Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentist

Can we regrow teeth?

Monday, February 16, 2009

Mission to Grow Teeth

Although the loss of teeth does not occur quite as often as it did decades ago, people still do lose teeth. In Pennsylvania, nearly half of all adults are missing some of their permanent teeth. 4 % of those adults 65 or older are missing all of their teeth. Unlike sharks who have the ability to replace a missng tooth by growing another, we do not those means. The closest we have are dental implants.
At the University of Pittsburg School of Dental Medicine, dentists, engineers and stem cell specialists are working together with a common goal to eliminate the need for dentures in the near future. They are doing so by attempting to grow a human tooth from scratch. Dr Charles Sfeir, the director of the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration believes "the potential is huge." Pamela Yelick, the director of Tufts University Division of Craniofacial and Molecular Genetics, believes that her group may be ready to test its ability to grow teeth within 5 years.
Many research organizations are all striving to create a solution to eliminating the need for people to live without natural teeth. Again, dentistry is trying to go where no man has ever gone before.
If you are concerned about your dental health and our ability to help you maintain the ultimate oral health, please give us a call to arrange an appointment at 561-394-9000.

Kenneth A. Mogell, D.M.D.