Can we heal teeth? The quest to repair tooth enamel, nature's crystal coat :
Tooth enamel is one of the hardest tissues in the human body. It acts as a protective layer for our teeth, and gives our smile that pearly white shimmer. But when enamel erodes, it can't regrow itself.
In a significant scientific breakthrough, researchers recently discovered a way to regrow human tooth enamel.
Scientists from China have invented a gel that contains mineral clusters naturally found in teeth. In partially acid-damaged teeth, the gel stimulates crystal regrowth to restore tooth enamel back to its original structure.
While the method is yet to be tested on people, one day this could mean saying goodbye to painful needles, the dreaded dentist drill, and even fillings.
What is tooth enamel?
Enamel is the outermost layer of our teeth, and protects our pearly whites from wear and tear. It also insulates us from feeling pain and sensitivity.
When this protective coat erodes, our teeth soften and become vulnerable to developing cavities (holes in the teeth) which may require dental treatment such as fillings.
Tooth enamel contains the same minerals, calcium and phosphate, found in bone. Unlike bone though, enamel contains relatively more mineral, and enamel crystals are arranged in a complex geometrical pattern.
Under a microscope, enamel crystals are shaped like long ribbons, or spaghetti strands. These crystal strands are assembled into clusters, like packets of dry spaghetti, orientated at 60 degrees to each other. The ribbon clusters, which weave together like honeycomb, are known as rods and inter-rods.
When destroyed, this weave is difficult to recreate, because the cells that form enamel die as our teeth emerge from our gums.
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