in the paper a few months back about it. i can't wait since I am personally missing a tooth, and have two others filed down for a permanent bridge. I would get them pulled and all three regrown in a heartbeat once this process becomes available.

[distinct]

Halcyon, do you have anything off of the 'net about this? What both of you say is very interesting...

[halcyondays]

http://www.breitbart...7.2422eofv.html

Snaggle-toothed hockey players and sugar lovers may soon rejoice as Canadian scientists said they have created the first device able to re-grow teeth and bones.

The researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton filed patents earlier this month in the United States for the tool based on low-intensity pulsed ultrasound technology after testing it on a dozen dental patients in Canada.

"Right now, we plan to use it to fix fractured or diseased teeth, as well as asymmetric jawbones, but it may also help hockey players or children who had their tooth knocked out," Jie Chen, an engineering professor and nano-circuit design expert, told AFP.

Chen helped create the tiny ultrasound machine that gently massages gums and stimulates tooth growth from the root once inserted into a person's mouth, mounted on braces or a removable plastic crown.

The wireless device, smaller than a pea, must be activated for 20 minutes each day for four months to stimulate growth, he said.

It can also stimulate jawbone growth to fix a person's crooked smile and may eventually allow people to grow taller by stimulating bone growth, Chen said.

Tarek El-Bialy, a new member of the university's dentistry faculty, first tested the low-intensity pulsed ultrasound treatment to repair dental tissue in rabbits in the late 1990s.

His research was published in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics and later presented at the World Federation of Orthodontics in Paris in September 2005.

With the help of Chen and Ying Tsui, another engineering professor, the initial massive handheld device was shrunk to fit inside a person's mouth.

It is still at the prototype stage, but the trio expects to commercialize it within two years, Chen said.

The bigger version has already received approvals from American and Canadian regulatory bodies, he noted.

[distinct]

Really interesting that they've figured out how to do that. Thanks for the link.

I wonder if they could stimulate facial bone growth enough to provide more appropriate jaw development in those lacking, thus providing more space to fix/alleviate crowded teeth.

[distinct]

On second thought, I don't see how that would work to the degree required.

[halcyondays]

IF it could increase bone growth to make people taller, then I don't see why it couldn't increase the jaw. Although I don't know if that would actually be worth it since it would change the way the person looks.

[manofsan]

I say that market demand is what determines evolution of products and services.

Curing somebody who suffers from Bubble Boy disease is a noble thing, but if you can cure something more common like obesity, baldness, shortness, tooth decay, etc, then you'll become a billionaire overnight, if not a trillionaire.

Right now, these hi-tech cures aimed at tooth and bone growth, etc have not yet reached the point of widespread application to the masses. But as soon as they reach a threshold of availability, then their use will take off. Just like that LASIK eye treatment for nearsightedness -- at first it was an exotic novelty, but now it's so commonplace that it actually has a better safety record than contact lenses.

[power.bulls.x]

well i susspect that my doctor is making fun of my teeth for money.
he wonts do bridge 4 of my teeth after killing then!
i am goging to see another doctor.
i already have 2 permanent bridge!

it will be very nice to have teeth to regrow!

[chubtoad]

Very interesting.
Now we need to inhibit wisdom teeth growth.