Every year, millions of people in the United States choose dental implants to replace missing teeth and provide a long-term, natural-looking restoration. But traditional dental implants don’t completely mimic real teeth.
Researchers at Tufts University School of Dentistry and Tufts University School of Medicine recently described a new approach to dental implants that better replicates the feel and function of natural teeth.
Their study, published in Scientific Reports, shows initial success in rodents using “smart” implants and a new, gentler surgical technique.
“Natural teeth are connected to the jawbone through soft tissue rich in nerves, which helps sense pressure and texture and guides us to chew and speak. Implants lack this sensory feedback,” said Jake Jinkun Chen (DI09), professor of periodontology and chair of the Department of Oral Biology at the School of Dental Medicine and senior author of the study.
Traditional dental implants use titanium posts that fuse directly to the jawbone to support ceramic crowns, and the surgery often severs or damages nearby nerves.
To connect these inert pieces of metal to the body’s sensory system, the Tufts team developed an implant encased in an innovative biodegradable coating.
The coating contains stem cells and a special protein that helps the stem cells proliferate and turn into nerve tissue. During the healing process, the coating dissolves, releasing the stem cells and protein to promote the growth of new nerve tissue around the implant.
The coating also contains tiny rubber particles that act like memory foam. These nanofibers are compressed, making the implant smaller than the missing tooth when it is first inserted, and once in place, they slowly expand until the implant fits snugly into the socket.
This enables a new minimally invasive procedure while preserving existing nerve endings in the tissue surrounding the implant.
“This new implant and minimally invasive technique should help reconnect nerves, allowing the implant to ‘talk’ to the brain like a real tooth,” Chen explained. “This breakthrough could also transform other types of bone implants, such as those used for hip replacements or fracture repair.”
Six weeks after surgery, the implants were firmly fixed in the rats, with no signs of inflammation or rejection. “Imaging studies showed a clear gap between the implant and the bone, suggesting that the implant is integrated through soft tissue rather than traditional fusion to the bone,” said Chen. This may help repair the nerves around it.
The study was conducted by Chen and School of Dental Medicine professors Qisheng Tu and Zoe Zhu, and Tufts University School of Medicine postdoctoral scholars Siddhartha Das (lead author) and Subhashis Ghosh.
These initial results are encouraging, but more research and time are needed before trials on human volunteers, such as studies in larger animal models to observe the results, including safety and efficacy.
The next step for the researchers will be to conduct preclinical studies to see if brain activity confirms that the new nerves around the prototype implant are indeed transmitting sensory information.