For adults of a certain age, dental implant advertisements appear ubiquitous. But the price — at potentially thousands of dollars per tooth — might, for many people be a case of financially biting off more than they can chew.
What if, instead, they could regrow their pearly whites, perhaps at a fraction of the cost?
Approaches that replace — rather than patch up — teeth with crowns or fillings may be closer than you think. Scientists have been exploring multiple methods in the past few decades including RNA-based medicines, stem cell therapy, and mineral regeneration.
Putting RNA Where Your Mouth Is
The idea of regrowing teeth is not so far-fetched, because humans once had the ability to grow a third set. Katsu Takahashi, a researcher in Osaka, is leading a team to do just that.
Their premise is based on the notion that humans still possess the buds necessary to grow that long-lost third set. The problem is a pesky molecule named USAG-1 keeps getting in the way. That molecule quashes growth and seems intent on controlling how many teeth adults have in their mouth.
In 2023, Takahashi’s research group announced that it had developed a medicine to turn that molecule off. The approach involves using RNA to administer antibodies against USAG-1.
The team has already shown that the medicine works in animals. It is now being tested on humans. If those clinical trials find the medicine to be both safe and effective, it could be widely available as early as 2030.
Read More: Why You Should Be Thankful for Your Teeth
Tapping Stem Cells
Stem cells seem like a promising approach, because they are pluripotent — meaning a more generic progenitor cell can produce more specific offspring. The trick is controlling what kind and how many of the right kind of offspring can be coached from a stem cell parent.
A team from the University of Washington School of Dentistry in 2023 demonstrated proof of principal in the lab. They created organoids from stem cells that secrete the proteins that then form enamel.
It might be possible to patch up teeth with this approach. The team envisions using it as a living filling that would essentially regrow space formed by a cavity.
Mining Minerals
A similar approach leans on repairing enamel — but by growing minerals rather than living cells. In 2019, a team demonstrated this was possible, by chemically producing a gel containing calcium phosphate — a key component of enamel.
After creating the concoction, scientists from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China applied it to damaged tooth samples. The gel formed a three-micrometre-thick layer of enamel, according to the group.
Although none of these approaches are yet commercially available at your local dentist, their potential to fix or regrow damaged teeth should give people something to smile about.
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Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.
