Could 'Lab-Grown' Teeth Fill the Gap?
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- Published: Thursday, 17 April 2025 07:39
- Written by Guy Tuggle
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"Look after your teeth as you can‘t grow new ones" is advice many adults recall receiving in their youth, either from parents, or a caring dental surgeon.
And historically, it’s been correct. Losing a permanent tooth usually means living with a denture, having a bridge, enduring a gap or undergoing invasive surgery to have implants placed. But that could change.
Scientists at King’s College London have grown a tooth in a laboratory and it is being suggested that at some future date, human beings might be able to grow replacement teeth in their mouths.
Director of Regenerative Dentistry Dr Ana Angelova-Volponi told the BBC "This idea of replacing the tooth in a biological way by regrowing it, drew me to London and to King’s. By growing a tooth in a dish we are really filling in the gaps of knowledge."
"Implants require invasive surgery and a good combination of implants and alveolar bone," explained Xuechen Zhang, a final-year PhD student at the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences.
Lab-grown teeth would naturally regenerate, integrating into the jaw as real teeth. They would be stronger, longer lasting, and free from rejection risks, offering a more durable and biologically compatible solution than fillings or implants.
However, "Whilst the scientists have managed to grow a tooth, they haven’t yet managed to harvest it for transplant" the BBC’s report revealed.
Dr Saorise O’Toole told the BBC "This new technology of regrowing teeth is very exciting and has the potential to be a game changer for dentistry.
No Time Soon
Dr O’Toole was careful, however, not to raise hopes that regenerative teeth would be available in the short term. "Will it come in my lifetime of practice - hopefully another thirty years? - probably not" she said. "Will it be in for my children’s dental lives, maybe. And my children’s children? Hopefully!"
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