Move over, fillings. Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, are working to remineralize and restore upper layers of teeth eaten away by cavities.
Researchers are delving into extracted human teeth, filling them with a calcium and phosphate-containing solution in attempt to remineralize the tooth, said Sally Marshall, researcher and professor in the Division of Biomaterials and Bioengineering at UCSF.
"What we want to do is restore properties as they were in the original tooth," Marshall said.
And they're 60 percent of the way there, she said.
"(Sixty percent is) not good enough, but it's a step in the right direction," she said.
Marshall said she is not working to literally re-grow teeth, but to retain and preserve the tooth structure that's already present.
"Anything you can do that helps eliminate the removal of that structure is good," Marshall said.
Marshall said the goal of remineralization (restoring lost minerals) is to use the mechanical properties of the tissue to restore the enamel. Small dental caries, or cavities, are relatively easy to remineralize because collagen fibrils and apatite crystals on the outside of the tooth are primarily mineral, Marshall said.
As Marshall's research grant ends its second year, she said she doesn't know how much longer it will take to fully remineralize a cavity-stricken tooth. But she said she eventually sees tooth remineralization as common practice in dentists' offices.
"The goal is to make something that is useful to anyone," Marshall said.
Daniel Bures, adjunct assistant clinical professor in Marquette's School of Dentistry who also practices privately in Milwaukee, said there is probably a chance patients will see remineralization sooner rather than later.
"Frankly, the field is moving so quickly that it could be a few years," Bures said.
Bures added that the destruction of human teeth is quite common, and said once decay gets past the enamel, it can progress quickly.
"Tooth decay is the most prevalent disease on the face of the earth," Bures said.
Natural bacteria that aid in digestion process sugary foods into an acidic environment in the mouth. This can eat away at the tooth structure and cause decay, Bures said. The decay generally begins with the demineralization of the enamel, the protective outer-most layer of the tooth.
"Most people think that bones are the strongest (structure in the body), but it actually is the enamel," Bures said.
The decay can then progresses into the dentin layer below. If the carie is not detected and eliminated with a filling, it can progress deeper into the pulp of the tooth, Bures said.
Dental pulp is the soft connective tissue made up of blood vessels and nerve endings that brings nutrients to the tooth, said Gary Stafford, professor in the School of Dentistry. Cavities that reach this deep into the tooth require root canal therapy, he said.
Stafford said because it is possible to remineralize the enamel but not the dentin or pulp, early intervention is key.
"(The) whole purpose is to catch a lesion early, thereby alleviating necessity for a filling," he said.
Stafford said dentistry has always been about prevention, and remineralization will help to slow down the process of decay.
"In the last years there's been a paradigm shift to focus more on remineralization versus the restoring process," he said.
As added benefits, the calcium and phosphate used in remineralization are known to help strengthen tooth enamel, buffer plaque acid, reduce sensitivity and reverse white spot lesions such as those left after braces, he said.
"We can be less invasive if we can help strengthen, be as conservative as possible and preserve enamel that is there," Stafford said. "That's the best thing that can happen."