A parrot perched on a window. Grandma is old, she has two teeth left. This folk song has been sung by millions of Malaysians for generations and it is a reality of life as we age. Teeth in the mouth do not last forever and as early as 700 BC false teeth were used as replacements. But researchers at King’s College London and Imperial College announced the success of growing human teeth in the lab.
Human tooth cells were given instructions to form teeth in the lab. Several previous attempts have failed when the instructions were given simultaneously. A special material was developed that tells the cells to produce teeth in stages just like what happens in the real human body.
Although the teeth were successfully produced, scientists are still continuing to study how they can be used as implants in the human mouth. The first method is to plant cells directly into the jaw which then grow as new teeth and the second method is to plant complete teeth directly into the recipient’s mouth.
In addition to this technology, scientists in Japan have also succeeded in regrowing teeth but only in mice. Clinical trials on humans will begin by the end of this year. Maybe in another generation, grandmothers with only two teeth will just be the lyrics of folk songs as complete teeth become the new norm.