Tag Archives: regenerative dentistry

Protect and repair damaged teeth with toothpaste made from your own hair?

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Intriguing, non? An August 13 , 2025 King’s College London press release (also on EurekAlert) describes work that could save your teeth in years to come, Note: A video of the researcher, Dr Sherif Elsharkawy, describing his work is embedded in the King’s College London press release,

Toothpaste made from your own hair may offer a sustainable and clinically effective way to protect and repair damaged teeth.

In a new study published today, scientists discovered that keratin, a protein found in hair, skin and wool, can repair tooth enamel and stop early stages of decay.

The King’s College London team of scientists discovered that keratin produces a protective coating that mimics the structure and function of natural enamel when it comes into contact with minerals in saliva.

Dr Sherif Elsharkawy, senior author and consultant in prosthodontics at King’s College London, said: “Unlike bones and hair, enamel does not regenerate, once it is lost, it’s gone forever.”

Acidic foods and drinks, poor oral hygiene, and ageing all contribute to enamel erosion and decay, leading to tooth sensitivity, pain and eventually tooth loss.

While fluoride toothpastes are currently used to slow this process, keratin-based treatments were found to stop it completely. Keratin forms a dense mineral layer that protects the tooth and seals off exposed nerve channels that cause sensitivity, offering both structural and symptomatic relief.

The treatment could be delivered through a toothpaste for daily use or as a professionally applied gel, similar to nail varnish, for more targeted repair. The team is already exploring pathways for clinical application and believes that keratin-based enamel regeneration could be made available to the public within the next two to three years.

In their study, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, the scientists extracted keratin from wool. They discovered that when keratin is applied to the tooth surface and comes into contact with the minerals naturally present in saliva, it forms a highly organised, crystal-like scaffold that mimics the structure and function of natural enamel.

Over time, this scaffold continues to attract calcium and phosphate ions, leading to the growth of a protective enamel-like coating around the tooth. This marks a significant step forward in regenerative dentistry.

Sara Gamea, PhD researcher at King’s College London and first author of the study, added: “Keratin offers a transformative alternative to current dental treatments. Not only is it sustainably sourced from biological waste materials like hair and skin, it also eliminates the need for traditional plastic resins, commonly used in restorative dentistry, which are toxic and less durable. Keratin also looks much more natural than these treatments, as it can more closely match the colour of the original tooth.”

As concerns grow over the sustainability of healthcare materials and long-term fluoride use, this discovery positions keratin as a leading candidate for future dental care. The research also aligns with broader efforts to embrace circular, waste-to-health innovations, transforming what would otherwise be discarded into a valuable clinical resource.

Sara Gamea said: “This technology bridges the gap between biology and dentistry, providing an eco-friendly biomaterial that mirrors natural processes.”

Dr Elsharkawy concluded: “We are entering an exciting era where biotechnology allows us to not just treat symptoms but restore biological function using the body’s own materials. With further development and the right industry partnerships, we may soon be growing stronger, healthier smiles from something as simple as a haircut.”

[diagram downloaded from https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/toothpaste-made-from-hair-provides-natural-root-to-repair-teeth]

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Biomimetic Mineralization of Keratin Scaffolds for Enamel Regeneration by Sara Gamea, Elham Radvar, Dimitra Athanasiadou, Ryan Lee Chan, Giacomo De Sero, Ecaterina Ware, Sunie Kundi, Avir Patel, Shwan Horamee, Shuaib Hadadi, Mads Carlsen, Leanne Allison, Roland Fleck, Ka Lung Andrew Chan, Avijit Banerjee, Nicola Pugno, Marianne Liebi, Paul T Sharpe, Karina Carneiro, Sherif Elsharkawy. Advanced Healthcare Materials DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202502465 First published online: 12 August 2025

This paper is open access.

