Dentist visits typically don’t rank high on anyone’s list of enjoyable activities, but a new gel that can repair and replace damaged tooth enamel might change that. This innovative approach, developed by an international team led by researchers at the University of Nottingham in the UK, could help address a significant gap in our limited regenerative abilities. Naturally, our bodies can’t regrow tooth enamel once it’s lost, but restoring this protective layer on damaged teeth could potentially help combat further tooth decay.
The new gel, like some past attempts to regenerate enamel, essentially mimics the natural process of enamel formation. It fills in cracks and can be applied directly to bare areas of dentine, which is the tooth’s structure beneath enamel.
“When our material is applied to demineralized or eroded enamel, or exposed dentine, it encourages the organized growth of crystals that restore the architecture of healthy enamel,” notes Abshar Hasan, a pharmaceutical scientist at Nottingham.
Initially, enamel forms using a scaffold made from natural proteins called amelogenin. In this research, the team sought to replicate that scaffolding using elastin-like recombinamers, or ELRs.
This synthetic scaffold functions similarly to its natural counterpart, promoting the growth of new enamel through a process known as epitaxial mineralization. New enamel crystals develop from calcium and phosphate found in saliva or, in their experiments, from a special solution applied to extracted teeth after the scaffold has been formed.
Importantly, the newly formed crystals align seamlessly with any remaining natural dentine or enamel. The characteristics of this regenerated enamel indicate that it matches the strength of the material it is replacing.
“We have evaluated the mechanical properties of these regenerated tissues under conditions mimicking real-life scenarios—like tooth brushing, chewing, and exposure to acidic foods—and found that the regenerated enamel performs like healthy enamel,” Hasan mentions.
Tooth decay remains a significant health issue, prompting years of research into methods for replenishing worn enamel through the use of liquids and peptides. In the future, there’s a possibility that we might even develop techniques to grow entire teeth in laboratory settings for transplants.
This gel stands out as one of the most promising advancements yet. It’s relatively easy and quick to apply—something a dentist could handle—and researchers claim it surpasses current alternatives for this kind of application. They have even founded a start-up to pursue further research.
That said, there’s still a critical step before it can be widely used: testing it in actual human mouths rather than just laboratory conditions to verify its safety, which is a focus for the future.
“Our results suggest that this technology might offer a viable solution for regenerating dental enamel, regardless of the extent of tooth erosion,” the researchers conclude.
The findings have been published in Nature Communications.
