Can lab-grown teeth become an alternative to fillings? THIS research can blow your mind

Are you dreading the thought of fixing your dental needs with implants and other fillings? This research by scientists from King’s College London has some interesting findings for natural dental treatment alternatives.

 

What is the research about?

 

In the latest study, the King’s team, in collaboration with Imperial College London, explored the possibility of lab-grown teeth that can offer a potential way to repair teeth and opened doors for regenerative research.

 

Unlike implants and fillings, which are fixed and cannot adapt over time, the research delves into the scope of how a lab-grown tooth made from a patient’s own cells could integrate seamlessly into the jaw and repair itself like a natural tooth.

 

“Fillings aren’t the best solution for repairing teeth. Over time, they will weaken tooth structure, have a limited lifespan, and can lead to further decay or sensitivity. Implants require invasive surgery and a good combination of implants and alveolar bone. Both solutions are artificial and don’t fully restore natural tooth function, potentially leading to long-term complications,” says Xuechen Zhang, from the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London, about the downside of fillings and implants in dental care.

 

The breakthrough

 

The team successfully introduced a special type of material that enables cells to communicate between each other, where one cell can mimic the other tooth cell and this process helps in recreating the tooth development in the lab.

 

“We developed this material in collaboration with Imperial College to replicate the environment around the cells in the body, known as the matrix. This meant that when we introduced the cultured cells, they were able to send signals to each other to start the tooth formation process,” said Xuechen.

 

Challenges ahead

 

While the scientists made a breakthrough with the teeth development, the team is now facing another challenge of getting them from the lab to the patients’ mouths.

 

The research aims to explore various pathways in regenerative medicine, where we utilise biology to repair or replace damaged body parts. 

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