One of the main fears we all have is the loss of teeth as we grow older and our teeth wear out, because human teeth do not grow back. When humans lose their baby teeth, permanent teeth grow in their place, but when these permanent teeth are lost, they are gone for good. Tooth loss causes difficulty with chewing, causes oral disease, disfigures the face and leads to speech problems.
The only options we have are that of dentures or tooth implants; where an artificial tooth root is fixed into the jaw to hold a replacement tooth in place.
Worry no more, say researchers! Soon, you may be able to go to your dentist and get new teeth – grown to order – in your own mouth.
Latest research on growing new teeth
Researchers have made major advances and grew a new mouse tooth. Human teeth come next! They are hugely excited about this, as this is a major step in bioengineering, and they hope this will lead them to human organ generation someday.
Mice, unlike sharks do not grow new teeth if a tooth is completely removed; although their frontal teeth continue to grow. But now scientists managed to grow a new tooth in a mouse by using stem cells.
In dental biology, the presence of dental epithelial stem cells in continuously growing teeth has been recently discovered. It was seen that the niche for these adult stem cells is formed at the apical end in tooth development. The new concept is that the eternal tooth buds are formed at the apical end in the development of continuously growing teeth.
Researchers found that a single gene seems to be responsible for preventing growth of new teeth in species limited with one set of teeth, and they bred mice without that particular gene (Osr2). Removing the Osr2 gene resulted in a cleft palate, a common birth defect where both the halves of the roof of the mouth do not join properly, and leave a gap. Another thing that happened was that the mice grew extra teeth next to their first molars, like sharks and other non-mammals.
Apart from finding the growth of extra teeth outside of the normal row, researchers also found that removal of the Osr2 gene also helped them come up with a theory of how teeth are formed in such perfect alignment with one another without forming too close, with the exception of the wisdom teeth (third molars) that usually form too close and are pulled to create space.
Researchers at the Tokyo University, conducting this study bioengineered a tooth germ – a seed that contains cells from a mouse embryo. This contained genetic instructions “to build a tooth,” and then transplanted this “tooth germ” into the jawbones of adult mice, in the empty tooth sockets.
Results of the research
The result astounded them – new teeth grew from the bioengineered tissue through the gums, just as an original one would. After eleven weeks, once the tooth matured, it looked and felt the same as a natural tooth. The best part is that the mice could eat with the new teeth as perfectly as they did with their natural teeth. The teeth have also been seen to develop nerve fibers that could feel pain.
Dr. Fei Liu, a researcher at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the Texas A&M Medical Science Center said that the research provides convincing proof that teeth grown through bioengineering can be perfectly functional.
Who will benefit?
This development could prove to be a blessing for people with malformed teeth or with a cleft palate.
According to Dr. Elsas, from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, “Tooth regeneration could be useful particularly in infant malformations such as cleft lip and palate, and other malformations involving teeth and bone of the oral cavity.”
How about generating teeth as replacements for synthetic implants or inlays?
As good as that sounds, researchers say there is a problem with generation of teeth in humans. They have not yet found the cells needed to start the tooth generation process in humans. They hope that soon they may be able to use a person’s own cells without having to use cells from embryos.
I’m sure today’s baby boomers are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping that researchers find a solution soon.
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The title of the above story is misleading to the reader. There were many stories on the subject about growing new teeth, for the past ten years but none was titled..."Now you can grow new natural teeth to order". Shame on you Usha!
Hi Engel,
I'm sorry you feel that way. The article is about the the latest research that reveals the possibility of growing new teeth, which we could never have imagined earlier. Would it have been better to use the same titles that have been used before?
Shame on me?:) I certainly appreciate you speaking your mind, but it could have been better expressed. I'm not ashamed but certainly "confused!"
Regards,
Usha
Note to our readers:
I'd like to let our readers know that every article that goes on our site is thoroughly researched to ensure complete accuracy. We ensure that we bring our readers ONLY FACTS based on our research.
We have received an email from Amanda White saying that this article is misleading and that my post above was uncalled for.
