A recent study published in Scientific Reports was released by researchers at King’s College that describes the medicine they have discovered for treating Alzheimer’s that has a strange side effect – prompting teeth to regrow. The new drug is called Tideglusib, and although it’s being experimented with to treat Alzheimer’s patients at the moment, it could end up being used in dental treatments too.
Dentin is made of calcified tissue and is classed as the bony part of the tooth. It’s dentin growth that’s accelerated as a result of taking Tideglusib, and so we could soon see the drug being used in various dental procedures as well as Alzheimer’s if proves successful there too. Clinical trials have been carried out using the drug in a neurological capacity as a way to promote brain cell growth, while in Alzheimer’s clinical trials the drug works by fighting dementia causing mutations. Where Tideglusib is applied to the teeth, it focuses on the tau proteins and blocks the glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3) enzyme that’s responsible for halting dentin growth, and the wound heals on its own. The enzyme inhibitor was simply put on biodegradable collagen sponges and placed into patient’s teeth where cavities had been found. Amazingly, soon after, the cavities managed to heal themselves with no drilling it filling whatsoever.
This means exciting times ahead for those researchers at King’s College and anyone else involved in the trials. Paul Sharpe of King’s College London is the author of the study, and he says, “Using a drug that has already been tested in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease provides a real opportunity to get this dental treatment quickly into clinics.” So, if you are one of many that fear is going to the dentist in case that big drill comes out, you can now relax a little knowing that some salvation will soon be here in the form of Tideglusib.
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