STEM CELLS – THE FUTURE OF DENTISTRY

A beautiful smile isn’t only a sign of an enchanting outward appearance, but of a healthy body as a whole. For many years, dentists have been pondering questions, like how to get people to forget about prosthetics, the inconvenience of using dentures and the unpleasant smell that comes from under crowns. These questions not only already have an answer, but a practically proven result.

In 2000, scientists published the results of a study which stated that in the near future, teeth can be grown from stem cells.

A few years ago, scientists from Japan successfully grew a biological tooth identical to a real one and implanted it into a rat’s mouth.

Stem cells can also be used to grow bone tissue in cases of osteomyelitis or other defects. Currently, there have been 4 patients treated with this method. Five hundred milligrams of mesenchymal stem cells can grow 3 kilograms of bone tissue.

This discovery has become a breakthrough in all fields of dentistry!

Instead of treating, filling root canals, and setting dental fillings, a dentist can fix a defect using your own stem cells. The result of the procedure is a healthy tooth and a happy patient.

As many people know, stem cells are extracted from a patient’s bone marrow, but recent studies have confirmed that the perfect source of stem cells turns out to be wisdom teeth. In particular, papillary cells from which wisdom teeth develop. This is the reason why a lot of attention is being given to this subject in clinical and laboratory research.

This year, scientists carried out experiments concerned with the restoration of dental pulp with the help of a protein hydrogel. It’s a substance that can be injected into a tooth, and then becomes the base from which pulpocytes, nerves and blood vessels are grown. This method of treatment for pulpitis will be introduced to routine dental practice within the next 5-7 years.

New methods are also being developed for the treatment of periodontitis, periodontal disease and osteomyelitis, using the concept of introducing stem cells into the defective tissue.

Dental technologies are improving every day and are steadily moving forward. We hope that in the near future people can forget about toothaches and the downsides of prosthetics thanks to stem cells.