Smart dental implants feel like natural teeth

Each year, millions of people get dental implants as a long-term, natural-looking fix for missing teeth. But traditional implants don't fully mimic real teeth.

Researchers from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine recently described a new approach to dental implants that could better replicate how natural teeth feel and function. Their study, published in Scientific Reports, shows early success with both a "smart" implant and a new gentler surgical technique in rodents.

"Natural teeth connect to the jawbone through soft tissue rich in nerves, which help sense pressure and texture and guide how we chew and speak. Implants lack that sensory feedback," said Jake Jinkun Chen, DI09, a professor of periodontology and director of the Division of Oral Biology at the School of Dental Medicine and the senior author on the study.

Traditional dental implants use a titanium post that fuses directly to the jawbone to support a ceramic crown, and the surgery often cuts or damages nearby nerves. To tie these inert pieces of metal into the body's sensory system, the Tufts team developed an implant wrapped in an innovative biodegradable coating. This coating contains stem cells and a special protein that helps them multiply and turn into nerve tissue. As the coating dissolves during the healing process, it releases the stem cells and protein, fueling the growth of new nerve tissue around the implant.

The coating also contains tiny, rubbery particles that act like memory foam. Compressed so that the implant is smaller than the missing tooth when it's first inserted, these nanofibers gently expand once in place until the implant snugly fits the socket. This allows for a new minimally invasive procedure that preserves existing nerve endings in the tissue around the implant.

Siddhartha Das et al, Surgical considerations towards inducing proprioceptive feedback in dental implants, Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-99923-8