For those of us who have ever lost a chomper, this breakthrough could herald a new era of bright, dazzling, fully-toothed smiles:

Researchers in Japan are currently working on a medication that would allow people to grow a new set of teeth, with a clinical trial slated for July 2024, the country's national daily news site, the Mainichi, recently reported.

"The idea of growing new teeth is every dentist's dream," Dr. Katsu Takahashi, a lead researcher and head of the dentistry and oral surgery department at the Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital, told the outlet.

You know, now that I think about it, I guess this is every dentist's dream. In addition to just being a neat medical development, the re-growing of teeth is actually a very sound business model for the dentistry industry. If people don't have teeth, after all, dentists don't have any work.

Researchers discovered that, in mice, there is a "particular gene that [affects] the growth of their teeth." When the gene's antibody is suppressed, it can "help stimulate tooth growth."

A "neutralizing antibody medicine" stimulated tooth growth in test mice and ferrets. Clinical trials in humans are set for July of 2024.