Gel that can help decayed teeth grow back could end fillings

[xCLAVEx]

A gel that can help decayed teeth grow back in just weeks may mean an end to fillings.
The gel, which is being developed by scientists in France, works by prompting cells in teeth to start multiplying. They then form healthy new tooth tissue that gradually replaces what has been lost to decay.
Researchers say in lab studies it took just four weeks to restore teeth back to their original healthy state. The gel contains melanocyte-stimulating hormone, or MSH.
We produce this in the pituitary gland, a pea-sized gland just behind the bridge of the nose.
MSH is already known to play an important part in determining skin colour - the more you have, the darker your flesh tone.
But recent studies suggest MSH may also play a crucial role in stimulating bone regeneration.
As bone and teeth are very similar in their structure, a team of scientists at the National Institute for Health and Medical Research in Paris tested if the hormone could stimulate tooth growth.
Their findings, published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano, could signal hurtnot just an end to fillings, but the dreaded dentist drill as well. Tooth decay is a major public health problem in Britain. Around £45m a year is spent treating decayed teeth and by the age of 15, teenagers have had an average of 2.5 teeth filled or removed.
Decay is caused by bacteria, called streptococcus mutans, that live in the mouth and feed on sugar in the diet. Once the bacteria stick to the enamel, they trigger a process called demineralisation - they turn sugar in the diet into a harmful acid that starts to create holes in the teeth.
For decades, the main treatment for cavities has been to 'drill and fill'. However, an estimated one in five Britons suffers from dental phobia, a fear of dentists which means some would rather endure pain and suffering than face the prospect of having their teeth drilled.
The new treatment is painless. And although fillings halt decay, they can come loose and sometimes need refilling.
Experts believe new tooth cells would be stronger and a permanent solution.
The French team mixed MSH with a chemical called poly-L-glutamic acid. This is a substance often used to transport drugs inside the body because it can survive the harsh environments, such as the stomach, that might destroy medicines before they get a chance to work.
The mixture was then turned into a gel and rubbed on to cells, called dental pulp fibroblasts, taken from extracted human teeth. These cells are the kind that help new tooth tissue to grow.
But until now there has been no way of 'switching' them back on once they have been destroyed by dental decay. The researchers found the gel triggered the growth of new cells and also helped with adhesion - the process by which new dental cells 'lock' together.
This is important because it produces strong tooth pulp and enamel which could make the decayed tooth as good as new.
In a separate experiment, the French scientists applied the gel to the teeth of mice with dental cavities. In just one month, the cavities had disappeared. The gel is still undergoing testing but could be available for use within three to five years.
Professor Damien Walmsley, the British Dental Association's scientific adviser, said the gel could be an interesting new development, but stressed it is unlikely to be able to repair teeth that have been extensively damaged by decay.
'There are a lot of exciting developments in this field, of which this is one,' he said. 'It looks promising, but we will have to wait for the results to come back from clinical trials and its use will be restricted to treating small areas of dental decay.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...#ixzz2GqKr7MRy

Want to bet it never sees the light of day, at least in the U.S.? This would be a huge threat to dentists pocketbook.

[Djinn]

Originally Posted by xCLAVEx

Want to bet it never sees the light of day, at least in the U.S.? This would be a huge threat to dentists pocketbook.

If the ADA was that concerned with the bottom line, they wouldn't be in support of water fluoridation.

[xCLAVEx]

Originally Posted by Djinn

If the ADA was that concerned with the bottom line, they wouldn't be in support of water fluoridation.

I'm still certain that it won't see the light of day in the U.S. Though I would love to be wrong about this.

[Zero]

Omnigel!

[Omega53]

Meth addicts rejoice

[wangFu]

Will have to import some from yurp

[Munkus]

Originally Posted by xCLAVEx

Want to bet it never sees the light of day, at least in the U.S.? This would be a huge threat to dentists pocketbook.

Exactly. It will be one of many breakthroughs that have happened over the years but never make it to market because it will hurt existing profits.

[xCLAVEx]

Yep, yet another invention that could greatly aid humanity but is being held back due to the all mighty dollar.

[Fleksta]

Why would dentists try to hold it back? Instead of performing fillings, they would administer the gel. The article even states that it is only useful in specific instances of decay, probably only in very early stages.

[xCLAVEx]

Originally Posted by Fleksta

Why would dentists try to hold it back? Instead of performing fillings, they would administer the gel. The article even states that it is only useful in specific instances of decay, probably only in very early stages.

Because it reduces the amount of work a dentist would need to do on a tooth. The more work a dentist has to do, the more money they make.

Hell, people could even administer it themselves without a dentist needing to do it. Even if they charged $200 a tube it would cost far less than doing extensive dental work. Do you know how much a filling and then crown costs? Easily $800-$1000, even with insurance and, as the article mentions, fillings eventually need to be replaced and another crown needs to be bought. That's another $1000 dollars every few years. This gel, if it works as advertised, could eliminate the need for and even replace fillings in the first place.

[Sundance Kid V2]

Originally Posted by xCLAVEx

Because it reduces the amount of work a dentist would need to do on a tooth. The more work a dentist has to do, the more money they make.

Hell, people could even administer it themselves without a dentist needing to do it. Even if they charged $200 a tube it would cost far less than doing extensive dental work. Do you know how much a filling and then crown costs? Easily $800-$1000, even with insurance and, as the article mentions, fillings eventually need to be replaced and another crown needs to be bought. That's another $1000 dollars every few years. This gel, if it works as advertised, could eliminate the need for and even replace fillings in the first place.

yip.. very valid point

More $$ to be made from current fillings, than actually helping mankind with a gel like that!

