If you’re like me, you spend at least a few minutes daily thinking about the future of dental implants. No? Just me?
Well, here is some awesome news for those interested. Dr. Jeremy Mao has devised a plan to begin growing teeth in empty sockets! That’s right, growing!
Traditional dental implants can be a bit of a nightmare. They are normally screwed into the jaw and can take months to heal. Dr. Mao’s treatment considers using the prospective tooth’s host to do all of the work. Dr. Mao has created a tooth scaffold, out of completely natural materials, that will allow the body’s own stem cells to build up a tooth around the scaffolding. The newly forming tooth then molds with the tissue. The whole process takes up to nine weeks. Yeah Science! This is an awesome example of a stem cell growth experiment done in the human body, as opposed to a petri dish.
So, not only is the recovery time a lot quicker, but it is also a natural process that harnesses the resources of the human body.
While not widely available yet, and still in a very experimental process, people can look forwards to growing their pearly whites in a few year’s time.
What are your thoughts on this new innovation? Let me know @FreemanOrtho or below in the comments.