Researchers hope tooth regeneration gel will reduce the need for fillings
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 1st 2010 4:46PM
posted July 1st 2010 4:46PM
We may still not have jetpacks or flying cars, but it looks like the 21st century might be about to get a bit more futuristic. As Discovery News reports, a study published in the ACS Nano journal is offering some fairly convincing evidence that a new type of hormone gel could potentially regenerate teeth and eliminate the need for fillings in at least some cases. According to the French scientists behind it, the gel has already managed to make cavities in mice "disappear" after only a month, and the peptide used in the gel, MSH, has also previously been shown to encourage bone regeneration. Of course, it will be a little while yet before your dentist puts down the drill -- the researchers say there still needs to be "several years" of clinical trials, and note that it likely won't replace fillings altogether (or prevent them).
MSH???
Isn't that the stuff that is in Chinese food?
@ElCapitan
You're thinking MSG
@ElCapitan
isn't that MSG?
@ElCapitan
Dentist Drills and jaws just hit the floor around the country...
@elijahblake
so they can re grow bone/teeth but still can't help the Bald Dentist in the Picture.. Isn't Science awesome!!!
@ElCapitan That's MSG and MSG is bad for you as it's a type of artificial salt
@elijahblake
he shaves that part of his head to seem intelligent and wise.. ask me.. i'm a scientist (chemist)..
@samisax
Woohoo science and tech nerds! :P
@MichaelJJackson
Actually MSG is naturally occurring and is not bad for you though some people have slight reaction to it when taken in excess. Just look up Umami. The Japanese use MSG in much of there food products and you don't see them dropping like flies. You're just perpetuating myth started in the 80's by a bunch of ignorant health nuts.
@elijahblake
HEY, I beg your pardon! Bald is beautiful.
I happen to be follicularly challenged.
@elijahblake That's a shot from the famous drilling scene in "Marathon Man" btw.
@lostabroad @MichaelJJackson
MSG isn't bad for you because it's a salt, and the fact that it's naturally occurring is irrelevant. It's short for "Monosodium Glutamate", and it's the "Glutamate" bit that is bad for you - it's an excitatory neurotransmitter (aka MAJOR brain chemical). When you eat it your brain fires more quickly and everything tastes/feels much better.
Basically it's a drug and (like any drug) it's best to avoid it.
@TheNexxuvas only cheap Chinese food uses MSG. Anyway, heavy uses of MSG originates from Japan.
@darkmax
Pringles is full of Mono Sodium Glutamate as are many other processed snacks and foods.
Im going to skip me dentist appointments untill this thing is out on the market
@Zeddy I can't read your post without applying a cockney accent in my head.
@Zeddy Ive been waiting for this and the cavity vaccine for a little while
@Hexydes i can see why, it was supposed to read "my" not "me" =P
Wonder if it can rebuild lost enamel from acid erosion from my years of drinking juice and mountain dew... that would be so sweet. :)
Unfortunately, I think the drill will still be necessary with this.
Pshh, drilling is much more fun. besides, how is this going to clear up the rotten decay thats already inside your tooth?
@irfan
the bigger question is how do they know how to get the tooth to stop growing? I mean if you've ever gotten the white fillings and they're just a tiny bit too much then it's some VERY bad pain. Imagine your whole tooth growing too big
can we put this in tooth paste?
:-o
How long will it be until we have medigel?
Wow, if this actually works it will be the greatest invention of the 21st century. I have like 10 fillings, if my teeth could "regenerate" holy cow.
Was it last year that they figured out how to put "tooth seeds" in mice's mouths from which a perfectly healthy tooth grew? Looks like our kids won't ever have to worry about tooth decay, lucky bastards!
me likeee!
Don't worry this has obviously been reported incorrectly. First off you can't apply a gel and regrow enamel (which is what you would need to eliminate cavities in mice). The cells that form enamel are lost as soon as your tooth comes into your mouth and you can't regenerate them as enamel is acellular. Unlike bone which is constantly being made and lost teeth are not, unless this gel somehow causes mutation of your cells to something that can make enamel it's not going to work. Also dentists would love it if it did work because it would make us a ton of money, and would replace dental implants. There is no way you could apply this miracle substance at home even if it did work it would need to be placed into the jawbone
@newdeal99 dont you love when people ask for this crazy, likely dangerous, stuff that doesnt work like they think its supposed to... yet complain about mercury poisoning?
@newdeal99
Why would dentists love it if it worked? My gf is a dentist, I showed her this article and she was complaining that her career would become redundant if all the techniques came to fruition :s
P.S. to someone above I'm a scientist too! (biomedical), soon to be commercial airline pilot...aaaah life is good ;)
IS IT SAFE?
@dingus
Yes, it's safe, it's very safe, it's so safe you wouldn't believe it.
Yea, that's pretty coo'. I hope this does become a mainstream offering. That would be nice to not have to get my teeth drilled on. I truly do hate getting cavities filled.
Hope this cones into practice soon I hate fillings and the injections are horrible
That noise you just heard was the entire British Isles rejoicing.
@Adamv Ha, Nice one!
Can we regenerate gums next please?
Is it safe?
@mikolas
Not really, I misapplied the gel and now have a tooth on the middle of my tongue.
I happen to have an appointment on the 6th of July because of two cavities in my back tooth(upper right one before wisdom and the one right underneath it). Removing cavites, cleaning, filling, crowns..
Fixing both will take four visits, for a total of 5 grand...just these two. Good thing all my other teeth are fine including my wisdoms that grew normally. Wait, why am I complaining? My insurance will pay for all of that. D: Oh wait, complaining here because of the need of the drilling and the filling. ._.
Stil, you think if the gel was actually avaliable, it won't cost close to 5 grand, yes?
Anyone want to start a pool on how long and how much cash before some hollywood dentist is selling the treatment to grow real fangs with this stuff?
Fillings hurt... a lot.
is that a young Dustin Hoffman as a test subject?
@raredesign
Heck ya - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074860/
Flying cars have always been a bad idea anyway. Imagine the traffic problems we have now, but airborne.
@wemustcontrolpeople
Yeah but if the they have built in collision avoidance then you just fly over the obstructions.
@wemustcontrolpeople
Actually, that won't happen as we won't be driving the cars.
NASA is working on a virtual highway system. You'll get into your flying car, type in your destination and then sit back and relax as you're flown there. The only controls will be the interface with the computer-driver, and an emergency control that will just make the car hover and land or deploy a chute/inflatable impact.