Regarding the article, I would like to clarify that every single detail contained within this article has been retrieved from various government resources. The only thing we do is make sure it is written in an easy to understand language.
As far as my post above goes, I would like to let Amanda White know that she, and each and every one of our readers are extremely important to us and we value their patronage. We would never want to displease anyone.
Regards,
Usha
iv heard of this but years back but yea so how far is it from being used on real people to test it ill test this out if possable lol but if something does go wrong will whoever pay for the repairs but other than that im ready to try it
I completely agree with you K. Engel, considering I am not planning on outliving my teeth I was online looking for a solution over suicide, and this misleading glimmer of hope came as nothing but a another punch in the face with the same crap people have been spewing for the last 20 years.
But you said we could order them now...
Hope it comes soon, hate having teeth pulled, 4 gone so far. I think the big soda companies should be backing the research!!
Question:
Would such a treatment only work on a freshly pulled tooth with an open socket or could it be applicable to well healed gums where a tooth has already been extracted? As I believe it the jaw bone grows and obviously the gum heels together. As this heeling process has already happened would the stem cells recognise the structure of the newly heeled area as it is. Or would they know that a tooth should indeed be there.
Craig
I have the same questions as Craig.
This would be my dream come true!!!!! I will be waiting in great anticipation to see if this materializes! I HOPE so!!!
GOD shows men and researchers miracles everyday, I thank and apreciate all the hard work that is done to help someone that has problems in any aspect of their life. GOD BLESS all the researchers in all thier future endevours. my son suffers with bad teeth everyday of his life and no money to get help. Beth
yes this is marcus hill and my teeth are my confadence and i need that just the same but i need to get something together
this is very promising to me as i have tried dentures, but they where so very uncomfortable that i cant wear them, and my own jaw bone where the dentures where was growing causing problems for me, the dentist says the dentures where irritating my jaw underneath the gums in the back causing my own jaw bone to grow so rapidly that my dentist actually thought for a while that my own mouth was trying to regrow my own molars back on its own, so he had me remove my top dentures to see what was happening, it wasnt until he took another xray only 4 months after i had started wearing the top dentures that this new xray showed the that my jaw under the back molars area was growing, it was in the shape of new teeth which felt to me as if i was actually teething as the gums hurt just like a childs gums hurt when they are cutting new teeth, and the area has the shape of a new molar coming thru, but the xrays showed it was bone so my dentist said he felt it was the jaw bone growing not new teeth growing, but i am not so sure myself thats it jaw bone, as its the shape of new teeth and i feel points on the ends poking thru my back gums, its stops for a while then starts back up again, but now i cant even wear the top dentures anymore. the area started growing as soon as my dentist pulled my teeth on the back and sides of my top of my mouth area. its very unusual and my dentist says he has never seen anything like it, plus on the front top area where my front teeth where pulled he says there is what appears to be baby teeth forming they are very tiny he has tried to explain them away as pieces of teeth that never came out after they where pulled, but i told my most recent dentist after my front ones where pulled an xray was taken to make sure back then that no pieces where left in my gum at all, and now years later there is what appears to be small baby teeth my dentist just cant explain it. and the gums are very sore and feel just like i am teething, but its taking so very long for this process to occur. so i dont know if my own body for some reason is trying to regenerate my own teeth and i know that sounds very strange, but i have heard of others who in rare cases did regrow their teeth, i know when i had my first set of baby teeth when i was a child i actually had several extra baby teeth form to the point they had to be pulled as they had grown in behind the normal set and where pushing the normal set forward, so the dentist when i was child he had to pull all the extras, and at that time my father said that the dentist back then said for some strange reason my own body seemed to have the regeneration process activated to grow teeth even when i didnt need them as a child, but seemed like now as an adult everytime a tooth was pulled while the skin was soft and unscared on the gums the process seemed to activate, but soon as the gums became scared and hard then the process slowed down dramtically, so if there was a way to keep the gums soft and unscared i think my body would regenerate teeth fully.
