A newly developed dental gel may be able to rebuild damaged tooth enamel, potentially creating a new approach to preventing decay and restoring worn teeth.
Scientists at the University of Nottingham’s School of Pharmacy and Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering created the material to imitate the biological processes that form enamel naturally. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest the gel could repair enamel that has been weakened by mineral loss or erosion, reinforce enamel that is still healthy, and help protect teeth from future damage.
A Gel That Recreates Natural Enamel Growth
Dentists could apply the gel quickly using a process similar to the way fluoride treatments are administered today. Unlike conventional fluoride products, however, the new gel contains no fluoride. Instead, it is made from proteins designed to reproduce important functions of the natural proteins involved in enamel development during infancy.
After the gel is placed on a tooth, it forms a thin but durable coating that penetrates the tooth’s surface and fills small cracks, pores, and other damaged areas. This coating then acts as a framework for rebuilding the mineral structure of enamel.
The material draws calcium and phosphate ions from saliva and uses them to guide the controlled formation of new mineral crystals. This process is known as epitaxial mineralization. In simple terms, the new crystals grow in alignment with the tooth’s existing structure, allowing them to connect with the natural tissue beneath them rather than forming a separate, poorly organized coating.
According to the researchers, this organized growth helps the repaired surface recover both the microscopic architecture and the physical properties of healthy enamel.
A Possible Treatment for Sensitive Teeth
The material may also help people with exposed dentine. Dentine is the softer layer beneath enamel, and it can become exposed when enamel wears away or gums recede. Because dentine contains microscopic channels that lead toward the tooth’s nerves, exposure can cause sharp sensitivity to heat, cold, sweetness, or touch.
When applied to exposed dentine, the gel can grow an enamel like mineral layer over the surface. This could help reduce tooth sensitivity while also creating a stronger surface for dental restorations to bond to.
Why Enamel Loss Is So Difficult to Treat
Enamel damage is one of the major factors behind tooth decay and other dental conditions that affect almost 50% of the global population. Severe dental disease can result in pain, infection, and tooth loss. Poor oral health has also been associated with broader health conditions, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Enamel is the hard outer covering that shields teeth from pressure, temperature changes, acids, and everyday wear. Although it is the hardest tissue in the human body, enamel contains no living cells and cannot repair itself once it has been lost.
Existing products such as fluoride varnishes and remineralization treatments can help strengthen remaining enamel or reduce symptoms, but they cannot effectively replace the original enamel structure. The Nottingham researchers say their material could offer a more restorative option by encouraging organized mineral growth that closely resembles the natural tissue.
Rebuilt Enamel Withstands Everyday Stress
Dr. Abshar Hasan, a Postdoctoral Fellow and leading author of the study, said: “Dental enamel has a unique structure, which gives enamel its remarkable properties that protect our teeth throughout life against physical, chemical, and thermal insults. When our material is applied to demineralized or eroded enamel, or exposed dentine, the material promotes the growth of crystals in an integrated and organized manner, recovering the architecture of our natural healthy enamel. We have tested the mechanical properties of these regenerated tissues under conditions simulating ‘real-life situations’ such as tooth brushing, chewing, and exposure to acidic foods, and found that the regenerated enamel behaves just like healthy enamel.”
The researchers tested the regenerated material under conditions intended to reproduce the stresses teeth experience in daily life. These included repeated brushing, chewing forces, and contact with acidic foods that can gradually dissolve enamel.
The results showed that the restored tissue displayed mechanical behavior similar to that of healthy natural enamel, suggesting it may be durable enough for practical dental use.
Researchers Move Toward Commercial Products
Professor Alvaro Mata, Chair in Biomedical Engineering & Biomaterials, who led the study, said: “We are very excited because the technology has been designed with the clinician and patient in mind. It is safe, can be easily and rapidly applied, and it is scalable. Also, the technology is versatile, which opens the opportunity to be translated into multiple types of products to help patients of all ages suffering from a variety of dental problems associated with loss of enamel and exposed dentine. We have started this process with our start-up company Mintech-Bio and hope to have a first product out by next year; this innovation could soon be helping patients worldwide.”
Because the gel can be applied rapidly and produced at scale, the researchers believe it could eventually be incorporated into several kinds of dental products. Possible applications could include professional treatments for enamel erosion, products for sensitive teeth, and materials designed to improve the durability of fillings or other restorations.
The team has begun working toward commercialization through its start-up company, Mintech-Bio, with the goal of developing an initial product for clinical use.