Fighting Tooth Sensitivity With The Aid Of Mussels

Scientists may have uncovered a method of treating tooth sensitivity which will make tooth sensitivity a thing of the past. The method is inspired by nature, and revolves around a 100 percent natural substance, one that is produced by mussels to anchor themselves against the face of rocks. Scientists have observed that these mussels remain on the surface of the rocks regardless of how strong the tide and the force of the waves are. The substance also plays a role in the self healing nature of mussels, something that has been coveted by humanity for a very long time.

Mussels

Mussels are a type of bivalve that have asymmetrically shaped shells. These animals are a very primitive form of life, and they spend most of their days in their shells, attached to the surface of rocks by way of a “beard”, which is actually a byssal thread (a byssus is a group of filaments that are actually secreted by clams, mollusks and mussels). Mussels are different from clams in that they are asymmetrical, but the exact difference between mollusks and mussels is not quite clear. This byssus is what interests scientists so much, as it is a really strong substance that is biocompatible, non toxic, and is really good at adhering the tiny bivalves to their surface of choice. When it turned out that the substance actually has healing properties, scientists went mad. The way they found out about the healing properties is that in mussels, when the byssus gets severed or damaged, it reassembles or repairs itself.  

Medical Uses

The medical uses for this substance are literally off the charts. At the University of Chicago, this substance has been the main component in a sticky material that can help repair teeth. Wearing away of the dentin and the enamel are the causes of tooth sensitivity, a condition that affects millions of people. By taking a mineral bath mixed with this substance, extracted human teeth that have had significant dentine and enamel wear were able to heal themselves. With just a mineral bath, the damaged teeth made enamel, but no dentine. Because the materials are stuck with an extremely sticky substance to the teeth, the dentin was also able to repair itself. Simply amazing. And if you think about it, a coating of this sticky material that not even waves can dislodge can be quite useful as a dental implant coating as well, meaning that the stabilization time would be much quicker, as the material would quickly bind with the jawbone, remineralizing ti and healing, and would stick the implant to the jawbone as well.     

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