Dental issue has occurred not only for adults but also for children. It affects many people and leads to gum disease, missing tooth for adults and even cavities. Several common treatments perform implants which is very similar to natural teeth. However, the use of implants can cause continuous issue as inorganic material is used. Fortunately, recent scientific report shows we can grow our teeth naturally.
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| Cavities happened to adults and children are very painful Image is downloaded from www.naturallivingideas.com |
Infections occurred to human's teeth can be affected by many causes, and one of them is from eating. Chemical reaction happened due to the gumming process generates cavities if the individuals did not clean the left food. Nevertheless, with the discovery of stem cells, the scientists from Kings College London believe the infection teeth can repair themselves. How can they do that?
Auto Repairing System in Human Teeth
The natural system in preventing cavities in human begins when the cell produces a thin band of dentine. This band acts similar like a protector, so it covers the whole tooth pulp. This auto-immune system actually is designed to prevent any pathogen bacteria which can cause cavities and as the subsequent effects, the nerve system is disturbed particularly generating pain. The band is clinically named as dentine which is produced by particular parts inside the mesenchymal cells called odontoblasts.
Interestingly, the injured teeth no longer can be restored naturally as the same time human grows to adults as at certain age many people had removed the carries. Therefore, medical treatments used today are merely replacing it with mineral or inorganic substances. In short-term using, these aggregates are not hazardous, but the activities of oral could lead into danger issue since the chemical reaction involved during the eating process.
Paul T. Sharpe with his team of the Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology of Dental Institute in Kings College London, the United Kingdom has discovered new method in replacing the use of inorganic compounds. Based on the paper, there is an enzyme which triggers the Wnt/beta-cat signal transduction and it stimulates the beta-catenin to enter the nucleus. This process had been confirmed that the absence of Wnt ligand leads to degradation of teeth.
Repair Teeth Through Enzym
As the explanation above, he suggested that by providing the Wnt ligand, the restoration of teeth from dentine formation can be stimulated. Hence, this means they need to use an effective enzyme to inhibit the restoration process. One of the biological molecular protein which can do the stimulation process is glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) which is classified as a protein with a serine/ threonine kinase. This enzyme has been widely used and developed for the Alzheimer patients. The research also had performed the GSK3 inhibitors in three small molecules and found interesting results.
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| Experimental results showed the evidence of tissue regeneration (Photograph is credited by Kings College London, UK -- Paul T. Sharpe) |
This research had been successfully restored the dentine formation in an experimental model. The damaged tooth was examined by inserting the sponges after drilling process similar in common medical treatments in tooth cavities. For four to six weeks, the growing of dentine was monitored through the micro-computed tomographic and the results were very interesting because the device was able to quantify the numbers of dentine which had been restored. The result showed that there was an increasing level of mineral twice higher compared to controlled tooth and the following decalcification was covered suggesting there was a reparative dentine restoration. This experiment had led and given us about the breakthrough of treating cavities could be achieved as remaining pulp is occurred without capping glass ionomer.
Conclusion
The use of inorganic mineral in covering the cavities within tooth could be damaging. Since the chemical reactions always occur, the healthy tooth could be affected. With this experiment, actually, we could prevent any continuous damages and even repair the cavities, missing teeth by injecting the glycogen synthase 3 (GSK3), which is widely used for Alzheimer's treatment. The simulation conducted by the enzyme also becomes evidence that the tissue regeneration was created and this method is clinically approved non-hazard as biomaterial used as a carrier (collagen sponge).
*Victor C.M. Neves, Rebecca Babb,
Dhivya Chandrasekaran, Paul T. Sharpe. Promotion of natural tooth repair by
small molecule GSK3 antagonists. Nature. Scientific Reports: 7:39654.
DOI:10.1038/srep39654