
Tooth Regeneration May Replace Drill-and-Fill - rms
http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2008/04/tooth_regeneration
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giardini
The dentists will decide.

Technologies such as this one, that that do not threaten dentists' incomes,
may succeed. But any technologies that threaten dentists' incomes, such as
vaccines for tooth decay, inevitably fail.

Tooth decay vaccines have been under development since at least 1970. To the
best of my knowledge none have come to market in the U.S. although the FDA
approved human tests in 1983 and IIRC some have been introduced in Europe,
esp. England.

We are promised a caries vaccine "real soon now". That is to say we are in the
same situation we were 30 years ago: no tooth decay vaccine but plenty of
promises. Isn't (dental) science wonderful!

The ADA recently refused to allow more graduates from dental schools despite
the burgeoning demand for dentistry services. This guarantees that dental fees
will rise rapidly in the next few years.

Yet another medical field that must be deregulated, dismantled and
restructured.

~~~
jamesbritt
"Technologies such as this one, that that do not threaten dentists' incomes,
may succeed. But any technologies that threaten dentists' incomes, such as
vaccines for tooth decay, inevitably fail."

Possible future: One or more developing nation, way short on all health care
options, and more so on dentists, will bypass patent law and start using the
vaccine.

There will be outrage, of course, from some nations, but not enough to stop
it.

Before too long it will be clear that the vaccine works, and some modern
nations will employ it (Canada, perhaps, or Sweden). Eventually everyone will
get to use it because the benefits are too damn obvious to fight.

Dentists will learn PHP to survive. :)

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ericb
I'm disappointed by progress in the dental field. I have a feeling in 80
years, people will look at present-day dentistry with particular horror. You
could say this about modern day surgery in general, but there's a special
horror in "You were awake while they drilled into your teeth?"

