Dental fillings are an unpleasant experience, but they're necessary to fill in cavities and prevent further damage. What if there was a way to avoid them entirely while still keeping your teeth healthy?
A research team at the University of Nottingham in the UK is developing a new gel that could help protect against tooth decay and regenerate damaged tooth enamel. The gel fills holes and cracks in the teeth when applied, and contains a modified version of amelogenin, a protein that helps guide the growth of enamel in infants, according to research published in the journal Nature Communications this month.
"The gel was able to grow crystals epitaxially, which means it's in the same crystallographic orientation as existing enamel," Alvaro Mata, a professor in Biomedical Engineering and Biomaterials at the University of Nottingham, told New Scientist.
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Enamel is the hard layer of the tooth that shields the softer inner layers from damage caused by general wear and tear, acid and bacteria. Tooth decay happens when the enamel layer breaks down. Enamel doesn't regenerate naturally, and while fluoride treatment and remineralization toothpaste that uses nano-hydroxyapatite can offer a temporary fix, they aren't a permanent solution, unlike getting a dental filling.
Enamel degradation is the major contributor of tooth decay and it's associated with dental problems that affect as much as 50% of the world's population. James Martin/CNET
The new gel creates a thin yet durable layer that adheres to the teeth for several weeks, using calcium and phosphate to stimulate the growth of new crystals in the enamel.
In a separate email interview with CNET, Mata explained how long he expects the gel to last. "The gel is biodegradable, and the process to remineralize takes approximately two weeks. It is applied once, and it will endure as native enamel would, depending on people's health habits."
Research shows it works on heavily damaged enamel
"Dental enamel has a unique structure, which gives enamel its remarkable properties that protect our teeth throughout life against physical, chemical and thermal insults," said Abshar Hasan, a postdoctoral fellow and leading author of the study. "When our material is applied to demineralized or eroded enamel, or exposed dentine, the material promotes the growth of crystals in an integrated and organized manner, recovering the architecture of our natural, healthy enamel."
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