Reversing Tooth Decay
Fill up that tooth? Why not regrow it? No, it’s not the mercury that’s making me mad. Some exciting findings by Prof Sally Marshall from the University of California, San Francisco suggest that dentine (the layer of tooth substance just beneath the enamel) can possibly regrow with the help of a special calcium-containing solutionof electrically charged particles. By placing this liquid on individual tooth samples, Prof Marshall managed to remineralise some parts of the teeth. Thing to note - “some parts”.
Now is that exciting/frightening or what? As usual, this is the sort of discovery that will have everyone cheering until they see the bill. And the bill is often what decides whether an invention gets to be commerically produced at a pocket-friendly price. Personally, I don’t expect this system of “tooth regrowth” can be made feasible and affordable until the Koreans start manufacturing it.
I don’t believe in miracles. I don’t think you can wait for a tooth to wear itself down to its roots, drop a few drops of this magic liquid and it grows back to its original form. No filling or crowns required. Prof Marshall concedes that getting crystals to regrow throughout the dentine remains a challenge.
At best, we are looking at a novel preventive procedure. A tooth is caught in the act of decaying in your mouth. You scream “stop!” and get the decay police - your dentist to zap that misbehaving tooth with the magic liquid. Your wayward tooth obediently grows back and you’re happy to be able to tell your friends that you sold your car for this latest technology.
Give me a conventional filling any day.
