Root canal treatment is used to save teeth which would otherwise need to be removed. A dentist removes the infected tissue from the center of the tooth, fills and seals the space.
Most of us are scared of the dentist! Could there be a way for the tooth to heal itself?
Scientists from the University of Nottingham and Harvard University have developed a new material that allows the tooth to heal itself, eliminating the need for a root canal.
Just like regular fillings, these stem cell fillings can be inserted into the tooth to repair dentin – the bony material that forms the bulk of the tooth.
Once this synthetic biomaterial is placed in direct contact with pulp tissue, it stimulates the native stem cell population for repair and regeneration of pulp tissues and dentin. This method could also be used to treat cavities to avoid damage to the tooth caused by drilling.
This research won the second prize at the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Emerging Technologies Competition 2016.
The horror of a root canal could soon be a thing of the past!
Currently, scientists are working on bringing this amazing technology to mainstream dental clinics, but it will take a while before it reaches you.