but i think i am maybe an ideal candidate for this process of regrowing and regenerating teeth and i am very willing to become a lab rat persay for those investigating this process of using stem cells and i feel that if the gums are made pliable and soft and unscared then i think my own body would regenerate for some reason i think my genes or my genetic process somehow wants to regenerate my teeth to grow on its own, but everytime the gums become scared after a tooth is pulled it slows down, but my own jaw in the back near where my molars and my extra wisdom teeth used to be that area is continueing to grow, and its very frustrating and painful when my own dentist cant explain it. i keep having to put orajel on that back gum area as its feeling like a child does when they teeth and that pain comes and goes, sometimes i can actually feeling the pressure and pressing down on the gums of something growing and trying to push thru the gums, the gums keep getting more and more scared from the loss of the teeth and i think thats causing it to be hard for whatever is occuring to actually finish the process. so if anyone doing this stem cell research wants to help me to regenerate my own teeth i would greatly appreciate, as i have lost 90% of my teeth from medications i was given after several surgeries i had, and the medications damaged my teeth and dried them out and my physician didnt know that the medications would cause dry mouth, i kept complaining of dry mouth and was simply told to drink more water and that didnt help, it wasnt until just last year after having been on this medicaiton now for nearly 7 yrs and having lost most all my teeth that last year my physician finally realized that i was right that it was the medication that caused my tooth loss, and she finally believed me becuase now there is medical documentation that this medication causes dry mouth which leads to tooth loss but back when i first got on the medication there was no documentation on this fact, and back when i started it the medication makers of it claimed it had no relationship to my tooth loss and they tried to deny there was anything related to my tooth loss to the medication i was taking, well now they know differently, but now its to late i have lost nearly 90% of my teeth, i only have 5 of my bottom front teeth left now, and those 5 front bottom ones are in bad shape but they have tried pulling them and cant seem to get them pulled as they say there some nerves surrounding the damaged teeth which they now say i will have to go under surgery to have them pulled and i cant afford the surgery to have them pulled. so i live everyday in excruiating pain i can barely eat food and it hurts horribly to drink anything cold across those last bottom front teeth.
i want so badly to get them pulled and to find out what is causing this pain in my gums which have the feel and symtoms of teeth regrowing on the top front and back top sections of my gum area where i have no teeth where those where pulled some year ago and some several years ago.
contact me if your interested in using me for testing and possible human stem cell research one day, i am very open and willing to do whatever necessary to help with this research .
thanks, angela
p.s. i miss my teeth so much i used to be a beautiful model 20 yrs ago, and i am a very pretty single mother now, but without my teeth i wont even go any dates as i have no smile anymore and none of this was my fault at all.
my facebook page is. http://www.facebook.com/angelastar
so you can see what i look like, and i never smile in any of my photos on my facebook as i am so embarressed having no teeth anymore. even my own sons say mommy i wish yo had teeth we miss your smile so much. only 7yrs ago i had a beautiful smile but when my physician put me on this medication after my major back surgery i had and my right knee replacement surgery this medication dried out my own natural teeth and they became so weak there was no choice but to pull them i was told. i cried when i was told this had occured and none of it was my fault .
thanks angela
I don't think this is strange at all, you could very well be growing new ones, the body will regenerate everything and heal all that is wrong with it if we allow it to. Dental, Medical, Insurance industries are making dollars, that's all. A lot of what they do is unessessary. Ive lost entire toenails only to have new ones grow back and I thought something was seriously wrong with me, but my body was getting rid of the old and damaged ones to grow new ones. Same with our organs, they will heal and regenerate themselves with healthy diets, detoxes, and the right mindsight. Once we as people realize this, the possibilities are endless. :) I'm a single mom too, stay strong and beautiful!
hope it very soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon ,i want to back my teeth ..become self consious...plz do it sooon in pakistan
where can I find a dentist that does teeth stem cells?what is some web sites please help.
Heartiest welcome to the scientists for thos huge achievement.I will be waiting as i am very much sad after loosing front tooth and doing with an implant,i a, ready to pay fpr the research too and would be the first to have it.
Another alternative could be cloning so that to take out the clones teeth and place over our gums as DNA is same and teeth can be attached within 30 minutes