Relief from tooth sensitivity with magnetically guided nanobots

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An August 11, 2025 Indian Institute of Science (IISc) press release (also on EurekAlert) by Shruti Sharma announces research into improving relief for people with tooth sensitivity, Note: A link has been removed,

Sensitive teeth need tough toothpaste, but technology can also help. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in collaboration with deep-tech startup Theranautilus have now engineered CalBots – magnetic nanobots that can penetrate deep into dentinal tubules, which are tiny tunnels in teeth that lead to nerve endings. These CalBots can then form durable seals for worn enamel, offering lasting relief from sensitivity in just one application. The study is published in Advanced Science. 

The CalBots use a completely new class of bioceramic cement. While bioceramics are widely used in orthopaedics and dentistry for their mineralising properties, the team wanted a solution tailored for hypersensitivity – a formulation that could travel deeper and last longer. 

“We didn’t want to create a slightly better version of what’s already out there,” says Shanmukh Peddi, first author of the study and postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), IISc, and co-founder of Theranautilus. “We wanted a technology that solves a real problem in a way that no one’s attempted before.”

Dental hypersensitivity affects nearly one in four people worldwide. It occurs when microscopic tubules in the dentine – the layer beneath the enamel –become exposed due to erosion or gum recession. These tiny tubules lead directly to nerve endings, which is why even a sip of cold water can cause a sudden, stabbing pain. Most current solutions, such as desensitising toothpastes, offer only surface-level relief and need to be reapplied regularly. 

CalBots, however, are different. These 400 nanometre-sized magnetic particles, loaded with a proprietary calcium silicate-based bioceramic formula, are guided by an external magnetic field deep into the exposed tubules. They can reach depths of up to 300-500 micrometers inside the tubules. Once there, the bots self-assemble into stable, cement-like plugs that block the tubules and recreate a durable seal that mimics the natural environment of the tooth.  

To test their innovation, the team used human teeth extracted for clinical reasons and created conditions where the dentine was exposed. On these samples, they applied CalBots under a magnetic field for 20 minutes, during which the bots sealed the dentinal tubules by forming deep, stable plugs – a result confirmed through high-resolution imaging. Encouraged by this, they progressed to animal trials in collaboration with researchers at IISc’s Center for Neuroscience. It involved giving mice a choice between cold and room temperature water. Healthy mice preferred both equally. But the mice with induced tooth sensitivity avoided the cold water completely. 

“After we treated the sensitive mice with our CalBot solution, they started drinking cold water again – the treatment worked like a charm. We saw 100% behavioural recovery. That was a big moment for us,” Peddi says.

The CalBots are composed entirely of materials classified as ‘Generally Recognised as Safe’ (GRAS), ensuring high biocompatibility. Toxicity tests on mice showed no adverse effects. “This is a compelling demonstration of what nanorobotics can achieve, and how they could significantly impact future healthcare,” says Ambarish Ghosh, Professor at CeNSE and one of the corresponding authors of the study. “We’re excited to see this work progress toward clinical use.” 

While the immediate goal is to relieve sensitivity, the implications of this work extend much further. “We’ve created a regenerative, active nanomaterial – a step towards the kind of ‘tiny mechanical surgeons’ Richard Feynman once envisioned,” says Debayan Dasgupta, former PhD student at CeNSE, co-founder of Theranautilus and one of the corresponding authors.

“This is something we’ve worked towards silently for years,” adds Peddi. “And the fact that we’ve done it here, in India, makes us very happy.” 

I don’t think this will show up at your dentist’s office next week but here’s a sneak peak,

Caption: Microscopic images of CalBots inside teeth. Credit: Shanmukh Peddi, Debayan Dasgupta

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Directed Self-Assembly of Magnetic Bioceramic Deep Inside Dentinal Tubules May Alleviate Dental Hypersensitivity by Shanmukh Peddi, Prajwal Hegde, Prannay Reddy, Anaxee Barman, Arnab Barik, Debayan Dasgupta, Ambarish Ghosh. Advanced Science Volume 12, Issue 39 October 20, 2025 e07664 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202507664 First published online: 17 July 2025

This paper is open access.

You can find the startup Theranautilus here