A Dental Gel That Regenerates Your Enamel and Removes Cavities? What to Know

Dental fillings aren't a pleasant way to fix cavities but they're necessary to fill holes and prevent further damage. But now a research team at the University of Nottingham in the UK is working on a gel that could help prevent tooth decay and regenerate damaged tooth enamel.

According to research published in the journal Nature Communications this month, the gel works by containing a modified version of amelogenin, a protein that helps guide the growth of enamel in infants. The gel fills holes and cracks in the teeth when applied.

"The gel was able to grow crystals epitaxially, which means it's in the same crystallographic orientation as existing enamel," Alvaro Mata, a professor in Biomedical Engineering and Biomaterials at the University of Nottingham, told New Scientist.