Posted on 08/01/2010 10:05:39 PM PDT by neverdem
Could this new gel be the biggest dental breakthrough since the introduction of fluoride?
THE GIST
A new gel could soon eliminate painful fillings and root canals.
The technology doesn't prevent cavities; it heals teeth by regenerating them.
Although this is good news for teeth, the research could also be applied to heal bones and other tissues in the body.
Dentists could soon hang up their drills. A new peptide, embedded in a soft gel or a thin, flexible film and placed next to a cavity, encourages cells inside teeth to regenerate in about a month, according to a new study in the journal ACS Nano. This technology is the first of its kind.
The new gel or thin film could eliminate the need to fill painful cavities or drill deep into the root canal of an infected tooth.
"It's not like toothpaste," which prevent cavities, said Nadia Benkirane-Jessel, a scientist at the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale and a co-author of a recent paper. "Here we are really trying to control cavities (after they develop)."
Drilling teeth and filling them is safe and effective. Dentists fill millions of cavities each year across the United States. However, though dentists numb the tooth, many patients still rue the sound of that drill.
The new research could make a trip to the dentist's office more pleasant, said Berkirane-Jessel. Instead of a drill, a quick dab of gel or a thin film against an infected tooth could heal teeth from within.
Cavities are bacteria and pus-filled holes on or in teeth which can lead to discomfort, pain and even tooth loss. When people eat acidic foods, consume sugary snacks or simply don't maintain proper oral hygiene, bacteria begin to eat away at the protective enamel and other minerals inside teeth.
The causes of cavities are varied. But for most cavities, the treatment is the same: drilling into a tooth, removing the decay and filling in the hole to prevent further damage.
The gel or thin film contains a peptide known as MSH, or melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Previous experiments, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that MSH encourages bone regeneration.
Bone and teeth are fairly similar, so the French scientists reasoned that if the MSH were applied to teeth, it should help healing as well.
To test their theory, the French scientists applied either a film or gel, both of which contained MSH, to cavity-filled mice teeth. After about one month, the cavities had disappeared, said Benkirane-Jessel.
Benkirane-Jessel cautions that the MSH-containing films or gels only treat cavities; they don't prevent them. People will still need to brush, floss and use mouthwash to help prevent cavities from forming in the first place.
Treating cavities without drilling "would have its advantages," said Hom-Lay Wang, a dentist at the University of Michigan. Cavities and drilling can destroy the nerves and blood vessels inside a tooth, making it more brittle and likely to fracture. Regenerating a tooth could help avoid crowns after a cavity has been filled.
That said, regenerating a tooth from within would only be useful in a relatively small number of cases. Most cavities would still need to be drilled and filled.
In the meantime, patients can't slacken their oral hygiene either. Numerous clinical trials over several years will have to be completed before the MSH-containing gels or films are available to treat cavities in humans.
cool
Is it minty? Because I would rather take the drill than a gel that doesn’t also freshen my breath so I can please the babes of my neighborhood.
So, they can breed a line of mice that are prone to cavities. And they don't focus on the genetic component. They only look at treatment options.
That certainly makes sense.
/johnny
Has to induce fangs.....put on to much an poof !
Yer Flicka ......
Sounds pretty neat.
Anything that can replace root canal procedures is fine with me! I told my dentist that I will never submit to another root canal unless she gives me some drug that makes me forget my name for a week. The very thought of going through another one makes me shudder!
That said, regenerating a tooth from within would only be useful in a relatively small number of cases. Most cavities would still need to be drilled and filled.
oh well, I was ready to go the 7/11 and pick up some.
Thanks for this info, I was sitting here using a bristle toothpick while reading this.
= = =
Qx ping.
thx thx
The silver lining to waiting years is that maybe the Twilight vampire wannabees will be over themselves and not push for fang growing gels.
“To test their theory, the French scientists applied either a film or gel, both of which contained MSH, to cavity-filled mice teeth. After about one month, the cavities had disappeared, said Benkirane-Jessel.”
Sounds like it got rid of the cavities to me.
There was a miracle filling cure I discovered in 1968 - there was no dentist available .. Dentyne ... chewed up and stuck in the molar, kept mouth open until dry ... worked like you would think it would ...
Or, the cavity has to get into the pulp before this treatment will do anything? But once it does, it will grow back the tooth, enamel and all?
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Misleading headline, poorly-written misleading article. Otherwise, it was great!
Read the source article the author is citing. When you go there, you'll note the professional commentary. Read that too.
Unlikely. IIRC, the dentin is a high-density variant of cancellous bone originally built from the interface with the enamel downward, while the enamel is laminar bone built the other way from the outside. The process involves two different kinds of cells.
That's the cool thing about composite structures, and the difficulty in replicating them.
Post 14, thank you for that info, you said,
‘There was a miracle filling cure I discovered in 1968 - there was no dentist available .. Dentyne ... chewed up and stuck in the molar, kept mouth open until dry ... worked like you would think it would ...’
QUESTIONs ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
Did the dried gum stay in as a filling would, or did it cause the tooth to grow back and just fall out or were you kidding?
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