"Thank God."
Posted on 05/02/2004 6:50:03 PM PDT by ijcr
The British institution of dentures sitting in a glass of water beside the bed could be rendered obsolete by scientists who are confident that people will soon be able to replace lost teeth by growing new ones. Instead of false teeth, a small ball of cells capable of growing into a new tooth will be implanted where the missing one used to be.
The procedure needs only a local anaesthetic and the new tooth should be fully formed within a few months of the cells being implanted.
Paul Sharpe, a specialist in the field of regenerative dentistry at the Dental Institute of King's College, London, says the new procedure has distinct advantages over false teeth that require a metal post to be driven into the jaw before being capped with a porcelain or plastic tooth.
"The surgery today can be extensive and you need to have good solid bone in the jaw and that is a major problem for some people," Professor Sharpe said.
The method could be used on far more patients because the ball of cells that grows into a tooth also produces bone that anchors to the jaw.
The choice of growing a new tooth is likely to appeal to patients. "Anyone who has lost teeth will tell you that, given the chance, they would rather have their own teeth than false ones," said Prof Sharpe. The average Briton over 50 has lost 12 teeth from a set of 32.
The procedure is fairly simple. Doctors take stem cells from the patient. These are unique in their ability to form any of the tissues that make up the body. By carefully nurturing the stem cells in a laboratory, scientists can nudge the cells down a path that will make them grow into a tooth. After a couple of weeks, the ball of cells, known as a bud, is ready to be implanted. Tests reveal what type of tooth - for example, a molar or an incisor - the bud will form.
Using a local anaesthetic, the tooth bud is inserted through a small incision into the gum. Within months, the cells will have matured into a fully-formed tooth, fused to the jawbone. As the tooth grows, it releases chemicals that encourage nerves and blood vessels to link up with it.
Tests have shown the technique to work in mice, where new teeth took weeks to grow. "There's no reason why it shouldn't work in humans, the principles are the same," said Prof Sharpe.
His team has set up a company, Odontis, to exploit the technique, and has won £400,000 from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts and the Wellcome Trust.
Heck, even the royal family has bad teeth, and they're really Germans.
There's advantages. For one thing, I'm already cranky...
"Hey! Nice tooth!
What if the "nudge" goes a little wrong and they grow a finger or something instead of a tooth?
When was the last time you were around someone over 70? I am a fan of good dental hygiene, but I would guess there are more old folks here without all their teeth than with them. Periodontia and gum disease set in... a lifetime in a mouth wears on any teeth, whether you brush or not.
Most opt to pull teeth, because decaying teeth are a source of constant infection that is dangerous in old age.
This will be a great advance when it happens.
Whoa - hold on there - what the excited dentists did not talk about here is WHY the patients lost their teeth - periodontitis - gum disease. The gum is chronically infected and the roots cant take it. So a dental implant goes in and is basically impervious to the gum disease and lasts >15 years. And costs about $250 for the implant. Trust me - harvesting the stem cells will cost 5x that.
And then IF you grow a new tooth chances are that the periodontitis will poison the new tooth and it may fail like its predicessor. $$$$
Titanium dental implants are nothing short of marvelous but I suggest brushing 3x a day.
Sure it is. You're tall enough to reach the liquor cabinet aren't you? ;-)
Good point. How do the implanted cells know what type of tooth to grow?
There are 32 teeth and each is distinct from the others. The idea that a "bud" is going to grow into an esthetically passable replacement is nothing short of fantastic.
And I didnt mention the orthodontics that will be required to align the new tooth with the existing teeth. Ortho is $$$$$$$ too.
So we can expect about $1,500 for the liposuction, $950 for the orthodontics, and that fresh WHITE tooth will look funny among a bunch of YELLOW old teeth. Now What? Staining? Titanium dental implants with the age-old dental lab manufactured crown is a cost effective replacement for dead teeth.
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