By The Sampadak Express
In a groundbreaking development, researchers at King’s College London have made significant progress toward growing fully functional replacement teeth in the lab — a breakthrough that could revolutionize dental care by offering natural alternatives to fillings, root canals, and implants.
The team’s latest study, published in ACS Macro Letters, details how they engineered a hydrogel-based material that mimics the body’s natural environment. This material enables stem cells to “talk” to one another, triggering the complex biological process of tooth formation.
A Natural Tooth Regeneration Process
Humans typically develop only two sets of teeth — baby teeth and permanent adult teeth. Unlike animals such as sharks or crocodiles, which can regenerate teeth throughout their lives, humans lose the regenerative stem cells needed for tooth growth after early development.
Currently, when teeth are damaged or decayed, dentists rely on fillings or artificial implants. However, these solutions come with limitations. Fillings can weaken the tooth over time and often need to be replaced. Implants, meanwhile, involve invasive surgery and carry risks such as infection and complications with nearby tissue.“
Fillings aren’t the best solution for repairing teeth,” said Dr. Xuechen Zhang, co-author of the study. “They can weaken tooth structure and lead to further issues down the line. Implants, while more permanent, are still artificial and do not restore full natural function.”
A Breakthrough in Bioengineering
The key to this new approach lies in the specially developed hydrogel, which replicates the extracellular matrix — the supportive environment cells need to grow and communicate. This allows the stem cells to exchange signals gradually, mirroring how tooth development occurs naturally in the womb.“
In previous attempts, signaling between cells would happen all at once, which isn’t how it works in the body,” Zhang explained. “Our new material releases signals over time, allowing for proper communication and development.”
By recreating this natural process, the team succeeded in starting the early stages of tooth formation using patient-derived cells. This opens the door to producing fully functional, lab-grown teeth that could eventually be transplanted into the patient’s mouth.
What’s Next?
Although the research is still in its early stages, scientists are exploring two potential methods for future clinical use: growing the entire tooth in the lab for transplantation or implanting early-stage tooth cells directly into the jaw to develop in place.“
Lab-grown teeth would integrate with the jawbone just like natural teeth and would be much less likely to be rejected by the body,” said Zhang. “This would be a significant step forward in long-term dental restoration.”
The study’s findings mark an important step toward creating regenerative dental therapies that are more durable, biocompatible, and effective than current methods.“
As the field advances, these technologies could transform the way we treat tooth loss and damage,” added co-author Dr. Ana Angelova Volponi. “We’re moving closer to a future where lab-grown teeth are a routine part of dental care.”
