Greater than 25 p.c of seniors over the age of 65 haven’t got a single tooth left [source: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research]. Accidents, genetics and poor oral hygiene also can contribute to tooth loss in youthful people. As soon as enamel are misplaced, people are caught with synthetic replacements like dentures and implants, which can enhance the looks of the smile, however pale compared to pure enamel. Whereas people cannot at the moment regrow enamel, scientists are making spectacular features within the subject of tooth regeneration, usually taking clues from different species – like alligators and puffer fish – that are in a position to simply regrow misplaced enamel.
The mighty alligator has a strong chew, one he is in a position to regenerate by changing misplaced enamel as many as 50 instances over the course of his lifetime [source: Nuwer]. The tiny puffer fish shares an identical ability, creating new bands of dentine to exchange his tooth-like beak if it turns into worn or broken [source: The University of Sheffield]. By finding out the molecular particulars of how these animals regrow enamel, scientists hope they’ll engineer stem cells to permit people to carry out the identical feat. Needless to say these will not be the stem cells you may affiliate with a fetus. They’re the pure stem cells that exist already inside your enamel.
One group of researchers drilled holes within the enamel of rats, then directed low-level lasers into these holes. By exposing the pulp throughout the tooth to the pulses of sunshine, scientists had been in a position to program the stem cells throughout the pulp to rebuild misplaced dentine, thereby regenerating the tooth. If this analysis will be replicated in people, it might function the primary non-invasive approach to restore enamel, permitting folks to regenerate their smile with out in depth dental work [source: Arany et al].
A separate research developed hydrogels, constructed from peptides, proteins and medicines, which they injected into the pulp beneath enamel. These hydrogels are designed to encourage stem cells to convey enamel again to life, eliminating the necessity for painful root canals. Even higher, the hydrogel dissolves after the tooth is regenerated, leaving nothing behind that might hurt the physique or intrude with regular oral well being [source: Williams].
Whereas these strategies are nonetheless within the experimental stage, they provide highly effective potential for the way forward for dentistry. For now, keep away from alligators, irrespective of how pleasant their smiles might seem.
