Researchers craft fillings for tooth through stem cells
Has your dentist or endodontist told you that you need root canal treatment? Fret not.
Researchers have crafted fillings that get the tooth’s own stem cells to regenerate and repair tissue. This might not help in making the pearly whites normal but the substance could heal the tooth enough to spare you a root canal which is not only painful but which also weakens the tooth.
In the newly developed treatment, regenerative dental fillings were used to replace the cavities that were drilled in the tooth. By substituting the common fillings made with porcelain, a tooth-colored filling material, gold or other metal alloys, the risk of the pulp being inflamed or infected is reduced, which in turn can prevent the need for root canal procedures.
“Existing dental fillings are toxic to cells and are therefore incompatible with pulp tissue inside the tooth,” explained Adam Celiz, a Marie Curie research fellow at the University of Nottingham. “In cases of dental pulp disease and injury a root canal is typically performed to remove the infected tissues.
The new regenerative fillings consist of a material capable of stimulating the native stem cell population in the
pulp tissue to repair and regenerate itself and the surrounding dentin.The new dental fillings won the second prize in the materials category in the Emerging Technologiescompetition of the Royal Society of Chemistry. It will still take a long time for the new treatment to be commercially available. However, researchers are working hard with their partners to make the regenerative dental fillings possible.
Although this may take a while, the design is practical and can be implemented. The dentist wouldn’t have to resort to exotic techniques to rescue your teeth. And importantly, it might be less expensive overall – you might not need a cap or crown to reduce the chances that the tooth will break after the surgery. So, the next time you visit the dentist, do not forget to ask for ‘regenerative tooth filling’!
