Tooth Regeneration

Posted by Miss Cellania in Medicine, Science & Tech on April 2, 2008 at 9:46 am


150_teethScientists are working on making teeth regrow the crystals that make up dentin and enamel. This process could eliminate drilling and filling to combat tooth decay. Sally Marshall, a professor at the University of California at San Francisco, is looking for a way to catch decay early and cause teeth to start “remineralizing”.

Marshall’s newest work, which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Structural Biology, focuses on regrowing dentin in damaged teeth with the help of a calcium-containing solution of ions (electrically charged particles).

By putting a layer of the solution on individual test teeth, Marshall has already been able to remineralize some parts of the teeth. The challenge is to get the crystals to regrow throughout the dentin.

To heal properly, the crystals need to form from the bottom of the tooth up to the enamel. Marshall isn’t sure whether that’s happening yet, but she is confident that she’ll find a way to restore dentin functionality over the next few years.

When this technology progresses to popular use, our grandchildren won’t believe our stories about the dentist’s drill! Link

(image credit: Hollingsworth/Corbis)


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COMMENT

22 comments to "Tooth Regeneration"

  1. LoveZombie
    April 2nd, 2008 at 9:53 am

    This is an amazing concept. I really hope something comes out of it!

  2. luke
    April 2nd, 2008 at 9:56 am

    I would love to drilling to be eliminated!

  3. luke
    April 2nd, 2008 at 9:57 am

    Sorry, I can't type today. I would love for drilling to be eliminated!

  4. Tom
    April 2nd, 2008 at 10:11 am

    I've been waiting on this for a few years. My family on both sides had bad teeth, and it's only a matter of time before I have a mouth full of crowns. It will be nice to be able to grow new ones, maybe even have some that are modified to be stronger.

  5. Cindy
    April 2nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm

    that would be great i absolutely hate going to the dentist because of the stupid drilling!

  6. Tempscire
    April 2nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm

    Mmm, no drilling. You know, come to think of it, drilling holes in our teeth to repair them just seems...primitive.

  7. Christophe
    April 2nd, 2008 at 12:25 pm

    Hey! You could get vampire teeth!

  8. JoBo S
    April 2nd, 2008 at 12:28 pm

    This would have to be the discovery of the century if they get this to work. It would go down in history with such great inventions as the lightbulb, indoor plumbing, and the egg mcmuffin.

  9. Tom
    April 2nd, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    Cindy:

    Don't be too thrilled. They'll have to take out the old teeth before they put in new ones.

    Fear of the drill my be replaced with fear of the pliers.

  10. Jerse
    April 2nd, 2008 at 1:40 pm

    Doesn't ACT Restoring Mouthwash already do this?

  11. ihateallex
    April 2nd, 2008 at 2:28 pm

    This is awesome! I hate the dentist, but only because of the drilling. That would make the dentist visit way better.

  12. Lasse
    April 2nd, 2008 at 2:29 pm

    Reanimating dead teeth? Wouldnt that give us...zombie teeth?

  13. CheeseDuck
    April 2nd, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    Yay! Does this mean an end to dentures?

  14. su.wei
    April 2nd, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    hahaha zombie teeth...

    this is incredible. can i be a test subject? :)

  15. empty-minded
    April 2nd, 2008 at 4:02 pm

    I wish they could fast track the work. I using my teeth on borrowed time.

    And I would definitely upgrade to longer canines.

  16. Oomi
    April 2nd, 2008 at 4:05 pm

    Shark teeth dentures

  17. Thomas
    April 2nd, 2008 at 8:23 pm

    that's good news for me. I wake up every morning with my jaws trying desperately to meet one another despite those damn teeth that are always in the way. I've been worried lately that my enamel will suffer for it.

  18. andrewdoane
    April 4th, 2008 at 7:23 am

    Hooray for science.

  19. osu8185
    April 6th, 2008 at 11:26 pm

    Hey ...for all you dentist-haters out there...
    It's called BRUSHING and FLOSSING... after you eat!
    Knock off the sugar and empty carbs.
    It's still the TIME-BACTERIA-FOOD model from the 70's.
    It's NOT hard to eliminated decay NOW!!

    Grow it back so you can rot it away again.
    Like the 300lb lady 3 years AFTER gastric bypass...

    Change the habits to change the problem...

    Take responsibility for your self!

    Yes... of course I'm a dentist!!

  20. sxxzs
    November 13th, 2008 at 11:52 am

    2001.saw about the Tooth Regeneration news on TV
    After so many years.Still can not see any new development
    I don't understand.why stem cell technology develop such
    slow.problem is global country no one wants spend too
    much money on the medical.
    The taiwan government.every years waste large money to
    save stock marketand and bank and stupid company
    and political party guys spit fight.
    My tax money is so wasting. thats glad.

  21. fcuk
    January 20th, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    these guys say they need another 5-15 years.i guess i wouldn't see this happen in my life!!!it's such slow program.

    why the United Nations can not set up a project and ask the most clever people on the globe to work this out!it can not be a very difficult program,we can fly now to the moon and back,but why we can not regenerate our teeth?

    i feel so disappointed and i don't believe this would happen in 50 years!

  22. lollipop
    February 17th, 2009 at 9:57 pm

    hope this work ASAP!


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