Improve Your Smile Today!
Office Hours:
Mon - Thurs | 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Our Customers Rate Us 4.9 Out of 5
5 stars icon
Based on 100+ Reviews!
dentist applying tooth filling

Regenerative Tooth Fillings: Is the future here?

dentist applying tooth filling

Tooth fillings today are mainly made of a variety of materials such as gold, porcelain, metal, and even composite fillings made out of resin. While helpful in covering the decay, fillings today simply cover up the damage and don’t help heal the tooth itself.

A promising discovery by UK scientists Kyle Vining and Adam Celiz could change that, ensuring that your tooth will not only be protected but also capable of regenerating and healing itself.

What are regenerative tooth fillings?

Regenerative tooth fillings are a biomaterial capable of stimulating the stem cells in the pulp tissue which would encourage the tooth to regenerate and repair the damaged dentin (the hard tissue that makes up the tooth).

This regenerative tooth filling is injected into the tooth and hardened through the use of UV lighting. In contrast to current tooth fillings, the material encourages the tooth to heal itself by regenerating pulp tissue as well as dentin.

It’s an alternate form of pulp capping, which ensures that the pulp tissue containing blood vessels, nerves, and other tissue inside of the tooth is kept alive and healthy. If not protected, the pulp could suffer damage or die, which may then require a root canal.

The materials used for pulp capping today do nothing more than protect, so the fact that a material has been developed that could help heal the damage is nothing short of an important step in general dentistry.

The substance itself would most likely not regenerate your entire smile back to its former white splendor, but it could result in fewer root canals performed.

The future of tooth fillings

While the news of a regenerative tooth filling might be encouraging, the team behind the discovery has yet to release more information about this new material.

Likewise, testing has been done only on rats under controlled lab conditions and as a result, the technology could be a few years away from being tested on humans.

More information and testing is needed before it can be used on a widespread scale.

Regardless, the idea of a tooth being able to regenerate itself through the use of stem cells is promising and could mean a revolution in the world of dentistry once it is implemented.

Tired of waiting for the future?

You can get a brilliant smile today without having to wait years for regenerative tooth fillings. Contact Lakeway Cosmetic Dentistry now and experience the difference!

Get started on your healthy, beautiful smile today!