While we provide impeccable general and cosmetic dental procedures for a variety of patient needs, there are some individuals whose dental issues are far beyond what can be accomplished by modern dentistry. However, that may soon be changing thanks to the work of Chinese Duanqing Pei and his researchers at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health.Working with some other Chinese universities, The Medical News Today reports that Pei's team has found that stem cells derived from urine can be utilized to generate solid organs and tissues - including teeth.
Published in the open-access journal Cell Regeneration, the study shows that cells discarded with urea can become induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that can then be coaxed into tiny structures that resemble teeth. They system mimics normal tooth development, which results from an interaction between two different cell types - epithelial cells that produce enamel, and mesenchymal cells, which generate the other three main tooth components of dentin, cementum and pulp. Though the studies are still in very early stages, utilizing mouse cells instead of those of humans, the researchers believe human cells could be utilized in much the same way. This would mean that a tooth cultured in a jar could then be transplanted into the jawbone of a human patient form a fully functional tooth.
Hamlin Dental Group - the most trusted dentist in North Hollywood - might not be able to regenerate teeth from stem cells, but we're just fine with that! We're proud to simply provide our patients with the best treatment available when they require general or cosmetic dentistry procedures. To book an appointment, contact us today!
