Experimental Alzheimer's Drug May Help Repair Teeth
An experimental Alzheimer's drug may help to regenerate teeth.
HealthDay News — Teeth might someday repair themselves using their own stem cells — eliminating the need for conventional fillings, according to an experimental study published in Scientific Reports.
Paul Sharpe, PhD, a professor of craniofacial biology at the Dental Institute at King's College London, and colleagues placed biodegradable collagen sponges laced with a low dose of a small molecule GSK3 antagonist (Tideglusib) over holes drilled into the teeth of mice.
Over 6 weeks, as the sponge degraded, it was replaced by new dentine, leading to complete, natural repair, Dr Sharpe told HealthDay.
"This simple, rapid natural tooth repair process could thus potentially provide a new approach to clinical tooth restoration," the authors wrote.
Neves VC, Babb R, Chandrasekaran D, Sharpe PT. Promotion of natural tooth repair by small molecule GSK3 antagonists. Sci Rep. 2017;7:39654.