Researchers have now identified and created a drug that can regenerate teeth for us humans from the inside out, reducing the need for dental appointments for artificial fillings if not completely eradicating the former.
The drug in question has had previously been used in Alzheimers patients and it seems that it could also be used to nudge into working the tooths natural ability to heal itself. It works by activating the stem cells inside the tooths pulp centre that regenerate the hard dentin matter that makes up the bulk of a tooth.
Lead author of the study, Paul Sharpe from Kings College London says, "The simplicity of our approach makes it ideal as a clinical dental product for the natural treatment of large cavities, by providing both pulp protection and restoring dentine. In addition, using a drug that has already been tested in clinical trials for Alzheimers disease provides a real opportunity to get this dental treatment quickly into clinics."
After things like trauma or cavities damage a tooth, the soft pulp at its centre can be exposed, increasing the risk of infection. In order for its prevention, our body creates a thin layer of dentin a hard calcified tissue which aids in blocking outside matter from making its way in.
Paul Sharpe and his team discovered that they could use the Alzheimers drug Tideglusib to activate the stimulation of the stem cells inside a tooth to create more dentin that there usually is present, to completely regenerate the whole structure without introducing further foreign elements or drilling.
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