Toothpaste made from hair provides natural coating to repair teeth (Keratin powder)

Medical Xpress / King's College London / Advanced Healthcare Materials ^ | Aug. 13, 2025 | Sara Gamea et al

[ConservativeMind]

Toothpaste made from your own hair may offer a sustainable and clinically effective way to protect and repair damaged teeth.

In a new study, scientists discovered that keratin, a protein found in hair, skin and wool, can repair tooth enamel and stop early stages of decay.

The scientists discovered that keratin produces a protective coating that mimics the structure and function of natural enamel when it comes into contact with minerals in saliva.

Dr. Sherif Elsharkawy said, "Unlike bones and hair, enamel does not regenerate. Once it is lost, it's gone forever."

Acidic foods and drinks, poor oral hygiene, and aging all contribute to enamel erosion and decay, leading to tooth sensitivity, pain and eventually tooth loss.

While fluoride toothpastes are currently used to slow this process, keratin-based treatments were found to stop it completely. Keratin forms a dense mineral layer that protects the tooth and seals off exposed nerve channels that cause sensitivity, offering both structural and symptomatic relief.

The treatment could be delivered through a toothpaste for daily use or as a professionally applied gel, similar to nail varnish, for more targeted repair. The team is already exploring pathways for clinical application and believes that keratin-based enamel regeneration could be made available to the public within the next two to three years.

In their study, the scientists extracted keratin from wool. They discovered that when keratin is applied to the tooth surface and comes into contact with the minerals naturally present in saliva, it forms a highly organized, crystal-like scaffold that mimics the structure and function of natural enamel.

Over time, this scaffold continues to attract calcium and phosphate ions, leading to the growth of a protective enamel-like coating around the tooth. This marks a significant step forward in regenerative dentistry.

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TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS:

[ConservativeMind]

This actually lets your teeth permanently repair with something that is effectively enamel, just from your saliva and the scaffold keratin provides.

You can buy keratin powders or capsules online now, to try.

[ConservativeMind]

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[gundog]

Can I just chew my nails?

[lee martell]

That is ingenious, but also quite disgusting.
If I had such a product offered, I would not accept that kind of toothpaste unless very desperate. That, or Doctor’s Orders! The mind picture is using someone else’s Hairballs in order to scrub your molars clean.
Ugg!

[ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton]

Ping

[Deaf Smith]

“made from hair”

Is there a distinction of the type of hair such as the engineering distinction of “hairs width” ie western European vs Baltic, W Asia, E Asia and the coarse Subjarian vs S African or the infamous Mediterranean?

*Miss? There is a hair in my toothpaste.

[Deaf Smith]

Oops, I left out the finer Scandinavian hair.

* Please note that these hair evaluations are only for XX chromosome hair.

[tired&retired]

So flossing with public hair is healthy for the teeth? 😁

[tired&retired]

AI spelling correction saved me...

[metmom]

That is EXCELLENT news.

[Songcraft]

Just be careful you don't get hairy mouth disease.

[Bob434]

So that’s what Joe the pretend pres. was always doing, not sniffing hair, but chewing on it for tooth protection?

I always seem to find out stuff like the article too late. Day late dollar short. Teeth are bad.

[Songcraft]

You know, you might have something there.


     

[Larry Lucido]

You have to have hair in order to do this.

[SaveFerris]

Interesting 🤔🤔🤔

[UnwashedPeasant]

Barber shops will get rich!

[grame]

Thanks for the info. I have a chronic condition that is causing imbalances and one of the side effects of the meds I take is degrading my tooth surface. I already had to have two pulled and have been trying different tooth pastes to try to slow the ruination of my teeth down. I will work on this Keratin idea and see what I can find. Thanks again.

[fso301]

I always sort of preferred eating shrimp with the shells but still have a mouth full of bad teeth.

[MayflowerMadam]

“using someone else’s Hairballs “

” made from your OWN hair...”

[Abathar]

I have a tool and die business, we have calipers that measure to the different natural variants of those hairs, usually taken from a specific area of the body and for some reason always from a female.