Scientists 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”.
When this technology progresses to popular use, our grandchildren won’t believe our stories about the dentist’s drill! Link
(image credit: Hollingsworth/Corbis)
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)
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.
this is incredible. can i be a test subject? :)
And I would definitely upgrade to longer canines.
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!!
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.
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!