UK Health Radio – Medical News Update No More Fillings

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

No More Fillings

Good news from the BBC today for those of us who do not enjoy a visit to the dentist.  Apparently a new idea to encourage teeth to repair themselves may see the end of dreaded whine of the dentist's drill, researchers have said.

A team of researchers at King's College London believe that electricity can be used to strengthen a tooth by forcing minerals into the layer of enamel which they hope will do away with the need for drills, injections and fillings.

A company has been set up to bring the technique to the dentist's chair in the next three years.

Minerals such as calcium and phosphate naturally flow in and out of the tooth but acid produced by bacteria munching on food in the mouth help leach minerals out. The group at King's applied a mineral cocktail and then use a small electric current to drive the minerals deep into the tooth.

They say "Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced Remineralisation" can strengthen the tooth and reduce areas of tooth decay.

Prof Nigel Pitts, one of the inventors and an investor in the new company, told the BBC: "This is early stage - you don't start with the finished product - but we're excited because we think it is ground-breaking.

"We have set up a company to convert it from a demonstration technology into a viable commercial product that we can put into the hands of dentists around the world."

He said the technology had the potential to replace the need for many existing fillings, but could not tackle large "end-stage" cavities.

"What it wont do is physically re-grow a tooth," he added.

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

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