The best kind of teeth are your natural teeth, but you can’t help it if they get badly damaged or lost. Fortunately enough, dentures were created. Dentures or false teeth are removable appliances used to replace missing teeth and help restore one’s smile. An experienced dentist in Greenville, SC can come up with a variety of styles suited to the patient’s original tooth structure.

Real Teeth

But what if at some point in the future, prosthetics are no longer needed? Dentures have come a long way and new research done by Mary MacDougall, Associate Dean of the dental school at the University of Texas Health Science Center, shows that real human teeth can be grown in laboratory dishes. Amanda Onion of ABC News writes:

MacDougall has managed to grow the real thing, or at least parts of it, in her laboratories at the University of Texas. She and her students first dissected tissues borrowed from extracted wisdom teeth. Then they added extra genes to the tissue cells that make up the tooth’s outer shell, enamel and its inner hard surface, dentin so the cells would continue to replicate in culture. After nurturing these cells in moist conditions, the team soon had human tooth parts growing in culture.

Scientists also hope that one day, people will develop abilities similar to those of sharks, rodents or stingrays, and be able to grow new sets of teeth to replace the ones that have rotted away. Findings suggest that 25 different genes can prompt teeth to grow in humans. These can also be placed in empty tooth sockets to create bud-like tissues where new teeth can grow.

If these experiments are successful, they will help patients to save millions of dollars in dental work. Also, growing real human teeth means that people will no longer have to rely on prosthetics as a replacement for missing teeth. Until then, however, seeking help from a cosmetic dentist in Greenville, SC, like those from Falls Park Dentistry, is still the best thing to do.

(Dentures of the Future May Be Real Teeth: abcnews.go.com)