Dental implants developed that feel and function like natural teeth
Minimally invasive procedure preserves nerve endings in tissue around implant.
A new approach to dental implants that could better replicate how natural teeth feel and function has been described by researchers from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine.
Their study, published in Scientific Reports, shows early success in rodents with both a ‘smart’ implant and a new, gentler surgical technique.
“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,” said Jake Jinkun Chen, DI09, a professor of periodontology and director of the Division of Oral Biology at the School of Dental Medicine and the senior author on the study.
Traditional dental implants use a titanium post that fuses directly to the jawbone to support a ceramic crown, and the surgery often cuts or damages nearby nerves.
To tie these inert pieces of metal into the body’s sensory system, the Tufts team developed an implant wrapped in an innovative biodegradable coating. This coating contains stem cells and a special protein that helps them multiply and turn into nerve tissue. As the coating dissolves during the healing process, it releases the stem cells and protein, fuelling the growth of new nerve tissue around the implant.
The coating also contains tiny, rubbery particles that act like memory foam. Compressed so that the implant is smaller than the missing tooth when it is first inserted, these nanofibres gently expand once in place until the implant snugly fits the socket. This allows for a new minimally invasive procedure that preserves existing nerve endings in the tissue around the implant.
“This new implant and minimally invasive technique should help reconnect nerves, allowing the implant to ‘talk’ to the brain much like a real tooth,” said Chen.
Six weeks after surgery, the implants stayed firmly in place in rats, with no signs of inflammation or rejection. “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,” said Chen. This may restore the nerves around it, he added.
The researchers said will take more studies – for example, research in larger animal models to look at outcomes, including safety and efficacy – before trials can begin in human volunteers. Their next step will be a preclinical study to see if brain activity confirms that the new nerves surrounding the prototype implant indeed relay sensory information.
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