Scientists Create Living “Replacement Teeth” for Future Dental Implants
In a groundbreaking development that could change the face of dentistry, scientists have successfully grown human-like teeth in a lab and implanted them into the mouth of a miniature pig. This bizarre yet fascinating feat, which feels like something straight out of a science fiction film, could revolutionize tooth replacement for humans in the future.
How It All Started
Researchers at Tufts University have been working tirelessly to develop a way to grow replacement teeth for patients who need them. Lead investigator Pamela Yelick and her team have been exploring ways to create functional teeth that fit into people’s mouths perfectly. The challenge of replacing missing teeth goes beyond just creating a new tooth — scientists also need to rebuild lost bone structures, which makes the process complicated.
Yelick scientist, who runs a tissue bioengineering lab at Tufts, explained that her team has been looking for ways to replace teeth using bioengineering. But the real breakthrough came when they experimented with a mix of bovine and human tooth cells, which were grown in bits of pig teeth.
The Tooth Recipe: A Mix of Bovine, Human, and Pig Cells
The scientist team used cells from various sources to grow these new teeth. The idea was to blend human tooth cells with bovine (cow) cells, growing them in scaffolds that contained pig tooth cells. This unusual combination led to the creation of teeth with properties that closely resemble human teeth. The research was published in a December paper in Stem Cells Translational Medicine.
Why pigs? Pigs have a remarkable ability to grow multiple sets of teeth throughout their lives, which makes them a suitable model for studying tooth regeneration. The Tufts team has been using pig cells from slaughterhouses for years, which is not only resourceful but also a little eerie, to say the least.
The Creepy Experiment with Rats
Before the recent scientist success, Yelick’s team had to get creative with their experiments. They once grew pig-human hybrid teeth on biodegradable scaffolds and implanted them into the abdomens of rats. While this might sound gruesome, the goal was to see how these lab-grown teeth would develop in a different environment. Surprisingly, the rats seemed unbothered by the procedure.
Though this previous experiment was a bit bizarre, it laid the groundwork for the success achieved in the latest round of research. By growing scaffolds using bits of bovine teeth and then implanting them into the jaws of miniature pigs, the researchers made a major breakthrough.
Lab-Grown Teeth Show Promise
After two months, the scientist researchers removed the lab-grown teeth from the pigs. The results were surprising. The newly grown teeth had developed hard layers of dentin and cementum — substances that are found in mature human teeth. Yelick was pleased to discover that the teeth were very “toothlike” and had developed some essential features of natural teeth.
However, the work is far from perfect. Yelick admitted that while they’re getting closer, they haven’t yet created “beautifully formed teeth.” But she remains optimistic, stating that they are one step closer to developing functional, biologically-sound replacement teeth for humans.
What’s Next for Dental Implants?
The potential implications for this scientist research are vast. If perfected, these lab-grown teeth could offer an alternative to traditional dental implants, which often don’t integrate well with the natural bone. By using biologically engineered teeth, patients could receive implants that grow and develop just like natural teeth.
For now, the team continues to improve their technique, hoping to eventually create functional biological teeth substitutes. Yelick and her team are confident that one day they will be able to offer these implants to people who need tooth replacements, providing a more natural and seamless solution to dental issues.
While there’s still much to be done, this scientist experiment is a promising step toward the future of dentistry. As science advances, we may soon see a world where lab-grown teeth are not just a sci-fi fantasy, but a reality that could change lives.
