Researchers discover that experimental Alzheimer's drug causes teeth to regrow tissue lost to cavities

Probably you should have been an elephant – they can regenerate the dentin of their tusks.

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Well, I’d be surprised if they didn’t figure out what it did for boners

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I still have not seen that and it made Yoga Hosers a bit confusing…

Just waiting for the “male enhancement” industry to get on this already.

Restore that lost baculum!

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I should have been an elephant…practically am.

I’m listening…

What is that from?

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Kevin Smith’s Tusk

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Thank you. And at the same time i remember what it made me think of: Dinner at Deviant’s Palace.

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It makes sense that it would work on teeth. Teeth cells and brain cells both arise out of the ectoderm, the same branch of cells that makes hair. I wonder if it would to cure baldness. Though I’d rather have a good head of brains than a good head of hair.

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Now I am wondering who should direct the movie adaptation.

Given what it does, I would be astonished if it isn’t massively carcinogenic.

[EDIT: and I now see that the thread was already there…]

OTOH, given the intended use on dementia, it may not matter. If they can refine it to the point where it’s just going to give you cancer in twenty years, that’s good enough; most dementia patients would have died of something else by then, anyway. Worth the price if it’s an effective Alzheimers treatment.

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Anyone else remember that we have a cure for the carries disease? It was a bio-engineered version of the bacteria that whitens teeth instead of causing cavities, colonizes more aggressively than carries, and the waste product is peroxide which kills normal carries.

A few things to point out…
Dentists in North America will not likely be an obstacle to this, should it pan out. Who are the ones advocating for fluoride in water supplies more than anyone else? Dentistry is more committed to its own obsolescence that pretty much any other profession.
This article is thin and misleading. The pictures they show are on dogs. They don’t clarify whether any of the human trials had any changes (and I suspect that actually hasn’t been closely looked at given the focal nature of these kind of trials). We’re probably looking at 2 different studies, but sadly the reporter does not make this clear (one of the unfortunate side effects of the “sound byte” news reporting done in this day and age).
In general, dentistry has 3 diseases they deal with on a daily basis. Caries (decay), periodontal (gum) disease and occlusal disease (failing teeth due to a bad bite). Fixing cavities is not the big part of a dentist’s job, nor is it the most rewarding financially or in terms of professional satisfaction. This level of prevention/repair would certainly have to be professionally administered, and I suspect most dentists would approve if it works. What most people realize is that problems due to periodontal disease and even more so occlusal disease are by far and away the bigger expenses patients have to bear. Sadly, however, the profession is lagging in its recognition/understanding/treatment of occlusal disease (despite having some very good people talking about this for over 50 to 60 years) and it is the weak point in current dental education.
The “stem cell” thing regarding tooth repair is nonsense certainly with regards to decay. The cells that form the enamel are done and gone before the teeth erupt, and it’s not like you can drop stem cells anywhere that can effect repair.

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Lisa needs braces! Lisa needs braces!

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DENTAL PLAN!  

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Problem with sealants is occlusal cavities later on.

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