New Atlas

Medical Audio available

Human drug trials explore strange link between gum disease bacteria and Alzheimers

Rich Haridy January 23, 2019

A provocative new study is suggesting the same bacteria responsible for gum disease is also the primary pathogenic cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Not only that, but a new drug developed to inhibit these bacterial toxins and treat Alzheimer’s is moving into major human clinical trials later this year.

There is a hypothesis that the bacteria that causes gum disease can travel into the brain ...

Health & Wellbeing

New glue for braces may mean no more white blotches

Ben Coxworth October 22, 2018

Braces may straighten out people's smiles, but unfortunately they also often cause teeth to decay, resulting in off-putting white marks. There's hope, however, as an experimental new bonding glue for braces has been shown to prevent that decay.

White spot lesions on the teeth of a person who previously wore braces

Medical

Stem cells from baby teeth patch up dental injuries in clinical trial

Michael Irving September 11, 2018

Teeth can’t naturally repair themselves – so when a kid injures a permanent tooth at a young age, they’re stuck with that for life. But a new clinical trial has shown promising results in using dental stem cells derived from a patient’s baby teeth to bring a “dead” tooth back to life.

A new clinical trial has shown that stem cells taken from baby teeth can be used ...

Medical Audio available

Injectable hydrogel could keep root canals from killing teeth

Ben Coxworth August 22, 2018

When a root canal is performed, the infected dental pulp inside a tooth is replaced with tiny rubber rods – unfortunately this leaves the tooth dead, and thus likely to become infected again. A new procedure, however, may be able to keep such teeth alive and strong.

Traditional root canals, such as this one, leave teeth without any living soft tissue inside

Health & Wellbeing

Titanium dioxide-based whitening treatments may be easier on the teeth

Ben Coxworth July 19, 2018

Regardless of what you may think of the practise of teeth-whitening, it appears to not just be a passing fad – and it can harm peoples' teeth. Scientists from China's Nanchang University are out to make it safer, with an experimental new technique.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles have been shown to whiten teeth less harmfully than commonly-used hydrogen peroxide gel

Pets

Bristly doggy toothbrush lets your hound do the grunt work

Nick Lavars July 10, 2018

The American Veterinary Medical Association says that brushing a dog's teeth regularly is the best way to maintain their oral health, and Bristly is a new tool designed to let them do the grunt work.

The Bristly toothbrush for dogs is essentially a natural rubber toy said to offer a meaty ...

Medical

New MRIs are so strong, they could cause mercury to leak from your teeth

Matt Kennedy July 4, 2018

The fact mercury makes up roughly 50 percent of the content of dental amalgam is a contentious subject for many, and a new study that found MRIs can release the toxic heavy metal from fillings is sure to give those in the anti-amalgam camp even more to chew on.

A new study has found that new ultra-high-strength MRIs can cause toxic mercury to leak from ...

Health & Wellbeing

Chiiz sonic toothbrush is designed to give a 30-second all-teeth clean

Rich Haridy June 25, 2018

Reinventing the toothbrush seems to be an obsession for many inventors out there, and Chiiz is the latest gadget to designed to turn brushing on its head. Currently raising funds on Kickstarter, Chiiz is a sonic-powered automatic toothbrush that is claimed to clean all your teeth in just 30 seconds.

The Chiiz is the latest attempt to make a quick, easy, hands-free automatic toothbrush

Health & Wellbeing

New approach could grow materials that exactly mimic bone or dental enamel

Rich Haridy June 3, 2018

A team of researchers has uncovered a new approach to grow synthetic mineralized materials. This exciting breakthrough points to a future of regenerative medicine where doctors could mimic the regrowth of hard tissues including dental enamel and bone.

A close-up of the artificially-mineralized enamel-like material

Health & Wellbeing

Drug-dispensing dentures fight fungus

Ben Coxworth April 27, 2018

Almost two-thirds of denture-wearers in the US frequently experience what's known as denture-related stomatitis – fungal infections of the mouth. In order to try and bring that number down, scientists have recently created 3D-printed dentures that release fungus-killing medicine.

The prototype dentures, full of Amphotericin B