Would be awesome to have this!!!

[jolle]

Yeah it´s not going to stop tooth decay is it?
The same people that would need new fillings would be going back for this instead.
It´s just another procedure.
I doubt it´ll be something you buy at the supermarket and administer yourself.
The teeth must surely be shaped by a dentist afterwards anyway, or is the regrowth supposed to reform the tooth as it originally was?

Also sounds like it´s likely only for regenerating smaller cavities.

[Hogrider]

They should hand it out like candy at Halloween in England...

[Munkus]

Originally Posted by Hogrider

They should hand it out like candy at Halloween in England...

[Djinn]

Originally Posted by xCLAVEx

Because it reduces the amount of work a dentist would need to do on a tooth. The more work a dentist has to do, the more money they make.

Under that argument, they wouldn't be handing out toothbrushes and miniature tubes of toothpaste.

[Alientank]

Kinda sad. I always get depressed about breakthroughs, because asshole rich ****wads prevent them from becoming reality.

[clerick]

Originally Posted by Alientank

Kinda sad. I always get depressed about breakthroughs, because asshole rich ****wads prevent them from becoming reality.

Steve Jobs had all the money in the world but still there was no magical cure for his cancer...

[Hogrider]

Originally Posted by clerick

Steve Jobs had all the money in the world but still there was no magical cure for his cancer...

Actually there was... but he was holding it wrong.

[clerick]

Originally Posted by Hogrider

Actually there was... but he was holding it wrong.

[Alientank]

Originally Posted by Hogrider

Actually there was... but he was holding it wrong.

Oh shi...

[OzzieBloke]

I think people are jumping to conclusions too quickly about dentists suppressing this in the name of the almighty dollar.

Think about it: The gel has to be applied only to the affected teeth; it can't be allowed to spread around the mouth or it would cause unwanted problems. In order to keep the gel over the tooth, new techniques in dentistry would have to be learned, like the development of tooth caps/guards that hold the gel where it needs to be and still allow the person to eat/drink/give head/etc. All these techniques could be just as expensive as putting in a filling and a crown.

And let's face it, if people aren't afraid of getting teeth drilled anymore, more are going to want to go to the dentist. Not to mention, people will now be *less* careful about tooth maintenance because there's a new "miracle" solution to decay... which means more work for dentists.

[xCLAVEx]

Originally Posted by Djinn

Under that argument, they wouldn't be handing out toothbrushes and miniature tubes of toothpaste.

Not necessarily. The ADA has already blocked other measures that could help people by reducing costs to the patient. I even posted a series of videos on it, check my off topic post history.

EDIT: Here you go, I found it for you.

Here is the thread;
http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php?t=33991628

[bill dennison]

stimulating bone regeneration

this will end with zombies with mutant teeth

t-virus gel

[MUTHA-Theresa]

I'm just gonna say, all of you people in here who are unjustly hating on dentists, even before this stuff has even been cleared for human use... are just scared of the big bad dentist "probably from childhood" and that's why you assume they want do bad things, because their evil and want to drrill all your teeth. BOOO!!

[MUTHA-Theresa]

We all have horror stories of the dentist, its ok not to be scared anymore

[koralis]

Originally Posted by xCLAVEx

Want to bet it never sees the light of day, at least in the U.S.? This would be a huge threat to dentists pocketbook.

Since when do drug manufacturers give a rip about how much a dentist makes? If there's a profit in it for the manufacturer, they'll push for the government to validate it so that they can manufacture.

If the government says it's safe, then dental insurance plans will insist that dentists use it as a cost cutting measure.

Since the government is now in the business of medical insurance, you can bet that there is incentive to let it come to market if it's effective.

[xCLAVEx]

Originally Posted by koralis

Since when do drug manufacturers give a rip about how much a dentist makes? If there's a profit in it for the manufacturer, they'll push for the government to validate it so that they can manufacture.

If the government says it's safe, then dental insurance plans will insist that dentists use it as a cost cutting measure.

Since the government is now in the business of medical insurance, you can bet that there is incentive to let it come to market if it's effective.

Watch the PBS video on the ADA and corporate dentists, then get back to me. The ADA will fight anything that cuts into their profits, regardless of whether it can save insurance companies money or not.

[Sundance Kid V2]

Originally Posted by bill dennison

stimulating bone regeneration

this will end with zombies with mutant teeth

t-virus gel

Zombies with good teeth

[Hyrax]

Originally Posted by xCLAVEx

I'm still certain that it won't see the light of day in the U.S. Though I would love to be wrong about this.

You cant fix stupid. People will say, **** brushing. There would be more decay and more use of the gel. Plus with a dentist mark-up. They should be fine profit-wise.

I am sure the government could regulate it as such so that only a 'certified expert' aka dentist can carry and apply the gel.

[xCLAVEx]

Originally Posted by Hyrax

You cant fix stupid.

You and I are in agreement there...I'll just presume that wasn't an ad-hominem and give you the benefit of the doubt.

I am sure the government could regulate it as such so that only a 'certified expert' aka dentist can carry and apply the gel.

Even so, there is no way they could justify applying a gel to your tooth and making it cost $1000 (current cost for crown + filling at most dentists). It should still bring the cost down for the consumer considerably.