Having a sweet tooth can have painful repercussions. While children look forward to the overnight visit of the tooth fairy, for many grown-ups a trip to the dentist is the stuff of nightmares. Life would be so much easier if those nasty bacteria would avoid molars.

That thought exactly is what drove researchers in The Netherlands to come up with an anti-microbial polymer tooth. Fresh off the 3D printer, the replacement supposedly will allow chocolate addicts to sink their teeth into that sweet stuff again and again and again – without having to worry about their dental care. Weight, of course, is another matter entirely….