Humans drew the short end of the toothbrush when it comes to
our pearly whites’ longevity. Other animals such as reptiles and fish
frequently lose and replace their teeth by growing new ones, but people are
stuck with the same set of mature adult teeth their entire lives. If they lose
a tooth–or all 32–dentures are usually the only option.
Oddly enough, alligators’ deadly chomps may hold a clue for
how scientists could coax humans into regrowing teeth. These reptiles belong to
the order Crocodilia, who, with their famous cheerful grins, caused songwriters
to warn that you should never smile at a crocodile. To the bane of Captain Hook
and other victims of gator and croc attacks, the large reptiles often regrow
their razor teeth multiple times. Researchers think that, given time,
technology may advance so that we can borrow these reptilian smiles. But first,
scientists need to understand just how these animals keep their smiles toothy.