Teeth are one of the first things we see—a nice smile can win over anyone. Though teeth can be chipped or lost due to head injuries, dental caries and periodontal disease. Dental caries is caused by multiple factors namely bacteria which are present in the mouth that cause the breakdown of the tooth. Periodontal disease on the other hand weakens the bone around the tooth with the possibility of the tooth becoming loose and eventually lost.
A number of materials can be used to restore missing teeth parts. Such materials range from metals to ceramics and polymers. These materials are inert meaning that they do not react with the rest of the mouth. They replace the missing tooth structure and are bonded to the remainder of the tooth. The loss of whole teeth due to trauma, periodontal disease and advanced dental caries with gross tooth destruction is nowadays replaced by a range of materials, which can either be removable, stuck to the remaining teeth or implanted in the jawbone.
Although all these measures restore the appearance of teeth and their function, they do not regenerate the tooth. This is why the loss of tooth structure is devastating, particularly to young people as any material needs to be regularly replaced incurring further damage to the tooth and increasing costs due to treatment complexity.
The future of dentistry is regeneration rather than repair and this is possible only through smart materials.
Come join us at our event called Smart Teeth at 19:30 (Doors open at 19:15) on Wednesday 3 May in the Cinema Room, Spazju Kreattiv, St James Cavalier in Valletta together with Prof. Josette Camilleri Barbara from the Faculty of Dental Surgery (University of Malta).
Malta Café Scientifique can be found on Facebook and at bit.ly/MCSCIweb to view events and subscribe to the mailing list.
Malta Café Scientifique thanks the STEAM project funded by the Erasmus+ Key Action 2 Strategic Partnership, St James Cavalier for hosting this event, the University of Malta, and Malta Chamber of Scientists (of which the café forms part).
Poster thanks to Rebecca Tong & Stephanie Ghio