6 ms·

New 'painless' treatment to repair teeth

105 points by amalag 13y ago

rch 13y ago
Not to be dismissive, but there are a lot of claims in this article that are difficult to assess.
- sp332 13y ago
  That's because it's a news article, not a research paper.
  - rch 13y ago
    Some news articles are kind enough to mention the journal results like those claimed here originally appeared in. I see some helpful links in other comments now too though.
Udo 13y ago
This makes me very skeptical: > The root canal is restored to health by gradual build up of tissue by stem cells over a period, extending from a few weeks to some months.
- dpatrick86 13y ago
  Sounds like a description of what stem cells generally do. Which part makes you skeptical?
  - Udo 13y ago
    It's supposed to sound good, but in practice making stem cells work, for example implanting them and stimulating them to become anything but unspecific fatty connective tissue is really hard. I could be totally wrong of course, and the article doesn't go into any detail, but the way it's presented triggers several snake oil alarms.
    - amalag 13y ago
      The idea in this case is that they documented stem cells in the gums or tooth root. The only stimulate to let the blood enter the tooth area and let it do the rest. So they don't have active involvement in implanting and stimulating.
amalag 13y ago
Looks like it is not very new, there are other articles on it: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sci-tech-and-agri/breakthrough-dentistry/article5081112.ece http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sci-tech... Here is the medical paper http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23112478 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23112478 Here is the patent http://www.google.com/patents/US20120231422 http://www.google.com/patents/US20120231422 And this is the picture worth a thousand words http://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/US20120231422A1/US20120231422A1-20120913-D00000.png http://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/US20120231422A1/U...
- spikels 13y ago
  Thanks! More bad journalism about medical research. Why is this so hard? Is it that the reporter simply cannot understand it? Or it is purposely distorted to make it more appealing to readers? I think it is usually a combination of both of these reasons.
  - aestra 13y ago
    "..misunderstandings and neglect create more confusion in this world than trickery and malice. At any rate, the last two are certainly much less frequent." — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
    - spikels 13y ago
      I completely agree that ignorance and laziness are much more representative of humane behavior than deceit and evil. And I believe it is just good practice to always assume the best intentions in others for your own peace and happiness. However in this case the 'painless' claim which is the most appealing element of the story appears to have been made up - it appears nowhere in the longer article, abstract or patent.
      - sanoli 13y ago
        Sorry about this, but you mean 'human' instead of 'humane', right?
coherentpony 13y ago
I love that 'painless' is in quotes.
- igrekel 13y ago
  Yes, I do mind the quotes too. Most dental procedures are "painless" according to what my dentist says about it before the procedure at least.
  - mikeash 13y ago
    I doubt it hurts him much at all.
kuschku 13y ago
> repair teeth This is not reparing. Repairing would assume that afterwards you've got the same features as before, but replacing nerves and blood vessels with plastic (or in this case, regular tissue) doesn't really provide the same features as before. I'd like to see much more the possibility to replace teeth with ones you've generated from your own stem cells.
- toomuchtodo 13y ago
  That research is progressing rapidly: https://singularityhub.com/2013/08/26/scientists-grow-teeth-using-stem-cells-harvested-from-urine/ https://singularityhub.com/2013/08/26/scientists-grow-teeth-... I have a high risk of cavities due to my genetics, am 31, and my teeth are falling apart even with a high level of care (brushing 2-3 times/day, flossing, baking soda rinse after meals to return mouth ph to baseline quickly). I'll be happy to pay for replacement teeth grown from my own cells when available.
  - Genmutant 13y ago
    Have you tried Xylitol[1]? I use it to sweet my tea instead of regular sugar. And it should return your mouth ph fast, instead of rinsing with baking soda with doesn't sound nice. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol#Dental_care https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol#Dental_care
    - toomuchtodo 13y ago
      I haven't, but I'll buy a bag from Amazon today. Thank you.
      - yeureka 13y ago
        be careful, I use xylitol regularly for the same reasons but I find that it makes me tired and fuzzy if I take the same amount as sugar. I have suffered a lot with teeth problems since a child, but now at close to 40 I have managed to stabilize oral health and haven't had a cavity in more than 10 years. There are new toothpastes in the market that combine remineralizing agents besides fluoride and they seem to work for me. I like Biorepair the best, but I find the Novamin based toothpastes OK as well. The key is to not let the ph drop too low ( avoid acidic foods ) and to rinse after acid attacks instead of brushing as the mechanical abrasion from brushing combined with the previous acid attack can damage your teeth. Good luck, teeth problems suck.
adwf 13y ago
Having had root canal in the past, this doesn't seem particularly helpful. The drilling and cleaning is the painful and time-consuming part. The actual sealing it up at the end was relatively trivial in comparison (from my perspective).
- amalag 13y ago
  I think the article got it wrong with the "painless" part. I am also confused with the claim that it is non-surgical. It does seem similar to a regular root canal, but the issue that many people have with root canals is that they drill out infected nerve tissues and fill it with something inert. They do not let the nerve pulp heal and some say the tooth is now "dead". The bacterial infection is cleaned out, but there are often fears that the infection has not been fully dealt with. I believe the point of this technique is allowing the internals of the tooth to heal, which root canals do not do.
  - Someone 13y ago
    I think that's the point of this treatment, too. It's like the difference between a saw plus a wooden leg and antibiotics plus stitches after a wound to the leg. But of course, that's only if it works and doesn't have bad side effects (anything stimulating growth runs the risk of cancer, for example)
- dclowd9901 13y ago
  Just out of curiosity, didn't they deaden your nerve befor they went in and drilled and cleaned it? Once that did that for me, it was no more painful than getting a cavity filled...
  - adwf 13y ago
    Yeah they put a full block in my jaw the first time they drilled, but subsequent sessions were just a small injection around the tooth. Could still feel a certain amount of discomfort, eventually a bit of pain when the anaesthetic wore off. At which point they reapplied the injection. I prefer it that way, can't stand the huge nerve blocks as they ruin a good 4-5 hours of your day.
jawns 13y ago
If this is legit, it sounds great ... but you couldn't pay me enough to be one of the first people this was tested out on.
memracom 13y ago
Soon they will just be injecting some acid to stimulate stem cell production. http://www.nature.com/news/acid-bath-offers-easy-path-to-stem-cells-1.14600 http://www.nature.com/news/acid-bath-offers-easy-path-to-ste...
yogipatel 13y ago
A little more skepticism: > Instead of filling the root canal with artificial materials that may pose bio-compatibility problems Gutta-percha[1] is what is traditionally used to fill the empty canals. It is used because of its bio-compatibility and inertness. The most common complication of a root canal procedure is inadequate cleaning of the canals and related tissues, not bad apical sealing. 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutta-percha http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutta-percha
mariuolo 13y ago
Articles from indiatimes usually smell of propaganda.

