Tooth Regeneration Coming Soon 289
Ponca City, We love you writes "For thousands of years, losing teeth has been a routine part of human aging. Now the Washington Post reports that researchers are close to growing important parts of teeth from stem cells, including creating a living root from scratch, perhaps within one year. According to Pamela Robey of the NIH. 'Dentists say, "Give me a root and I can put a crown on it."' In a few years dentists will treat periodontal disease with regeneration by using stem cells to create hard and soft tissue; they will take out a tooth that is about to fall, and reconnect it firmly to the regenerated tissue. Although nobody is predicting when it will be possible to grow teeth on demand, in adults, to replace missing ones, a common guess is five to ten years. Baby and wisdom teeth are sources of stem cells that could be 'banked' for future health needs, says Robey. 'When you think about it, the teeth children put under their pillows may end up being worth much more than the tooth fairy's going rate. Plus, if you still have your wisdom teeth, it's nice to know you're walking around with your own source of stem cells.'"
Well, now that just SUCKS. (Score:5, Interesting)
Plus, if you still have your wisdom teeth
I don't have them ... my dentist finally convinced me to have them removed a couple years ago.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Dental genetics (Score:5, Interesting)
One thing that's often ignored is that some people have naturally "harder" teeth than others. I, unfortunately, am "blessed" with the softer variety. I put out the effort: brush vigorously, regularly, flossing daily, etc. and my teeth are just horrible, and probably a third are basically just plastic. I am one of my Dentist's best customers.
My wife, on the other hand, simply doesn't have to spend nearly as much effort on her teeth. She brushes and all, but she has gorgeous teeth and puts in only modest effort. I see the same in our children. Some have her teeth, put out little effort and consistently have nice, white teeth and no cavities, while others have mine, and brush regularly only to have cavities every single visit.
Finally, I can grow new teeth!?!? Oh wait, they'll be *MY* teeth? With *MY* crappy-ass tooth genes?
(to my wife) Eh, babe? (Ahem) Mind if I have one of your wisdom teeth?
Re:Hm. Great (Score:5, Interesting)
On the flipside, many of my teeth required some sort of work done on them after a course of treatment by a dubious orthodontist when I was a kid. Since then, even though dentists have always told me I have generally good oral hygiene, it seems like I have to get some filling or something replaced every few months, which is expensive and occasionally painful. I would give a lot to have real, intact teeth again, and articles like this give me some hope that one day it might even be possible. (I hear you on the root surgery thing, though: been there, done that too.)
Re:Well, now that just SUCKS. (Score:5, Interesting)
If you can pull stem cells out of a wisdom tooth I don't see why you couldn't pull them out of any tooth you wanted. Sacrifice a back molar then regrow it, along with any other teeth you need replaced.
Re:Hm. Great (Score:3, Interesting)
Instead of painful root canals you'd just yank the tooth and grow another in it's place.
Re:A quarter? (Score:3, Interesting)
I got a dime. Kids.
Re:Dental genetics (Score:4, Interesting)
Don't brush too vigorously: you'll end up with with completely different problem of receding gums. If you don't have a really good electric toothbrush, get one. I use an Oral-B Triumph. I was totally amazed at how much I liked it. I thought it would just be a gimmick, but it's not. It's the best investment I've ever made into a gadget.
I also find 30 seconds of Listerine after brushing helps a lot, too.
Another thing I use daily is Johnson and Johnson Stim-U-Dent sticks. They take a little getting used to, but I really like them.
Re:I have a friend who grew a tooth. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Well, now that just SUCKS. (Score:3, Interesting)
How/why did your dentist convince you to get them removed? Were they bothering you? Did you have other problems that they thought might be related? Has there been an improvement in your life?
I've been bothered by migraine and cluster headaches, and neck and back tension for a long time. However, they started when I was 13, about five years before my wisdom teeth came in.
It's about time (Score:5, Interesting)
One thing that has always puzzled me is that despite all the advances in technology, getting a crown is still VERY expensive. There has been no appreciable reduction in cost due to better manufacturing techniques, or better/cheaper materials. Compare this to say, lasik - when it was first introduced it cost about 4K per eye I think. Now it's a few hundred.
Re:Well, now that just SUCKS. (Score:4, Interesting)
A friend of mine had his removed because he was having headaches. Since I was also having headaches, I asked a doctor and his reply:
No, that probably will not fix your head or jaw aches.
He still recommended that I have them removed for other reasons, including the fact that the longer you wait, the more dangerous it is. There's always a chance that removal will tear a nerve in your cheek giving you a permanently numb cheek, among other dangers.
As always, I am -not- a doctor. You should only take medical advice from a doctor.
With this research, I'm wondering if I should have waited, though. The advice above about getting the stem cells from another back tooth is a good idea, though. Even if they (for some reason) couldn't regrow that back tooth, I'd gladly trade a back one for a front one.
Re:I have a friend who grew a tooth. (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm not a dentist, but I have seen a child's skull with the mandible dissected at a museum. You can see a whole lot of adult teeth lined up under the baby ones.
I was looking for a picture of this on the net, but couldn't find one quickly on google images. But take a look at this picture Baby teeth [allrefer.com] and the x-ray on this dental site. [dentalcarekids.com]
So I'd guess the wisdoms are just waiting under the baby teeth to pop up. Just a little longer than the others.
Question: Can I regrow custom-designed teeth? (Score:4, Interesting)
The question is, can I regrow custom-designed teeth? What if I don't like my teeth in the first place? I don't want to regrow the same set of teeth again.
I was born with a severe lack of calcium. By the age of 3, I still didn't have any tooth. Not that it didn't grow, but the teeth were just like powder. When I ate, the teeth that just appeared in the morning were smashed by any food and swallowed along.
After taking a lot of calcium supplement (still do on a daily basis), eventually, they grew. the shape are fine, but they are grey. They are weak, cavities and rotten root canal are nasty problems. And that causes all kinds of gum problems, even with daily Listerine or salty water mouth wash.
Since high school, I always have to work extra to make that extra 5000 to 6000 more than others, every year, to take care of the teeth. Not to mention that it had been an obstacle to self-confidence for so many years.
Now, if can regrow my teeth, I certainly don't want to regrow the same set. Can I custom-design mine?
Re:Hm. Great (Score:2, Interesting)
Over here root canals are covered by the insurance and I don't think there was a waiting period at all when I got mine.
How to store teeth today? (Score:4, Interesting)
As someone who has smaller children in his extended family, I am wondering if there are any house-hold-compatible ways to save cells on teeth. Or should I just forget the whole thing?
Re:I have a friend who grew a tooth. (Score:4, Interesting)
I had three full sets of teeth too. I got hit in the face by my little sister when I was ~16 (don't ask), and the front teeth came right out. I could feel and see the nubs of the new teeth coming in right beneath them, and the teeth that came out were clearly not adult teeth though they weren't exactly like baby teeth either. Ultimately I lost all my teeth that year. Oddly, when I was ~24 my canines got loose and came out, with a new set below them, so 4 sets of canines. X-Rays confirm I'm on my adult teeth now, which sucks. I liked having spares.
A few of my brothers and sisters had 3 sets of canines, but I was the only one with three complete sets out of 9 kids. I asked around my extended family, and on my mother's side heard of a few more people who had had three sets, so apparently there is some genetic basis for it.