Hair Today, Teeth Tomorrow: Keratin’s Surprising Smile-Repair Superpower!

Gladness?

Reggie, now, not basketball tournament stuff. March Gladness tournament stuff.

“Yeah, exactly. March Gladness is where I think of all the things that made me the Gladness”

this month, and then I put him head to head and a tournament style bracket. Oh, so you do know what I'm talking about. Well, then as you know, the winner of my much Gladness tournament was my new haircut. Do you love it? What do you mean? Don't worry, it'll grow back. Whatever, Wowsers fans, you too can fill out your very own March Gladness bracket by going to ticacast.com/march. There, you can print your very own free March Gladness

bracket, then fill it out to see what made you the Gladness this month. Put your favorite things head to head in a tournament of Gladness. One more time, that's tinkercast.com/march. Hit now, let's get on with the show. And then I said, this is the last time I share my hotdog with the Red Coat.

“Yeah, but at the same time, Red Coants are so cute that they, um, they is that dentist?”

No, not dentist, damn it's over there on his roller blades. Oh, that feeling. I didn't know he was a dentist. I should have taken a look at my jobbers. There's this look like a cavity to you are just a normal tooth hole. Last nasty. Dennis, come over here. We're just hanging out in front of my gingerbread mansion.

Come in. Hey, everyone. Oh, hey Tommy. Is that a new cavity? I knew it was a cavity. Also, thank you for noticing, fella. Close your mouth, bang your line. I did a fool. Where you coming from? Well, I could tell you. Yeah. But I'd rather take off my helmet and let you see for yourselves. Huh? Check this up. Ta-da! Oh, wow. Yeah, it's a very cute glare. Hello, we're on.

What do you think of my new haircut? Do I look like a little prince? A little prince? Yeah, I'll hand some. Like a little prince from a storebook. Now it certainly looks like something, all right? Oh, your hair is shaped like your helmet. I know. Is it silk? Oh, well, surround. Yeah, it sure is cool, Dennis. Check it out. Not only is it shaped like a helmet.

My stylist put a bunch of hair gel in it, so it's also hard like a helmet. Oh, can I see? Uh-huh.

“Oh, yeah. That's CPSC, sir, to find that's what that is. Sir, to find a bluest range.”

Oh, that's the name of the salon. Sir, to finally strange.

Well, I think it looks very nice, Dennis. Even if it is shaped like your roller blading helmet. Thanks, Mindy. Let's just say my hair stylist understood the assignment. Shaw, where'd you do with all the hairs you cut off? Oh, I just left them there on the floor. They're probably in a dumpster by now. Oh, sh*tkin slippers, not the dumb. Oh, what? That's what I do with all my hair clippings.

And my toenail clippings. [screaming] No, do that. You got to put the clippings under your pillow for the hair fairy. Hair clippings? Yeah. And toenail clippings too. And scams. No, that's the scab, Jenny. The hairy fairy and the toenail goblin are only in the business of hairs and toenails.

Oh, right. I'm sorry, hairy fairy.

toenail goblin? I've never heard of these.

Yeah, me neither. Me three. Can you believe this fingering? They never heard of the hairy fairy or the toenail goblin?

When you get a haircut, you take the clippings and you pull them under your pillow.

How nice? There we go.

“And the hairy fairy breaks into your house.”

And the hairy fairy's here. And he squeezes his way through a tiny kick hole. And then he curpes into your bedroom. Your busy sleeping and so on longs. The hairy fairy wants to go to find her under your pillow.

Many steals all your hair out from under your pillow. Oh, yeah, so much hair. But never off your hand. Yep, swipes it right there from under the pillow. Well, you're sleeping.

Yeah, this is all my hair now. You weren't even notice there.

Except for the fact that if your hair clippens are nice and strong,

he'll leave you a special treat. Black and young. What? Us boys. But if your hair is all weak and damaged and full-split ends,

he'll leave you a boy or thing. A boygled egg.

“Oh, why? I don't know. Why don't you ask all this thinking eggs under my pillow?”

