Do You Only Have 2 Sets of Teeth? Scientists Don’t Think So
We were more than happy to lose our teeth as children. After all, the tooth fairy did leave behind some monies underneath our pillows. However losing a tooth as an adult can be traumatic. It’s life changing really. Almost everyone who is missing one or more teeth at older ages look towards dental implants or even dentures to help fix the gap in their smile.
Are you missing a tooth? If you are, chances are you’ve been looking or already have found a solution to restore your teeth. Scientists believe stem cell research is the future of modern dentistry, here’s why.
The Future of Stem Cells for Dental Treatment Looks Bright
Dentist promise dental implants to be the number one solution for missing teeth. While that’s true, modern dentistry isn’t going to slow down for dental implants. It didn’t for dentures! This is where stem cell research comes in!
In 2010, professors and researchers at Columbia University found a way to create a tooth using stem cell DNA. This was a breakthrough, one that turned the modern dentistry world on its head. With stem cells, we essentially have an unlimited set of natural teeth!
For patients, that’s everything to them. Instead of waiting six whole months to complete a dental implant procedure, stem cell treatment takes only a third of that time! As a bonus, you won’t have to worry about awkward cleanings or slippage at inopportune times. Since they are natural teeth, it takes only the works of a toothbrush, floss and mouthwash to clean them properly.
Stem Cell Research Versus Modern Day Dental Implants
When comparing them to dental implants, stem cell teeth do one thing they cannot. That one thing is restoring a chemical balance. What we’re talking about, are the chemical signals that relay from our teeth when they come into contact with one another. We see this the most when we’re chewing. When you’re missing a tooth, that signal stops and the remainder of your teeth awkwardly disposition themselves to cover the gap, leading to utter pain. In turn, this causes those teeth to grow weak and may cause them to loosen and fall out too. A stem cell tooth can prevent that, by restoring the chemical balance needed to keep your teeth in their place. Artificial teeth can stop your other teeth from shifting, but they don’t fully integrate like a natural tooth would.
Why Aren’t We Seeing Them Just Yet?
There’s so many benefits to having stem cell treatment, but the matter of fact is it’s too expensive. The cost of the treatment and the technology is too expensive for many dentist, who in turn pass on the cost of the procedure to their patients. No one is looking to spend thousands of dollars on a procedure they know works, but there are more affordable dental options to choose from. The goal though, is for the price of it to drop down so everyone can afford this unique and high-quality dental service.
In addition, the use of stem cells continues to remain in laboratories, for good reason. Stem cells research is taboo, as they are the building blocks of our biology. Unsurprisingly, people believe that stem cell research is playing with the powers of god (especially in the United States). For now, researchers and scientists are testing with mice until they’re given the thumbs up to take in human subjects.
This doesn’t mean we won’t being seeing stem cell research progress and open a new possibility to restore a missing tooth. We’ve come so far in medicine and technology, it’s only a matter of time before stem cells become the biggest thing in dentistry.
