Growing and Implanting REAL Teeth...It is POSSIBLE!!!

A few months ago when I was performing a full mouth extraction the patient asks me before I begin– wouldn’t it be easier if you could take these teeth out for me and give me real new ones? Because that would be great!!! We laughed together and at the time I did agree with him wholeheartedly that if we could do that it would be wonderful! But I also stated that I hadn't heard of that happening yet. But then the other day I was reading Weird Asia News, and on the Japan topic was the headline: “Dental Breakthrough: Mouse Stem Cells Grow Teeth.” (You can read the article here: http://www.weirdasianews.com/2011/07/25/dental-breakthrough-mouse-stem-cells-grow-teeth/. )

In summary this scientific team in Japan removed two types of stem cells from mice molar teeth, placed it in a mold and grew an entirely functional tooth unit! They even transplanted these functional teeth into the jaws of mice and FUSION occurred after 40 days! You can imagine my shock when reading this….my patient wasn’t far off the mark…transplanting teeth MIGHT be possible now!!!  Isn’t this just amazing!?!?

Stem cell research in general is a huge and controversial topic – especially regarding human genome, cloning, etc, but as dentists, as we progress into the future, we might have to discuss these possibilities with our patients. The idea that we might have the option one day to take their own cells, grow their own teeth, and plan for surgery and implant them back in their jaw-bones might be a possibility in the future. And patients will ask about it!

And from a dental head and neck standpoint – there was a full surgery transplant of a patient’s trachea grown from their own stem cells. Imagine if you had throat cancer or patients with throat problems and you could give them the option to grow and transplant their own new trachea: http://www.throatproblems.co.uk/new-surgery-transplant-trachea.html

I have tried to think a lot about stem cell research for some time. While I personally don’t agree with identical cloning (no mini-me please)...the idea of being able to grow specific organs from my own cells is amazing. This concept has personal significance for me – I myself have a defective organ – I have an over-active thyroid (the medical diagnosis is Graves disease). I was diagnosed in 2003 right before dental school began. While one might think it is one small organ (not like the heart or the brain), the malfunction of this one organ has many effects on my body – it affects metabolism, heart palpitations, heat intolerance…the list continues. But wouldn’t it be great if I could grow a new and fully functional thyroid and just replace the defective one I have??? In all truths, it would be my organ..my cells. SIGN ME UP!!! While I don't know the repercussions, it is definitely an interesting concept to think about...to hope for!!! 

But regarding the growing of teeth – in parallel to the words of Neil Armstrong as he walked on the moon - this is just one small step for dentists, one giant step for man-kind!

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