'Tooth repair drug' may replace fillings

[BADecker]

'Tooth repair drug' may replace fillings

The team at King's College London showed that a chemical could encourage cells in the dental pulp to heal small holes in mice teeth.

A biodegradable sponge was soaked in the drug and then put inside the cavity.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, showed it led to "complete, effective natural repair".

Teeth have limited regenerative abilities. They can produce a thin band of dentine - the layer just below the enamel - if the inner dental pulp becomes exposed, but this cannot repair a large cavity.

Normally dentists have to repair tooth decay or caries with a filling made of a metal amalgam or a composite of powdered glass and ceramic.

These can often need replacing multiple times during someone's lifetime, so the researchers tried to enhance the natural regenerative capacity of teeth to repair larger holes.

Read more at http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38524566.

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[BADecker]

Dental pulp stem cells can be stimulated to restore teeth and reduce the use of fillings

Following trauma or an infection, the inner, soft pulp of a tooth can become exposed and infected. In order to protect the tooth from infection, a thin band of dentine is naturally produced and this seals the tooth pulp, but it is insufficient to effectively repair large cavities. Currently dentists use man-made cements or fillings, such as calcium and silicon-based products, to treat these larger cavities and fill holes in teeth. This cement remains in the tooth and fails to disintegrate, meaning that the normal mineral level of the tooth is never completely restored.

However, in a paper published today in Scientific Reports, scientists from the Dental Institute at King's College London have proven a way to stimulate the stem cells contained in the pulp of the tooth and generate new dentine – the mineralised material that protects the tooth - in large cavities, potentially reducing the need for fillings or cements.

Read more at http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/01/dental-pulp-stem-cells-can-be.html.

[Spoetnik]

I like this news !

I also heard of a story where they are able to hook up electricity to teeth to heal them or some shit too.