this post was submitted on 30 May 2024
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note: clickbait sources/headlines aren't liked generally. I've posted crap sources and later deleted or edit to improve after complaints. whoops, sry
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I have one that's gonna fall out soon.
This probably isn't going to be available to you then, though it is possible it paves the way for a tooth-replacement treatment. This article seems like bad science communication. The video, tweet, and website they link to all state that they're researching congenital conditions, the inquiry form linked to on the website explicitly states in English they're not considering people who lost their teeth later in life and specifically calls out articles like this one as misinformation.
Thanks for going deeper. Any chance you could answer why? Why is it's use limited?
It's not my area of expertise (oral cancer), but I can guess.
Some authors have proposed that in humans there may be a third set of tooth organs on which this drug could be used. This theory could explain why some people get supernumerary (extra) teeth--in most people these extra organs appear to regress but in some contexts maybe they don't. From what I can tell (again, not quite my expertise) there is not a scientific consensus on the presence or prevalence of this third set of teeth in humans or specifically human adults, which is why this treatment is primarily focused on those people whose teeth never formed--ostensibly their first or second set of tooth buds may still be present and just need to be triggered to develop.
Even if we assume that adult humans have a third set of tooth buds on which this drug could act (and that's questionable), giving the drug in IV form would probably just make all of the buds grow, which would be problematic. But that could be reasonable for a person for whom few or no teeth had grown.