Summary:
How
would you feel if you lost an adult tooth? You would probably be angry because
you would have to get dentures to replace the tooth because adults can’t grow
new ones – unless you have a mouse kidney handy! In new research studies, researchers
are injecting human gum tissue that was extracted during oral surgery into the
molars of fetal mice. After giving the cells a week to get used to each other,
the scientists then implant the chimeric conoction into the protective tissue
surrounding the kidneys of living mice. 20% of the cells developed into objects
recognizable as teeth. They are complete with the root structures missing from artificial
tooth implants. The next step is to transplant these so-called “bioteeth” back
into human mouths and see if they grow into something that we can chew on! The
research is still underway and results will be published soon.
Correlation:
Last
week we talked about stem cells being in our teeth and if we lose an adult
tooth that has valuable stem cells it is nice to know there is a way to get
them back. It is also nice not to have to be toothless.
Personal Reaction:
I would
definitely use mouse kidneys to get a tooth back. Stem cells are important. I
would if this means they can grow more teeth if they could use the stem cells
from these teeth too. That would be helpful. Either way I am just glad to know
that if I lose an adult tooth dentures don’t have to be my first option.
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