Scientists at King’s College London and Imperial College have made a major breakthrough in regenerative dentistry—growing teeth in a lab using a specially designed material that mimics the environment needed for natural tooth development.
Why It Matters
For those who lose adult teeth due to injury, disease, or decay, this could mean an end to artificial fillings, implants, and dentures. Unlike current treatments, lab-grown teeth could grow naturally in the jaw, adapt over time, and reduce complications.
What They Did
Using bioengineered materials, researchers recreated the conditions where cells can communicate and start forming a tooth—the way they do during early development in the body.
“We’ve created a material that allows cells to signal to each other just like in natural tooth formation,” said Dr. Ana Angelova Volponi.
Earlier efforts failed because signals were released all at once. This new material provides gradual signaling, making it more effective.
What’s Next
Researchers plan to test two methods:
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Grow teeth directly in the patient’s mouth using transplanted early-stage tooth cells.
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Grow a full tooth in the lab and implant it later.
If successful, this could allow people to regrow their own teeth using their own cells—minimizing rejection and offering a truly natural alternative.
“Fillings and implants are limited,” said co-author Xuechen Zhang. “This could be a game-changer in how we treat tooth loss.”
