According to statistics by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, approximately three million people have dental implants in the United States, with 500,000 new implants placed annually. Implants consist of artificial tooth roots and an attached crown that looks and functions like a natural tooth. The root (typically a titanium post) is inserted into the jaw bone where there is a missing tooth. Unlike bridgework or dentures, an implant can help prevent bone loss and preserve the jaw structure.
Dental implants represent a leap in progress over bridges and dentures. “They are the best solution for tooth loss from injury, decay, or gum disease, fitting far more securely and made to last at least twenty years.” – Bricks Coggin, CEO at ABCs Puppy Zs. However, some people may experience chronic gum infections or inflammation around an implant, requiring surgical replacement of the artificial tooth much sooner than its expiry.
Hence, determined to find a way to avoid costly and invasive repeat surgeries for patients, Geelsu Hwang of Pennsylvania State University’s School of Dental Medicine and colleagues have developed an improved implant. The device resists bacterial growth that leads to gum infection and inflammation by using tissue-rejuvenating light. Furthermore, it doesn’t need batteries because it can generate electricity via biomechanical forces – mouth movements like chewing and brushing.
The innovative dental implant uses biofilm-resisting nanoparticles and an embedded light source that conducts phototherapy to promote healthy gum tissue. On the surface (the crown), it looks like any other natural-looking artificial tooth. But this crown is made of dental resin mixed with barium titanate (BTO) nanoparticles.
BTO is an inorganic compound and piezoelectric material, which generates an electrical charge under mechanical stress. BTOs are often used in applications such as transistors and capacitors, but this is the first time they are being used as a foundation for anti-infectious implantable biomaterials.
And on the inside, resting within a steel body, there’s a battery, a rectifier circuit, and a ring of near-infrared micro-LEDs at its exposed base. The battery would store charge generated by mouth movements and periodically power up the micro-LEDs so they could irradiate the implant’s surrounding gum tissue. The base sticks out past the bottom of the crown; it is the part of the implant that is secured to the jaw bone by a screw.
Previous studies found that therapeutic light exposure can help speed up the healing process of gum tissue damaged by infections and reduce inflammation.
Assistant Professor Geelsu Hwang at the School of Dental Medicine has a background in engineering, which he brings to the table in his oral health studies. He explained in a press release:
“Phototherapy can address a diverse set of health issues. But once a biomaterial is implanted, it’s not practical to replace or recharge a battery. We are using a piezoelectric material, which can generate electrical power from natural oral motions to supply a light that can conduct phototherapy, and we find that it can successfully protect gingival tissue from a bacterial challenge.
We wanted an implant material that could resist bacterial growth for a long time because bacterial challenges are not a one-time threat.”
The team tested their invention’s potential as the foundation for dental implants first by embedding BTO nanoparticles into discs and exposing them to Streptococcus mutans – a central component of dental plaque (the bacterial biofilm responsible for tooth decay).
They found that the higher the concentrations of BTO in the disc, the better the disc was at resisting biofilm formation and preventing biofilm from binding. This is because BTO generates a negative surface charge that repels the negatively charged cell walls of oral Streptococcus mutans bacteria. Therefore, bacteria wouldn’t cling to the artificial tooth, forming plaque, and the repulsion effect would be long-lasting, thus reducing the chances of infections occurring in the gums.
The team carried out their tests repeatedly and found that the resin/nanoparticle composite could sustain its piezoelectric effect (power-generating property) over time, and the BTO did not leach. Furthermore, the composite offers mechanical stress on par with existing dental composites.
Most importantly, further testing showed that the material doesn’t harm normal gingival tissue, supporting the push that this new implant could be used in the mouth without ill effect.
As a bonus, the platform could even be integrated into other technologies someday, like joint replacements, for example. To prevent the need for dental implants, you should consider going for a routine cleaning at an Avon Lake dentist.
Meanwhile, there is another study related to the topic of missing teeth: a different group of researchers is developing a way to grow back missing teeth. Scientists from Japan’s University of Fukui and Kyoto University have developed a monoclonal antibody treatment that activates the body to grow new teeth. The study is still in progress, but if their ongoing experiments prove successful, it could give us a way to regrow teeth lost in adulthood or those missing since childhood due to tooth agenesis, a congenital condition. In a related breakthrough, a protein-based gel that regrows tooth enamel has also reached the clinical trial stage, offering a way to repair teeth before they ever need replacement.
