Your Mouth Could One Day Be Full of Lab-Grown Teeth

Dentists have been filling our cavities for thousands of years—literally. Evidence of prehistoric dental work dates back over 13,000 years, when early humans used things like plant fibers, bitumen, and even hair to fix their busted molars. Today’s tools are far more high-tech, but the basic concept hasn’t changed much: drill, fill, repeat.

Now, a new study from King’s College London is helping shift that narrative entirely. Researchers there, working alongside Imperial College London, have developed a way to grow teeth in the lab using human cells—and if all goes according to plan, it could one day make fillings and implants feel as outdated as wooden teeth.

“Fillings aren’t the best solution for repairing teeth,” said Dr. Xuechen Zhang, one of the study’s lead researchers. “They have a limited lifespan and can lead to further decay or sensitivity.”

Unlike artificial fillings and implants, lab-grown teeth would be alive—able to repair themselves, integrate into the jawbone, and function like the real thing. No metal, no resin, no repeated visits for replacements. Just a brand-new, natural tooth.

Lab-Grown Teeth Could Soon Replace Fillings and Implants

In their latest breakthrough, the team developed a new biomaterial that mimics the body’s natural environment during early tooth development. It slowly releases signals that allow cells to “talk” to one another—essentially mimicking how teeth grow in the body.

“Previous attempts had failed, as all the signals were sent in one go,” said Zhang. “This new material releases signals slowly over time, replicating what happens in the body.”

The next step? Getting those teeth out of the lab and into people’s mouths. Researchers are exploring two options: either transplanting early-stage tooth cells directly into the patient’s jaw, or fully growing the tooth in a lab before implanting it. Both approaches start with initiating the very early stages of tooth development outside the body.

It’s all part of a broader push in regenerative medicine to grow replacements for body parts using stem cells and bioengineering, instead of relying on synthetic materials. If it works, it wouldn’t just mean better dental care—it could mean no more fillings, no more dentures, and no more $1,200 crowns that crack on popcorn.

“As the field progresses, the integration of such innovative techniques holds the potential to revolutionise dental care,” said Dr. Ana Angelova Volponi, co-author of the study. “This is about sustainable and effective solutions for tooth repair and regeneration.”

So yeah, the future of dentistry might just involve growing your next tooth like a plant.