A gel regrows tooth enamel using minerals from saliva
Tooth enamel is the hardest material in the human body, but once it’s gone, the body cannot regenerate it. That has been one of dentistry’s biggest unsolved problems. Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed a gel that may change that.
The gel contains no fluoride. Instead, it uses a material built from proteins that mimics the natural proteins responsible for forming enamel during early childhood. When applied to a tooth, it creates a thin coating that penetrates microscopic cracks and gaps, then provides a framework for new mineral growth.
Crystals grow in alignment with existing enamel
The gel attracts calcium and phosphate ions from saliva, the mineral building blocks of tooth enamel. The researchers describe this as epitaxial mineralisation: new crystals grow in the same orientation as the existing enamel. That structural alignment matters because enamel’s exceptional hardness depends on the precise arrangement of its mineral crystals. Simply depositing minerals onto a tooth surface is not enough to recreate that architecture.
The gel was also tested on dentine, the softer layer beneath enamel. It encouraged the formation of an enamel-like mineral layer over exposed dentine, which could help reduce tooth sensitivity. The findings were published in Nature Communications.
Mechanical properties comparable to healthy enamel
The team tested the regenerated material under conditions simulating everyday use, including brushing, chewing, and exposure to acidic foods. According to the researchers, the regenerated enamel displayed mechanical properties comparable to healthy natural enamel. These are laboratory findings; how the material will perform over extended periods in patients has not yet been established.
Search terms to explore further: epitaxial mineralisation tooth enamel regeneration | biomimetic protein matrix dental reconstruction | dentine enamel remineralisation