Scientists Created A Gel That Allows Your Teeth Repair Themselves

Whether you have lost your teeth because of cavities or it is just an accident, you will need a filling or even worst - a painful reconstruction. Yet luckily, the scientists have been working on a better solution.

Damaged enamel

Enamel is the name of the protective, hard outer layer of your teeth. They are not infallible,  but, you could wear them down over time by grinding them together or when sweets and food are stuck between the teeth for a long time. If that happens, tiny holes or cavities can be created on your teeth. Thus, you need to fill them in to prevent them from damaging your teeth further.

The problem here is that the filling was made of metal in the past; these days it is commonly made of resin or porcelain. Those materials are unable to bind forever to the tooth's surface; therefore, after some years, they could pop out.

A new solution to fix the enamel

To fix the endurance problem of current fillings, Zhejiang University's team has been working on a replacement for the current materials. The solution that they discovered is a gel from phosphate and calcium that will be applied onto the teeth. This gel encourages the teeth to repair themselves thanks to its ingredients. The gel's arrangement of phosphate and calcium is similar to that of regular enamel.

These scientists also detected that the new layer of enamel generated from the gel has the thickness of only around 3 micrometers, much thinner than the undamaged enamel. But the team said that we could apply the gel many times to create more layers.

The gel has been under testing. However, it may be a good solution for ones who are afraid of dentist's drills.