subject: A Revolutionary Way To Treat Tooth Decay [print this page] How would you like a way to stop tooth decay, rebuild damaged teeth and to have your fillings done without drilling? Yes, it sounds too good to be true. But that is exactly what happens with the revolutionary method of treating tooth decay that was developed by researchers at the University of Leeds, in the UK.
Working together with researchers in the University of Leeds School of Chemistry, researchers from the University of Leeds Dental Institute developed a magic fluid which dentists can apply to a patients tooth at the slightest observation of tooth decay.
Says Professor Jennifer Kirkham who led the team that developed the technique: This may sound too good to be true, but we are essentially helping acid-damaged teeth to regenerate themselves. It is a totally natural non-surgical repair process and is entirely pain-free too.
How it works
The fluid gets inside the tiny pores that begin the process of tooth decay and forms a gel. This happens because it contains a peptide called P11-4 which can assemble itself into a fibrous gel given the right conditions. The fibrous gel provides a structure on which calcium can build up, helping regenerate the tooth from the inside. This process can make drilling and painful fillings obsolete to a large degree.
But does it work in real patients, outside of labs?
Recently the technique was tested on a small group of adults whose dentists observed early signs of tooth decay and the results show that the peptide can actually help reverse acid damage and help regenerate tooth tissue.
Professor Paul Brunton who oversees the patient testing at the University of Leeds Dental Institute finds the results of the tests so far extremely promising. Says he: If these results can be repeated on a larger patient group, then I have no doubt whatsoever that in two to three years time this technique will be available for dentists ( Find A Dentist) to use in their daily practice.
Now wouldnt that be something you can look forward to? It is even more wonderful news to those who hate the dentists drill and suffer from dental anxiety even though drill may have nothing to do with the type of treatment they need.
