Scientists in the UK have developed a new robot that can help monitor the wearing of new materials for use in dental implants, dental veneers and dentures.
Researchers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bristol and Bristol Dental School have built a simulator capable of replicating the wear and tear that would normally occur within a mouth.
Daniel Raabe, the project co-designer, said: "Clinical trials last between two and three years, we can speed it up to five to ten days, so the dental researchers who develop new restorative materials … they have got a quick indication of how materials behave in the future."
Elsewhere, Kent Coulter and his colleagues at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio recently revealed they have invented a new polymer which could be used to replace traditional fillings.
Made from the same material as costume jewellery, zirconia platelets can be packed into teeth and then cured without shrinking. The material can also be coloured to match the teeth of the patient, making them virtually undetectable.