Dental implants are a major advancement in dentistry. When someone loses a tooth, their jaw bone in the area can begin to deteriorate because the tooth is no longer stimulating the bone to keep it strong. Old-fashioned dentures would help some, and they would make it so the wearer could eat more normally, but they weren’t a great solution.

Traditional dental implants were a big improvement because they drilled a titanium screw into the bone and put a fake tooth onto it. This would stimulate the bone when the wearer chewed, so the bone remained strong and in place. The problem, however, is that the tooth doesn’t have any nerves or other tissue, so the person wearing it cannot feel pressure, heat, cold, or other sensations from the fake tooth.

This isn’t a huge deal when it is just one tooth, but for people with multiple implants, it can be quite a difficulty, even if it is better than older alternatives.

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine have a new approach that they are testing that could help people in the coming years get implants that feel just like real teeth.

Dr. Jake (Jinkun) Chen is a professor of periodontology and director of the Division of Oral Biology at the Tufts School of Dental Medicine. He explained to TuftsNow:

“Natural teeth connect to the jawbone through soft tissue rich in nerves, which help sense pressure and texture and guide how we chew and speak. Implants lack that sensory feedback.”

Chen and his team have come up with a potential way to overcome these obstacles. They have developed a new type of implant that is inserted with a biodegradable coating. Once implanted, the material starts to break down as a part of the healing process. During this time, the material releases stem cells and proteins that encourage new tissue growth around the implant itself. The body will connect that tissue to the existing sensory system, including the nerves.

The coating also comes with built-in particles that expand to fill empty space. This means the implant is put in with a little extra room between the other natural teeth, and then it expands to fit snugly. This will allow for a better-fitting dental implant than would otherwise be possible. Chen went on to say:

“This new implant and minimally invasive technique should help reconnect nerves, allowing the implant to ‘talk’ to the brain much like a real tooth. This breakthrough also could transform other types of bone implants, like those used in hip replacements or fracture repair.”

If it works as intended, this could revolutionize implant dentistry and other fields as well. The new method has been successfully used on rats already. Six weeks after the implant surgery, the rats had no sign of inflammation, rejection, or other potential issues. The artificial tooth was also healed securely in place, which is very promising. Plus, Chen says that there is reason to believe that the soft tissue in the mouth of the rats had already grown with the tooth, potentially allowing it to regain feeling. He explains:

“Imaging revealed a distinct space between the implant and the bone, suggesting that the implant had been integrated through soft tissue rather than the traditional fusion with the bone.”

Chen and his team wrote a study on this new dental implant method and published it in Scientific Reports. Additional research and testing is needed before it will be ready for human trials, but so far, the results are very encouraging.

If you think that’s impressive, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.