'Tooth Repair Drug' May Replace Fillings (bbc.com)

Teeth can be encouraged to repair themselves in a way that could see an end to fillings, according to scientists. From a report on BBC: The team at King's College London showed that a chemical could encourage cells in the dental pulp to heal small holes in mice teeth. A biodegradable sponge was soaked in the drug and then put inside the cavity. The study, published in Scientific Reports, showed it led to "complete, effective natural repair." Teeth have limited regenerative abilities. They can produce a thin band of dentine -- the layer just below the enamel -- if the inner dental pulp becomes exposed, but this cannot repair a large cavity. [...] Scientists discovered that a drug called Tideglusib heightened the activity of stem cells in the dental pulp so they could repair 0.13mm holes in the teeth of mice. A drug-soaked sponge was placed in the hole and then a protective coating was applied over the top. As the sponge broke down it was replaced by dentine, healing the tooth.

Comments

Unless it costs more

[Oswald McWeany]

Unless they can charge more than they do for fillings (or at least make more profit), I don't see this taking off in the US.

Re:This may lead to an even more interesting...

[Anonymous Coward]

Food additives that could help heal your teeth that are thought to be non-damaging to the body at first, but found to be carcinogenic a few years later.

FTFY, a.k.a. stop thinking about additives as a miracle solution. Stop putting crap for our teeth in water, we already have toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Re:Next you'll tell me they should fluoridate my H

[Anne Thwacks]

Water naturally has flouride in it in many places. Those places have fewer tooth cavities, which led to the idea of adding flouride in places where it is unnaturally low.

This in turn led to a deluge of ill-informed anti-science...

Oh, hang on, I think there is a whoosh going over my head.