A new bioactive glass composite claims to be able to remineralise teeth, replacing the minerals lost to tooth decay.
More than eight million cavities are filled every year in the UK using amalgam.
Biomin Technologies, the company behind the new bioactive glass composite, claims the composite will release fluoride, calcium and phosphate into the surrounding tooth mineral, helping to remineralise the tooth after decay.
Bioactive glass composite
‘Our scientists and dentists at Queen Mary replaced the inert tooth filling materials with our new bioactive glass,’ Professor Hill, chair of Physical Sciences at the Institute of Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London, said.
‘Not only did this bioactive glass composite remineralise the partially decayed teeth, but it also creates an alkaline environment that discourages the bacteria that caused the initial decay.
‘The new bioactive glass also fills in the gaps with tooth mineral thus preventing the oral bacteria that cause tooth decay from establishing themselves.
‘Research in the US suggests this will potentially prolong the life of fillings and slow secondary tooth decay because the depth of bacterial penetration with bioactive glass fillings was significantly smaller than for inert fillings.’