People often opt for laser treatments for their positive effects on the body, but according to new research growing a tooth may already be possible by using low-power lasers. Aside from the common dental uses of lasers for therapy and teeth whitening, the beams coming from the less powerful dental lasers could help activate dental stem cells which would enable damaged teeth to regrow.
The experiment conducted in the research mentioned above used lab rats as their test subjects. The scientists filled the rats’ molars, and one molar was laser-treated while the other was not. After 12 weeks of monitoring, they found out that dentins were growing better on the laser-treated molar.
Dentins are hard tissues that are identical to the bone that comprises a tooth. Although the dentins that grew on rats were not completely precise in terms of molecular composition, scientists believe that it can be enhanced with the right amount of laser exposure and experimenting on human teeth simultaneously.
Causes of Tooth Loss
A variety of reasons can cause a person to lose his tooth such as trauma, accidents, diseases, and even aging. Your teeth are strong tools used for chewing and breaking down pieces of meat, but not meant for chewing on pencils, breaking popcorn kernels, and even for removing bottle caps. Abuse your chompers and you might end up with none at all.
Diseases that can cause a person to lose his tooth include periodontal diseases, hypertension, and diabetes. Moreover, having poor oral hygiene and smoking are among the leading causes of tooth loss. Pregnant women and people with disabilities are also at risk of losing their teeth.
Preventing Tooth Loss
Patients who are at risk of losing their teeth must keep in mind their eating and dental habits. Regular brushing and flossing are simple steps that a person can do at home. Dentists recommend patients to have regular check-ups and special treatments, if necessary.
Teeth regeneration will be a great advancement in the dental field once it is fully developed. When this happens, patients could opt to have laser treatments instead of the usual tooth replacement procedures, but of course, it would all depend on the recommendations of their dentist. Needless to say, leading dentists in Greenville, SC will take advantage of this advancement once proven successful.
A dentist in Greenville, SC from an established practice like Falls Park Dentistry sees to it that their methodologies and equipment are up-to-date for the benefit and satisfaction of their patients. They may not have teeth-regrowing lasers yet, but who knows? You could one day be sitting on a dental chair, receiving laser treatment to regrow your damaged tooth.
(Source: Dentists May Soon Use Lasers to Regrow Your Teeth, Pacific Standard)