105 points by amalag 13y ago

rch 13y ago

Not to be dismissive, but there are a lot of claims in this article that are difficult to assess.

sp332 13y ago
That's because it's a news article, not a research paper.
- rch 13y ago
  Some news articles are kind enough to mention the journal results like those claimed here originally appeared in. I see some helpful links in other comments now too though.

Udo 13y ago

This makes me very skeptical: > The root canal is restored to health by gradual build up of tissue by stem cells over a period, extending from a few weeks to some months.

dpatrick86 13y ago
Sounds like a description of what stem cells generally do. Which part makes you skeptical?
- Udo 13y ago
  It's supposed to sound good, but in practice making stem cells work, for example implanting them and stimulating them to become anything but unspecific fatty connective tissue is really hard. I could be totally wrong of course, and the article doesn't go into any detail, but the way it's presented triggers several snake oil alarms.
  - amalag 13y ago
    The idea in this case is that they documented stem cells in the gums or tooth root. The only stimulate to let the blood enter the tooth area and let it do the rest. So they don't have active involvement in implanting and stimulating.

amalag 13y ago

Looks like it is not very new, there are other articles on it: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sci-tech-and-agri/breakthrough-dentistry/article5081112.ece http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sci-tech... Here is the medical paper http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23112478 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23112478 Here is the patent http://www.google.com/patents/US20120231422 http://www.google.com/patents/US20120231422 And this is the picture worth a thousand words http://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/US20120231422A1/US20120231422A1-20120913-D00000.png http://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/US20120231422A1/U...

spikels 13y ago
Thanks! More bad journalism about medical research. Why is this so hard? Is it that the reporter simply cannot understand it? Or it is purposely distorted to make it more appealing to readers? I think it is usually a combination of both of these reasons.
- aestra 13y ago
  "..misunderstandings and neglect create more confusion in this world than trickery and malice. At any rate, the last two are certainly much less frequent." — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  - spikels 13y ago
    I completely agree that ignorance and laziness are much more representative of humane behavior than deceit and evil. And I believe it is just good practice to always assume the best intentions in others for your own peace and happiness. However in this case the 'painless' claim which is the most appealing element of the story appears to have been made up - it appears nowhere in the longer article, abstract or patent.
    - sanoli 13y ago
      Sorry about this, but you mean 'human' instead of 'humane', right?

