New Teeth-Regrowing Candy Leaves Scientists Smiling

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, but its major drawback is that it’s irreplaceable – however, researchers may have found a way to change this.

A team of academics from the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle, Washington have developed an experimental lozenge made with amino acids – the building blocks of protein – that could encourage teeth to regrow the missing material.

When a tooth wears down, it exposes the delicate inner parts to air and liquids, which can cause pain and lead to further decay, eventually requiring a trip to a dentist.

This is where the UW crew’s new discovery comes in: sucking on the lozenge binds the genetically-engineered proteins to the user’s teeth and repairs the affected layers of enamel.

So far, clinical tests have seen positive results on the teeth of humans, pigs and rats.

The team have also been developing a toothpaste that could not only preserve, but restore teeth, which has the potential to be a major leap forward in the field of dentistry and oral hygiene.

Regenerating chompers sound like something from science fiction, but further studies will eventually reveal the moment of “tooth”.

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