Key points from article :
More than 3 million people in America have dental implants, used to replace a tooth lost.
Implants represent a leap of progress over dentures or bridges, designed to last 20 years or more.
But often implants fall short of that expectation, instead needing replacement in five to 10 years.
One is a nanoparticle-infused material that resists bacterial colonization.
Second is an embedded light source to conduct phototherapy, powered by the natural motions of the mouth.
Biomaterial is implanted, which can generate electrical power from natural oral motions.
Barium titanate (BTO) has piezoelectric properties that are leveraged as capacitators and transistors.
Geelsu Hwang, an assistant professor says"...long time because bacterial challenges are not a one-time threat"
Material did not harm normal gingival tissue in the researchers' experiments.
The technology is a finalist in the Science Center's research accelerator program.
Research by University of Pennsylvania published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
