by David Gutierrez, staff writer

(NaturalNews) A new hormone gel that may stimulate teeth to grow back
the tissue destroyed by tooth decay, according to a study conducted by
researchers from the National Institute for Health and Medical Research
in Paris and published in the American Chemical Society’s journal ACS Nano.

The
gel is composed of a mix of melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) and
the drug-transporting chemical poly-L-glutamic acid. MSH causes the body
to produce more melanin, responsible for skin color. Recent research has suggested that it can also stimulate bone regrowth.

In studies conducted on human dental
cells, the MSH gel led to the growth of new dental cells and their
adhesion to existing cells. When the gel was applied to the decaying teeth of live mice, the cavities completely disappeared within one month.

It
will take at least three to five years to develop the gel into a
medical product. If all goes well, the gel may render dental drills
obsolete. The researchers believe that because the gel stimulates the
regrowth of the body’s own cells, the rebuilt teeth would be just as
strong as the old ones — in contrast with artificial fillings, which
can fall out or wear down. The gel would also be painless to apply and
would not require anesthesia.

Of course, it is still best to avoid fillings in the first place by means of good dental hygiene. A good diet can go even farther, notes Michael Pollan in his book In Defense of Food.

"In the 1930s an argument raged in medical circles as to whether hygiene or nutrition was the key to understanding and treating tooth decay," Pollan writes.

"That
hygiene ultimately won the day had as much to do with the needs of the
dental profession as it did with good science; the problem of personal
hygiene was easier, and far more profitable, to address than that of the
diet and entire food system."

Sources for this story include: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a….