I Am Titanium

Losing teeth is a distressing experience, whether it’s through injury or disease. Although removable false teeth are a solution, millions of people have had their pearly white smiles restored with dental implants over the past few decades. This involves screwing a titanium fixture into the jaw to replace the root of the missing tooth, which then acts as an anchor for a replacement gnasher. Dentists use titanium because it can bind to the skin cells in the mouth, creating a tight seal for the new tooth. But infections and other gum problems can happen if this seal doesn’t form properly. Scientists have discovered that coating titanium with a naturally-produced chemical called platelet activating peptide attracts skin cells and helps them to settle into their new home. So far this has only been tested with cells grown in the lab, but it will hopefully lead to better implant materials in future.

Written by Kat Arney

Kat Arney

Writer

Dr Kat Arney is an award-winning science writer, broadcaster and public speaker, and is the founder and Creative Director of First Create The Media.

Website

• Image from work by Shiho Sugawara and colleagues
• Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
• Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Published in PLOS One, October 2016