Dentist and engineer team up to regrow teeth

A tiny ultrasound device could help people regrow teeth, researchers at the University of Alberta say.

The prototype device offers a way to reform human dental tissue for the first time.

The treatment, called low-intensity pulsed ultrasound, massages the gums to stimulate jaws, encourage growth in the roots of teeth and aid healing in dental tissue.

"If the root is broken, it can now be fixed," said Dr. Tarak El-Bialy of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. "And because we can regrow the teeth root, a patient could have his own tooth rather than foreign objects in his mouth."