Dental enamel is one of the hardest substances we have in our body, and yet, it takes very little to get damaged, cavities, sensitivity, erosion… Oral health is always a pending conversation (yes, we also hate going to the dentist), and dental enamel does not regenerate, once it is damaged it is lost forever. That is why, for years, the only thing we could do was fillings and crowns to fix the damage in our mouths. But of course, that does not return the original strength of the tooth, not even close… Until now, as a team from King’s College London has achieved something never seen before. They have developed a way to regenerate enamel. And the curious thing is that they have done it using keratin taken from sheep’s wool, from wool!!
A layer that adheres to the tooth
We would have never thought that thanks to keratin we could rebuild our dental enamel, we have always thought that it is only a protein in hair and nails… but that same keratin generates a transparent and flexible substance that can be placed on the tooth, creating a layer practically the same as our original dental enamel.
When that film comes into contact with saliva (which already contains calcium and phosphate), keratin acts as a guide. It is like a scaffold that helps the minerals crystallize in the right place, so we would be talking about a new layer of dental enamel.
Stronger than a normal filling
In laboratory tests, this new layer not only forms well, but also holds up very well. In fact, according to the results, it is up to five or six times harder than the plastic resins used today. And besides, it looks more natural, and for those of us who are vain… that counts a lot.
Advantages
On one hand, it is much more sustainable and cheaper. Because keratin can be obtained from materials that are usually thrown away, like sheep’s wool or even human hair. There is no need to manufacture anything expensive and the wool industry is something already in use, no need to create new infrastructure for it.
And on the other, it looks better aesthetically. It is not like those fillings that over time are very noticeable. This new layer looks much more like real enamel, so the color stays more uniform.
“It is not only obtained sustainably from biological waste such as hair and skin, but it also eliminates the need for traditional plastic resins, commonly used in restorative dentistry, which are toxic and less durable. Keratin also looks much more natural than these treatments, since it can match more closely the color of the original tooth”. Sara Gamea
And when will we see this at the dentist?
It is not in use yet, but things are on the right track. If clinical trials go well, in a few years we could see toothpastes, rinses or gels that, instead of covering the damage, regenerate the enamel little by little.
One of the authors of the study, Sara Gamea, believes keratin is an alternative that changes everything because it not only works, but also avoids having to use plastics that last little and can be toxic.
Dentistry without fillings
According to the WHO, oral problems affect more than 3.7 billion people in the world. So this invention could be the revolution of all dentistry! We could be heading towards a future without fillings, without crowns, without numb mouths or problems caused by anesthesia! And above all, cheaper and within reach of any pocket, and all thanks to sheep’s wool!
Who would have thought that something as simple as wool could hide the key to restore the strength and health of our teeth?