VOA慢速英语--新药物能帮助牙齿自我修复

 

I am going to take a chance and say that very few people enjoy going to the dentist, especially for a filling.

A dentist usually treat a cavity by removing the damaged part of the tooth. Then they fill the hole with porcelain¹ or a combination of silver and other metals.

Oftentimes fillings need replaced during the patient’s lifetime. But is filling the cavity with a foreign material really the best treatment? What if the tooth could repair itself with its own material – dentine?

That is what researchers at King's College London are studying. They have found a process that may replace the traditional method.

Researchers say they may be close to perfecting a method of helping² teeth to repair themselves. They say the treatment may make the filling of a cavity a thing of the past.

Paul Sharpe of King’s College says a new treatment for cavities is simpler. It uses a drug that causes the tooth to fill in the hole naturally with dentine.

"[It] involves putting a drug on a little sponge that goes inside the tooth, in the hole that the dentist made. It stimulates⁴ this natural process, which is starting to occur anyway following the damage, but it over-activates the process so you actually get the big hole repaired and the repair is a production of the natural material, the dentine."

Usually a new drug requires repeated testing before it is approved for treatment. However, this drug that produces the regrowth in teeth has already been approved. It is a drug currently used to treat Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders⁵ of the nervous system.

Sharpe explains that when using this already-approved drug to repair cavities, researchers use only a small amount and they use it locally. Usually that means the medicine is put directly on the affected⁶ area. It does not travel through the patient’s blood.

"We are using much smaller doses and we're delivering them locally, just in a tooth.”

Nigel Carter heads Britain’s Oral Health Foundation. He describes the new treatment as an exciting possibility for dental care. He notes that re-growing a tooth would be a major development. But Carter also has a warning.

"Actually re-growing the tooth that's been lost with a cavity would be really a huge step forward. But, it's also important that we remember that we shouldn't be getting the cavity in the first place. We're talking about a totally preventable disease."

Although the new treatment uses a drug to cause the regrowth, it still requires the dentist to use a power drill.

So, if you don't want to go under the drill, the dentists advise us to keep cleaning those teeth.

I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

dentist – n. a person whose job is to care for people's teeth

dental – adj. of or relating to teeth or to the work dentists do

dentine – n. a calcareous material similar to but harder and denser⁷ than bone that composes the principal mass of a tooth

cavity – n. an area of decay in a tooth

porcelain – n. a hard, white substance that is very delicate and that is made by baking clay

sponge – n. a piece of light natural or artificial material that becomes soft when it is wet, is able to take in and hold liquid, and is used for washing or cleaning

stimulate³ – v. to make (something) more active

dose – n. the amount of a medicine, drug, or vitamin that is taken at one time

1 porcelain   

n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的

参考例句：

• These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
• The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

4 stimulates   

v.刺激( stimulate的第三人称单数 )；激励；使兴奋；起兴奋作用，起刺激作用，起促进作用

参考例句：

• Exercise stimulates the body. 运动促进身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Alcohol stimulates the action of the heart. 酒刺激心脏的活动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 denser   

adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• As Tito entered the neighbourhood of San Martino, he found the throng rather denser. 蒂托走近圣马丁教堂附近一带时，发现人群相当密集。