Sunday, September 27, 2015
Natural Tooth Restoration
In this Study by USC Herman Ostrow School Of Dentistry mouse and human incisor were compared to look at why mouse incisors are ever growing throughout their life while human incisor stop growing after crown development. Incisor is anterior teeth in most mammals (human have eight incisors, top and bottom). The study stated that incisors and molars develop similar in process for human and mouse. Molars are the large teethes at the posterior end of the mouth. It turns out that it the dental epithelial stem cells that control the cell proliferate or cell dormancy. The population of the incisors stem cells are ever growing while the stem cell population of the molar is dormant in mice.
The study also focuses on multiple pathways signaling to regulate stem cell. The author suggests that one day we can reactivate those stem cells in human incisors and molars to regenerate living tooth in the laboratory. Right now most dental restoration involve amalgam or porcelain but this study can change the field of dentistry by giving a more personal specific treatment by using patience own cells to treat dental restoration.
link to article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3951379/
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Pretty interesting stuff, even for a non-predental student. Especially since tooth decay and enamel erosion are typically viewed as irreversible damage. As a person with hypersensitive teeth, I'd be very interested in the question of whether the stem cells could regenerate enamel that might be used therapeutically.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking of my mom as I am reading this. Although I would not classify her as old, she does have full mouth dentures. The possibility of this being a form of treatment for future patients (maybe too late for my mom) is pretty mind-blowing. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI think this treatment approach is pretty interesting. I have a crown and the whole process was fairly invasive which involved grinding my tooth down to fit the mold of the crown going over it. I think it is a lot more appealing to the patient to replace their tooth ... with their own tooth. The application may be similar but having a self versus non-self being applied would be an advantage. It is interesting to look at other animals and how they continue to "grow" their teeth while our teeth are established at a fairly early age. It is a good idea to see how the stem cells can grow teeth and see how it can grow other things as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is fascinating! I actually read an article a while ago that talked about this subject. Researchers used rodents to test this new laser technique that could stimulate the stem cells to regrow dentin. To simulate tooth decay they actually drilled holes into their molars and applied adult stem cells to the damaged area. They used the laser to stimulate the cells and then sealed their teeth with a temporary cap for a couple weeks. After taking the X-rays they found that the dentin was growing back! Regenerating teeth is so much cooler than replacing them!
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