Regenerative Dentistry

While it may sound as though this information has been pulled from some strange science fiction book, it is true that scientists are working on ways to generate teeth in laboratory conditions. Regenerative dentistry is what Dr. Paul Sharpe, a dental researcher at King's College in London, is calling the science of generating teeth from stem cells.

First, let’s discuss how teeth are formed. Babies are born not with visible teeth, but “proto-teeth,” also known as primordia, beneath their gums. The proto-teeth come from an interaction between epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Dr. Sharpe was able to form an artificial proto-tooth by culturing those cells and putting them together as they would come together naturally.

The idea is that instead of dentures or dental implants, patients could some day have a small ball of cells implanted where a missing tooth once was and could grow a new tooth.

The procedure is fairly simple, according to an article on the topic that appeared in The Guardian in 2004. Doctors would harvest stem cells from a patient and grow them in a laboratory to form teeth. After a couple of weeks, the ball of cells, known as a bud, would be ready to be implanted. Tests would reveal what type of tooth - for example, a molar or an incisor - the bud will form.

The tooth bud would then be inserted through a small incision in the gum while a local anesthetic is administered. In a matter of months, the cells would mature to create a fully-formed tooth that is fused to the jawbone. As the tooth grows, it would release chemicals that encourage nerves and blood vessels to link up with it.

Experiments in mice have been successful, so Dr. Sharpe said there is “no reason why it shouldn't work in humans, the principles are the same."