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vhodges
Did they mean route as in path to a solution? Or root as the source? Seems odd.
ben_w
Was thinking about oddities of language recently (happens a lot since moving to Germany), specifically how "toothpaste" isn't made from teeth and "tomato paste" isn't something you rub onto a tomato.

So anyway, should we be calling this "hairpaste for teeth", or "toothpaste from hair"?

bobajeff
>While fluoride toothpastes are currently used to slow this process, keratin-based treatments were found to stop it completely.

That's really great I hope to use this some day.

cluckindan
So, chewing on beetle exoskeletons would repair teeth enamel? Wonder if there is archaeological evidence of humans doing that. Edit: there seems to be plenty of evidence of eating insects but any dental association is probably incidental (pun not intended). Maybe we just haven’t been looking into the enamel for these structures.
orliesaurus
Funny that the first picture on the website is a bald man, I guess he hasn't tested it himself?
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NKosmatos
That’s very good news, but we’ll have to wait a little bit: >>> “keratin-based enamel regeneration could be made available to the public within the next two to three years.”
iaw
I recently started using a nano-hydroxyapatite based toothpaste. It can't restore enamel but does better at remineralization than fluoride, hopefully it will be a good intermediate for me until something regenerative is available.
meindnoch
This is also why people who bite their nails don't get cavities.
jmward01
I wonder if this will fall into 'supplement' territory for US approval in toothpaste. I can imagine there would be a lot of manufacturers throwing it in without testing to see if their formulation actually works or not.
AdamH12113
“Made from hair” is clickbait — the research is about keratin, a common structural protein.
ted_bunny
Chew your fingernails! Do the toes with your molars. My foot is usually in the neighborhood anyway.
buybackoff
The picture says "enamel-mimicking" and the text says "protective coating that mimics the structure and function of natural enamel", so it looks like a protective layer, not true repair. I've been using a paste with novamin lately, it also creates a protective layer and is also marketed as "repair". I like it and feel some heat when it contacts with teeth, so the chemical reaction must be working. But the marketing leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
amelius
> and feel some heat when it contacts with teeth, so the chemical reaction must be working

I dunno, but I also feel some heat when I chew on cinnamon.

latexr
I’ve been reading about how “X could repair tooth enamel” for years, including on HN. Nothing ever comes of it. I’ll believe it when something exists out of a laboratory and on the market.

> The treatment could be delivered through a toothpaste for daily use or as a professionally applied gel

Could. In other words, they haven’t even tested if a toothpaste is viable, yet the title is written as if this is a ready-made and proven product.

satellite2
Visibly there is already Sanogyl Complete Essential Care that includes some.

I wonder how they got the idea to put some in it

Hnrobert42
> The team ... believes [it] could be made available [in] the next two to three years.

Hey Siri, remind me in three years to look for keratin based toothpaste.

gautamcgoel
Any upcoming advances for gum disease?
bolangi
So, that explains the benefits of chewing on one's own locks.
hacker_88
Brushing my teeth with Head and Shoulders
panny
>Unlike bones and hair, enamel does not regenerate, once it is lost, it’s gone forever.

This simply isn't true. I've chipped two teeth at separate times. Both healed up over the years. I still have all my teeth, including wisdom teeth. No dental work in my lifetime.