Could root canal procedures go by the wayside in the not-too-distant future?
Scientists from the University of Nottingham and Harvard University’s Wyss Institute hope so. They’re developing a new treatment strategy that could someday help heal a damaged tooth using the patient’s own stem cells.
Though the work is still in its early stages, and has not yet been tested in people, the scientists won an award from the Royal Society of Chemistry for their idea: regenerative dental fillings.
When dental pulp disease and injury happen, a root canal is typically performed to remove the infected tissues, explained Dr. Adam Celiz, Marie Curie Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham.
Instead of the current dental materials used on fillings, which are toxic to cells, the new approach harnesses stem cells instead.
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