Replacement options for a missing tooth would traditionally include; a denture, bridge or an implant; however, with dental technology continuing to push boundaries, alternative solutions are becoming available. Recently, researchers at Tufts Dental School have been making significant gains in working with dental stem cells to grow new teeth.
A recent article from Tufts Dental Medicine, describes how a team of researchers have been able to turn dental stem cells into healthy new teeth and bone. The team was able to harvest stem cells from healthy tooth pulp. From there they isolate the cells in the lab and “coax” them to form new tooth buds.
Irritating denture, lengthy process for a dental titanium implant, this could all be in the past in the near future. Imagine being able to ‘implant a living natural tooth it could be a much better option’.
The research team does caution that days of the future may still bit a little while yet. The team notes that although their work looks promising at this stage they are still in the early stages of ‘implanting scaffolds and developing tooth buds into pig jaws and over the course of five months’ adult teeth are formed’. The team notes that “it will be years before we are able to grow our own replacement teeth”.
Although unable to provide a tooth bud implant, Skygate Dental is here to help with current technology for replacement options : ).