Scientists at King’s College London have grown human teeth in a lab, offering a new alternative to fillings or implants for people who have lost teeth.
The researchers, working with Imperial College London, created a material that mimics the conditions needed for tooth development. This allows one cell to signal another to turn into a tooth cell in the lab.
The next challenge is figuring out how to move these lab-grown teeth into a patient’s mouth, a process that could take several years.
Researchers are testing two methods: implanting early-stage tooth cells into the jaw or growing full teeth in the lab before transplanting them, which could potentially change future dental care.
