MONDAY, Jan. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Teeth might someday repair themselves using their own stem cells -- eliminating the need for conventional fillings, according to an experimental study published online Jan. 9 in Scientific Reports.
Paul Sharpe, Ph.D., 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 six weeks, as the sponge degraded, it was replaced by new dentine, leading to complete, natural repair, Sharpe told HealthDay.
"This simple, rapid natural tooth repair process could thus potentially provide a new approach to clinical tooth restoration," the authors write.
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