"Could root canal procedures go by the wayside in the nottoodistant future Scientists from the University of Nottingham and Harvard Universitys Wyss Institute hope so. Theyre developing a new treatment strategy that could someday help heal a damaged tooth using the patients own stem cells. Though the work is still in its early stages and has not yet been tested in people the scientists won an award from the Royal Society of Chemistry for their idea regenerative dental fillings. When dental pulp disease and injury happen a root canal is typically performed to remove the infected tissues explained Dr. Adam Celiz Marie Curie Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham. Instead of the current dental materials used on fillings https which are toxic to cells the new approach harnesses stem cells instead. What we found is a material that can potentially regenerate https components of a patients tooth https Celiz told CBS News. Were trying to provide an alternative material an alternative therapy he said because the current method involves the dentist removing all of the infected pulp tissue scraping it out and it can be very painful. The process works by stimulating native stem cells https_VAoHhAWCAUwAAclientinternaludscseusgAFQjCNEiGAgFaDFoMiYoDfdPQpYzwA inside teeth triggering repair and regeneration of pulp tissues. We hope to eventually encourage dentin regeneration. Dentin is the protective layer that sits on top of the pulp tissue. Its a barrier between enamel and the soft tissue that contains all the blood vessels and cells Celiz explained. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook put it in simple terms The cells in the area of a root canal in the pulp those are normally asleep. Its like this material goes over and just taps it on the shoulder and says Wake up wake up and then it starts to repair itself. The stem cell procedure is in the earliest stages of development said Celiz. We have tested it in cell cultures and were moving it along into rodents he said. Its hard to put timeline on it but were talking years before we test it in humans. Were hoping this approach can bring regenerative medicine into the dentistry field said Celiz. If successful a treatment like this could someday offer significant benefits for millions of dental patients https each year."