In admittedly random health news, prepare to save on tooth-filling costs as scientists believe that an Alzheimer’s drug may help a tooth’s natural ability to repair itself.
Yes, you read correctly: you may soon be able to GROW your teeth back.
According to a team of researchers from the Dental Institute at King’s College London, a tiny molecule called Tideglusib that is used in an Alzheimer’s drug can also assist in pumping up the amount of dentine that is naturally produced in your mouth.
As reported by The Mirror, dentine works to protect the soft inner-tooth pulp against trauma and infection, but doesn’t produce enough to repair a tooth against cavities.
If researchers are right about this discovery, Oprah may be able to repair her teeth without a filling.
“The simplicity of our approach makes it ideal as a clinical dental product for the natural treatment of large cavities, by providing both pulp protection and restoring dentine,” Professor Paul Sharpe, one of the lead authors of the study, says.
“In addition, using a drug that has already been tested in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease provides a real opportunity to get this dental treatment quickly into clinics.”
This isn’t a scene from a movie – Demi Moore actually had to make an appointment with the dentist after she knocked a tooth out!
Kim Kardashian-West proves that even though she may not need a filling, it’s always important to get a check-up with your dentist.
This is also helpful as fillings used to fix cavities, usually made up of silicon- and calcium-based products, can be prone to infection.
And if infection strikes, dentists may have to move a larger area of the tooth just to treat it.
Any opportunity to minimise a dentist bill is a win for us!
