If you’re like most people, you probably hate getting cavities filled. The sound of the drill grinding away at your teeth is unnerving. It’s never exciting to hear the dentist say, “you have a cavity that needs to be filled.”
The discomfort of cavities and fillings go back as far as 6,500 years ago. There is evidence that early humans tried filling cavities using beeswax. Although cavity fillings might feel like anguish, they are necessary in keeping your dental health. Leaving dental decay untreated typically leads to more decay and infection, and when the infection reaches the center of your tooth, you will need a root canal. And, in the worse case scenario, you will have to have your tooth extracted.
There is good news for all of you out there that hate cavity fillings though. Researchers are looking for an easy, low-cost and natural cure for cavities. Scientists at King’s College in London found a way to stimulate the growth of dentine (the layer of tooth under the enamel layer), using an Alzheimer’s drug called Tidesglusib. Scientists soaked a small collagen sponge with the drug, inserted it into the cavity, triggering stem cell growth and dentine repair. They sealed the sponge in the cavity, and when they came back 6 weeks later, the biodegradable sponge had melted away, and the tooth was repaired. The approach would be a simple and it would be a low-cost way to naturally protect the pulp of teeth and restore the dentine level.
The catch? Researchers have only performed this experiment with mice. Since mice have much smaller teeth than humans, it is too soon in the trial to tell if this could replace traditional cavity fillings. First, they will need to try the approach with rats. If the drugs works with rats, they will begin a trial with humans. However, since the drug has already been approved for human use with Alzheimer’s disease, then it could be on the dental scene sooner rather than later.