You've been leaving the eggs under your pillow? Isn't it like kind of-- That is very lumpy. And what does the hairy fairy do with all the hair clippings he steals? Well, really, watch the hair up into a little ball.

And shove some in his mouth and use his own to scrub his teeth. The hairy fairy scrubs his teeth with hair from those who believe in the hairy fairy. You ever scrub your teeth with a ball of hair garage? What? No! Wait a minute. This is all starting to make sense.

It is? It is. Say more. Well, I just read this fascinating new scientific study on how hair could be the future of dental care.

Well, wrote me up and call me doggy. I'll note it. The hairy fairy is onto something this whole time. No, really. I just read about it in the journal Advanced Health Care Materials.

A scientific study on how the hair on our heads can help the teeth in our mouths. Sponkerballs, I know. Yeah. See, researchers from King's College in London discovered that the stuff that makes up our hair in our fingernails could one day be used to fix our teeth.

Really? What kind of stuff makes up my hair? Dandruff? No. The stuff inside your hair. Ah, keratin.

Yes. Exactly, gyros. I knew there was a keratin, my hair. Probably won't taste so good. Yeah. Not keratin. With the K. It's a protein, basically the building blocks of hair and nails

and even skin. Someone better tell the toenail goblin and scab genie about this. Anywho, the scientist discovered that this keratin that makes up our hair can also help to repair the enamel on our teeth. I do not know who that is.

No tooth enamel. It's that super hard shield on the outside of our teeth. Yeah, and it's the hardest material in our bodies. And we have it on our teeth to protect them. And while it may be a super hard protective shield for our teeth, it can still be damaged. Yeah, things like drinking too much soda, needing too much candy and grinding our teeth

and night while we sleep, these things can all wear our enamel down over time.

And once that protective enamel is gone, it can never grow back.

And that is bad news for teeth.

“Oh, hey, that's what happened to your teeth, D. Force.”

You know, I don't think I've ever seen G. Force's teeth. Oh, that's because she doesn't smile. Yeah. D. Force, say cheese. Show me the hell of corn cop smile.

Hey. My teeth are just corn now. You really do need to see a dentist. Are maybe eat a bag of hair? Oh, that's a good idea.

I don't think that eating hair is the solution that these scientists found. Yeah, definitely not. Well, what did they find, Mindy? Well, what the scientists discovered was that on the teeth, when Karatine, that protein found in hair mixes with the minerals in our saliva or spit,

it begins to form this protective crystal coating. And this coating keeps pulling in other good stuff like calcium, to help it to continue to grow stronger and harder.

The patching up the weak spots and stopping cavities before they start.

“Yes, and not only that, but when these researchers tested it in their labs,”

they discovered that this crystal keratin coating was five to six times stronger than the plastic resin coating that dentists use now. So strong. Like my hair helmet. Yeah, it's definitely not strong enough to protect your whole head,

but eventually, when it's added to things like toothpaste or mouthwash, or a tooth shield gel polish, it could be strong enough to protect our teeth. Or a mouthcard. You're what? Her corns.

G-force wants to know if milk and hair for their carriages can make a shield for her little cork out mouth. Yeah, again, you really need to see a dentist about that. What ever? Mindy.

Yes, Dennis? I have a question. Okay, let's hear it. Mother says that if I get fluoride at the dentist and also brush my teeth with fluoride, I'll keep my teeth nice and strong.

Well, it's true that fluoride does help to strengthen and protect your tooth and amel, but it can't completely prevent it from wearing down over time. So, Mindy, you're saying that this keratin can help to stop damage toward tooth and amel, and prevent cavities or holes in our teeth once and for all?

“Well, that's what the findings in this study suggest.”

And what's even more, wow, is that instead of using plastic or chemicals on our teeth, like dentists have to do now, they'll soon be able to use a material found on our own heads. Well, hair toothpaste. Yeah, I like that. Well, brushing your teeth with hair is good enough for the hair fairy.

I say it's good enough for old fingering. Alrighty, brush my teeth with my hair brush. Oh, why? No, no, no, these scientists are not suggesting that they plan to put real human hair directly in our toothpaste?

