Artificial Tooth Enamel
Over many years, acids in food and drinks erode tooth enamel, and until now there has been no way to regenerate that layer of the tooth. Materials scientists at Queen Mary University in London may have found a way to overcome that limitation. Using nanocrystals, they “report the discovery and development of a process that exploits disorder–order interplay of ELRs [Elastin-like recombinamers] to guide mineralization with remarkable control and hierarchy. The process enables the fabrication and tuneability of crystallographically aligned apatite nanocrystals. Those nanocrystals are organized into microscopic prisms, which grow together into well-defined macroscopic structures that can populate large volumes. The material exhibits high stiffness, hardness, and acid resistance, and can be fabricated as fully mineralized membranes or coatings over uneven surfaces including native tissues.” MORE
Image Credit: Icon.com