Scientists Create New Drug That Regenerate Teeth

The human body’s pretty amazing. Our body has the ability to repair itself but it can’t regenerate teeth. But, now tooth can regenerate itself. Scientists from the King’s College London have discovered a drug that can regenerate teeth from the inside out. According to scientists, this drug could possibly reduce the chances of artificial filling.

This tooth healing drug works by activating stem cells inside the tooth’s pulp center. It prompts the damaged area to regenerate the hard dentin material that makes up the majority of a tooth.

Lead author Paul Sharpe said, “The simplicity of our approach makes it ideal as a clinical dental product for the natural treatment of large cavities, by providing both pulp protection and restoring dentine.”

In addition, using a drug that has already been tested in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease provides a real opportunity to get this dental treatment quickly into clinics,” he added.

The process of creating a thin layer of dentin is not sufficient to stop large cavities from exposing the vulnerable pulp. Thus, dentists drill out the cavity and then pack the area with artificial fillings.

Sharpe told Hannah Devlin, “The tooth is not just a lump of mineral, it’s got its own physiology. You’re replacing a living tissue with an inert cement. Fillings work fine, but if the tooth can repair itself, surely the best way. You’re restoring all the vitality of the tooth.”

Scientists found that the Alzheimer’s drug Tideglusib could use to stimulate the stem cells inside a tooth. It will create more dentin and regenerate the whole structure without the need of any extra artificial substance.

Scientists primarily used Tideglusib on damaged teeth in mice to see how it promoted stem cell activation. They applied drug on the cavity using a biodegradable collagen sponge soaked in Tideglusib molecules. After several weeks, scientists found that the collagen sponge had degraded. The teeth had regenerated enough dentin to fill the gap.

Related reads: Benex Finds Solution to Painful Tooth Extraction

Ben Scheven said, “Dentistry is not only about filling and drilling, but also about keeping the teeth healthy. Especially since it’s an accessible and cheap treatment, I can imagine this being used in the clinic.” (Ben Scheven is cell biologist from the University of Birmingham in the UK.)

The technique was done on mice. So, there’s a lot more research require confirming the results.

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