Recently, a team of researchers in Japan managed to design a microscopically thin film, the ‘Tooth Patch’, which they report as being useful for preventing tooth decay or simply making teeth look whiter.
The new invention consists of a hard-wearing and ultra-flexible material created from hydroxyapatite, a primary mineral component of tooth enamel. This may also allow the ‘Tooth Patch’ to reduce tooth sensitivity.
Shigeki Hontsu, professor at Kinki University's Faculty of Biology-Oriented Science and Technology in western Japan, who participated in creating the ‘Tooth Patch’, said "This is the world's first flexible apatite sheet, which we hope to use to protect teeth or repair damaged enamel," The professor continued "Dentists used to think an all-apatite sheet was just a dream, but we are aiming to create artificial enamel,"
The Japanese team managed to design a film of 0.004 millimeters (0.00016 inches) thick. It was created using laser on compressed blocks of hydroxyapatite in a vacuum. This procedure resulted in gaining small particles of hydroxyapatite, which was used later in the Tooth Patch.
Hydroxyapatite particles were inserted in a block of salt. The latter was heated which resulted in the development of a crystal form of the particles. The salt itself is dissolved in water later on.
A filter paper was used to collect the crystal which was then picked up by a pair of tweezers. Professor Hontsu explained "The moment you put it on a tooth surface, it becomes invisible. You can barely see it if you examine it under a light,"
He added that the film would be firmly attached to the teeth within one day. And although it is transparent, it can be given a whitish color to be used as a cosmetic solution.
Professor Hontsu said that Tooth Patch has been used on extracted human teeth. The next step is to try it on human subjects. He added that 5 years are expected before Tooth Patch would be ready for use to cover exposed dentin, which means eliminating tooth sensitivity problems. For the cosmetic use, the professor expects the new solution to be ready for use within 3 years.
The technology used for designing the Tooth Patch witnessed cooperation with Kazushi Yoshikawa, associate professor at Osaka Dental University. This technology is already approved in Japan and South Korea. The patency is pending currently in other countries such as US, Europe and China.
