New Technology In Dentistry: What To Expect In The Coming Years
Technology continues to improve anything it touches. From the way we work to how we communicate with one another, technology has forever changed the fabric of society, including healthcare. Here are some of the exciting and sweeping changes it’s bringing to the field of dentistry.
A report by the CDC National Center for Health Statistics revealed that 91% of American adults aged 20-64 years have dental caries in their permanent teeth. The astonishing figure betrays the high number of dental products in the market to fight tooth decay. However, it’s not a question of whether or not these products are actually effective, but rather, if the general public is using them in the first place. This is why the latest stem cell research on self-repairing teeth is so fascinating. The technology involves a molecule called Tideglusib that can induce stem cells inside the tooth pulp to produce more dentine in order to repair cavities. Tideglusib has successfully been used in other medical applications, specifically in treating Alzheimer’s disease.
In a similar vein, the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery awarded Dr. Praveen Arany from the University of Buffalo last year for his breakthrough research on using low-power laser light for pulpal healing and stimulating tooth regeneration. In one application, Dr. Arany and his team were able to generate dentine from pulp stem cells. While development of these new techniques has a long way to go before it gets adopted into the mainstream, the idea of stopping tooth decay without conventional fillings like amalgam is a development worth following.
Stem cell research in dental care has more exciting news. Aside from self-repairing teeth, researchers are also looking into the possibility of regrowing them entirely. Currently, the only way patients can replace a lost tooth is to get dental implants, but a group of researchers from Harvard’s Wyss Institute is working on regrowing teeth using a low-power laser, similar to the method of Dr. Arany. A different group of researchers, this time from Columbia University Medical Center, is working on regrowing teeth using stem-cell dental implants. The technique eliminates the need to grow teeth in a petri dish. It occurs right inside the mouth. The researchers, headed by Dr. Jeremy Mao, are the first to successfully regenerate anatomically correct teeth using the body’s own stem cells.
Granted, regenerative medicine is still in its early stages, bringing up a number of legal and ethical concerns, but these developments are jaw-dropping in their innovation.