Health & Wellbeing

Nanofilm could bring dead teeth back to life

Nanofilm could bring dead teeth back to life
In the future, dentists may use a special nano-sized film to bring diseased teeth back to life rather than remove them (Photo: iStock)
In the future, dentists may use a special nano-sized film to bring diseased teeth back to life rather than remove them (Photo: iStock)
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In the future, dentists may use a special nano-sized film to bring diseased teeth back to life rather than remove them (Photo: iStock)
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In the future, dentists may use a special nano-sized film to bring diseased teeth back to life rather than remove them (Photo: iStock)

The words "You need root canal treatment" are not what you want to hear when you visit the dentist, even though millions of teeth are saved every year by the procedure. While the root canal procedure has a high success rate, it still leaves a dead tooth in the mouth. That could be about to change, however, with scientists reporting development of a nano-sized dental film that may bring diseased teeth back to life.

The root canal is the space inside the tooth. Soft tissue, or pulp, containing the tooth's nerves and blood vessels fills this natural cavity. If the pulp or nerves are damaged, due to decay or a cracked tooth for example, bacteria can cause infection in the tooth. Left untreated, an abscess could develop and cause damage to the bone around the teeth.

In years past, teeth with diseased or injured pulps were removed. More recently, root canal treatment has allowed dentists to remove the damaged pulp and retain the tooth.

Regenerative endodontics, the development and delivery of tissues to replace diseased or damaged dental pulp, has the potential to provide a revolutionary alternative to pulp removal.

Scientists have combined a substance called alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone (or alpha-MSH), which has anti-inflammatory properties, with a widely-used polymer to produce a material that fights inflammation in cells in dental pulp. Nano-films containing alpha-MSH could help revitalize damaged teeth, and even reduce the need for a root canal procedure.

The research was recently published in the journal ACS Nano.

5 comments
5 comments
Anumakonda Jagadeesh
Very good innovation for decayed tooth.

Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
James McAllister
I think this application of nanofilm will be very limited. The dental pulp is very sensitive to bacterial challenge and it doesn\'t last long when it\'s been infected. And once a pulp is dead, that\'s it. You can\'t regenerate it because it\'s either putrified mush or dried beef jerky.
heldmyw
I will watch for developments with great interest.
It is just a bit to the left of magic to be able to regenerate a dead or diseased tooth.
Frankentooth! Calling Mary Shelley!
DC Palmer
\"for I tell thee, Sancho, a mouth without teeth is like a mill without a millstone, and a tooth is much more to be prized than a diamond;\"


from Chapter 18, Don Quixote, Cervantes
Jose Lopez
scientist have invented a lot of things that people thought were impossible. i think this is matter of time and monetary interest. Dentists make a ton of money every year performing root canals and other procedures. I don't think they want a one time permanent solution for dental problems.