Toothpaste made with hair could repair damaged teeth and stop the early stages of decay, a new study has found.
Scientists at King's College London discovered keratin, a protein found in hair, skin and wool that is often used in reparative shampoos, can also help with teeth.
"We think this is a game changer, an industry-mover to introduce keratin as an actual product within our daily use to protect and heal your tooth enamel without even realising," Dr Sherif Elsharkawy, from King's Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, told Sky News.
"If you have a micro crack or a very small defect, it would heal itself without you even realising."
Many tooth problems come from damaged enamel, which does not regenerate - once it is lost, it is gone forever.
When the keratin mixes with the minerals in saliva, it produces a protective coating to mimic the structure and function of natural enamel.
Source and further reading:
news.sky.com
Scientists at King's College London discovered keratin, a protein found in hair, skin and wool that is often used in reparative shampoos, can also help with teeth.
"We think this is a game changer, an industry-mover to introduce keratin as an actual product within our daily use to protect and heal your tooth enamel without even realising," Dr Sherif Elsharkawy, from King's Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, told Sky News.
"If you have a micro crack or a very small defect, it would heal itself without you even realising."
Many tooth problems come from damaged enamel, which does not regenerate - once it is lost, it is gone forever.
When the keratin mixes with the minerals in saliva, it produces a protective coating to mimic the structure and function of natural enamel.
Source and further reading:
Toothpaste made with hair naturally repairs tooth enamel, scientists discover
Fluoride is currently relied on to slow enamel erosion but keratin-based treatments were found to stop it completely.