Dentures and implants may now be a thing of the past because scientists have the ability to grow new teeth in a patient’s mouth.
This is huge for the many adults who end up losing a tooth or multiple teeth during their lifetimes.
As of now, the only options for a missing tooth include implants, or if all teeth are missing, dentures. However, these two methods cause serious dental health problems.
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Health issues associated with dental implants include infection at the implant site, injury or damage to the surrounding structures, nerve damage, and sinus problems. “Despite being the preferred treatment for missing teeth today, dental implants can fail and have no ability to “remodel” with surrounding jaw bone, which undergoes necessary and inevitable changes throughout a person’s life.” (Dentistry iQ)
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Dentures can be uncomfortable and make eating difficult. Also, they can cause gum and mouth irritation or infections.
By growing a new tooth in the location where one lost a tooth, all issues associated with implants or dentures are gone. “This is a much-needed medical advancement, especially considering that by age 74—26% of adults have lost all of their permanent teeth.” (Underground Health Reporter)
“A new technique pioneered at the Tissue Engineering, and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory of Dr. Jeremy Mao, Edward V. Zegarelli Professor of Dental Medicine, and a professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University can orchestrate the body’s stem cells to migrate to three-dimensional scaffold that is infused with the growth factor. This can yield an anatomically correct tooth in as soon as nine weeks once implanted in the mouth.” (Dentistry iQ)
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That is right. Scientists can help the body grow a new tooth in about two months. Gone will be the days of dentures and painful tooth implants.
“Key consideration in tooth regeneration is finding a cost-effective approach that can translate into therapies for patients who cannot afford or who are not suitable candidates for dental implants,” Dr. Mao said. “Cell-homing-based tooth regeneration may provide a distinct pathway toward clinical translation.”
In other words, it is may be a less expensive process. However, one thing that is known for sure is that it is far less invasive.
“Dental implants usually consist of a cone-shaped titanium screw with a roughened or smooth surface and are placed in the jaw bone. While implant surgery may be performed as outpatient procedure, healing times vary widely, and successful implantation is a result of multiple visits to certified clinicians, including general dentists, oral surgeons, prosthodontists, and periodontists.” (Dentistry iQ)
It might just be me, but the thought of a titanium screw anywhere near my mouth gives me the chills.
You can learn more here!
Credits: davidwolfe.com