coherentpony 13y ago

I love that 'painless' is in quotes.

igrekel 13y ago
Yes, I do mind the quotes too. Most dental procedures are "painless" according to what my dentist says about it before the procedure at least.
- mikeash 13y ago
  I doubt it hurts him much at all.

kuschku 13y ago

> repair teeth This is not reparing. Repairing would assume that afterwards you've got the same features as before, but replacing nerves and blood vessels with plastic (or in this case, regular tissue) doesn't really provide the same features as before. I'd like to see much more the possibility to replace teeth with ones you've generated from your own stem cells.

toomuchtodo 13y ago
That research is progressing rapidly: https://singularityhub.com/2013/08/26/scientists-grow-teeth-using-stem-cells-harvested-from-urine/ https://singularityhub.com/2013/08/26/scientists-grow-teeth-... I have a high risk of cavities due to my genetics, am 31, and my teeth are falling apart even with a high level of care (brushing 2-3 times/day, flossing, baking soda rinse after meals to return mouth ph to baseline quickly). I'll be happy to pay for replacement teeth grown from my own cells when available.
- Genmutant 13y ago
  Have you tried Xylitol[1]? I use it to sweet my tea instead of regular sugar. And it should return your mouth ph fast, instead of rinsing with baking soda with doesn't sound nice. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol#Dental_care https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol#Dental_care
  - toomuchtodo 13y ago
    I haven't, but I'll buy a bag from Amazon today. Thank you.
    - yeureka 13y ago
      be careful, I use xylitol regularly for the same reasons but I find that it makes me tired and fuzzy if I take the same amount as sugar. I have suffered a lot with teeth problems since a child, but now at close to 40 I have managed to stabilize oral health and haven't had a cavity in more than 10 years. There are new toothpastes in the market that combine remineralizing agents besides fluoride and they seem to work for me. I like Biorepair the best, but I find the Novamin based toothpastes OK as well. The key is to not let the ph drop too low ( avoid acidic foods ) and to rinse after acid attacks instead of brushing as the mechanical abrasion from brushing combined with the previous acid attack can damage your teeth. Good luck, teeth problems suck.

adwf 13y ago

Having had root canal in the past, this doesn't seem particularly helpful. The drilling and cleaning is the painful and time-consuming part. The actual sealing it up at the end was relatively trivial in comparison (from my perspective).

amalag 13y ago
I think the article got it wrong with the "painless" part. I am also confused with the claim that it is non-surgical. It does seem similar to a regular root canal, but the issue that many people have with root canals is that they drill out infected nerve tissues and fill it with something inert. They do not let the nerve pulp heal and some say the tooth is now "dead". The bacterial infection is cleaned out, but there are often fears that the infection has not been fully dealt with. I believe the point of this technique is allowing the internals of the tooth to heal, which root canals do not do.
- Someone 13y ago
  I think that's the point of this treatment, too. It's like the difference between a saw plus a wooden leg and antibiotics plus stitches after a wound to the leg. But of course, that's only if it works and doesn't have bad side effects (anything stimulating growth runs the risk of cancer, for example)
dclowd9901 13y ago
Just out of curiosity, didn't they deaden your nerve befor they went in and drilled and cleaned it? Once that did that for me, it was no more painful than getting a cavity filled...
- adwf 13y ago
  Yeah they put a full block in my jaw the first time they drilled, but subsequent sessions were just a small injection around the tooth. Could still feel a certain amount of discomfort, eventually a bit of pain when the anaesthetic wore off. At which point they reapplied the injection. I prefer it that way, can't stand the huge nerve blocks as they ruin a good 4-5 hours of your day.

jawns 13y ago

If this is legit, it sounds great ... but you couldn't pay me enough to be one of the first people this was tested out on.

memracom 13y ago

Soon they will just be injecting some acid to stimulate stem cell production. http://www.nature.com/news/acid-bath-offers-easy-path-to-stem-cells-1.14600 http://www.nature.com/news/acid-bath-offers-easy-path-to-ste...

yogipatel 13y ago

A little more skepticism: > Instead of filling the root canal with artificial materials that may pose bio-compatibility problems Gutta-percha[1] is what is traditionally used to fill the empty canals. It is used because of its bio-compatibility and inertness. The most common complication of a root canal procedure is inadequate cleaning of the canals and related tissues, not bad apical sealing. 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutta-percha http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutta-percha

mariuolo 13y ago

Articles from indiatimes usually smell of propaganda.