Oh, well, what about if they put raw hair clippings in the mouthwash? Yeah, I mean, how do scientists plan to get keratin from hair to tooth paste, Mindy?

Well, the process itself is pretty complicated, but basically the plan is to use special chemical

and heat treatments to break down hair and release the keratin proteins. Ah, and then I assume they'll purify it by cleaning and filtering it. Exactly. And then they'll refine the keratin protein into a safe, usable powder gel. Oh, okay.

And then that keratin powder gel can be added as an ingredient to tooth paste or mouthwash or an enamel sealer for dentists to use. So, no clumps of other people's hair in my mouth? No clumps of hair. Just the secret ingredient found in hair.

Right. So, Mindy, how soon could we start seeing this keratin infused tooth paste? Well, optimistically, it could be as little as two to three years if all goes well when they test it for safety and taste and know for sure that it works. But realistically, realistically, probably five to ten years before we see actual keratin

tooth paste on the shelves and stores. What now? What is happening? Looks like Granny G put Tommy's head in a juicer to squeeze out the keratin out of his hair. Did you listen to anything Mindy just said?

Good thing you had your pocket juicer, G first.

You're getting anything out yet? No.

“I'll maybe you have to cut the hair open to get the magical teeth kerins out.”

I get it keratin. And it's not magic. It's science. Well, tell me the hair you've learned. Oops.

Two horses. One reason too hard. Well, in the world, we'll be right back. Growingups. This message is for you.

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Visit IXL.com/wow to get the most effective learning program out there. At the best price. That's it. Back to the show. Hi, thanks for calling while in the world.

After the beep, get ready to record. Hi, my name is Josie, and I'm from Chicago, and I'm 8 years old. And my role in the world is that there's more insects than animals and people combined. Bye! Hi, my name is Sage.

And I'm a player. A new one is in the old growing California. Or while in the world is that monkeys can go bald at old age. Five million dollars.

And my role in the world is that popular food is called "Coffre-Lite."

“Again, popular food is called "Coffre-Lite."”

Thank you. Bye! Hi, my name is Chuck. I am 60 years old, and I live in New York. My back is the moon, actually.

You're going to perfect suit. It's more shaped like a lot of it. This is because the gravity of the earth is pulling the moon towards it. I want to say hi to promising the red meat. Baby Dennis, and Grandma G4.

Bye-bye. Hi, my name is Zach. I'm from Kansas City.

Is that there are rainbow flush?

This rare thing happens when the light reflects off time. I try to trickle in a cloud. Bye! Hi, my name is Jordan. And my name is Elena.

And we are from Malaga, Spain. Our well in the world is that we have a little bit of golden our bodies. It's no flea in our blood. Stay high to grandma G4. Malaga!

Thomas Anger-Lite. Hey, don't lie. Reggie. The snake out. And Dennis, we told everyone that you are standing there.

What? No, I'm not static, man. We just look alike and sound alike. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

My name is Y. I am from Davis. Just your line. Did you know that some fish coughs?

“They do it to clear the particles and bacteria from their gills?”

Hi, my name is Daros. My name is Octavia and I live in Brooklyn, New York. My well in the world is that slugs can have more decent sharks. They had a conversation with a grandma G4 and ready for me. Oh, nice.

Oh, I don't forget the flicker. Love you, Charles. Hello. My name is Yigi. I live in Los California.

And my well in the world is a great name. It's five times harder than the search of the sun. They had the Dennis Scream of D4 spread the end on this singling. Oh, hi there. Oh, cool, dude.

Hi. I'm up from a dream. I'm 11 years old. My well in the world is that strategies can pull their buoyancy or how they balance by releasing and holding in parts. Tell Reggie hi for me and say hi for my brother to grandma T4.

Oh, isn't that nice? Bye. End of messages. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Wow in the World." If you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call our "Wow Hotline"

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Once again, that's tinkercast.com. "Wow in the world is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kelkin with contributions from me." A original sound design and music editing is done by Tyler Thull, with help from our

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You can also hear Jed Anderson and the voices of Dennis, Thomas Fingerling, Reggie,

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