How Will Nanotechnology Affect Dentistry and Medicine

Have you ever seen a monitor the thickness of which is less than a millimeter? Have you ever touched a sheet of fire- and waterproof paper? Have you ever thought about clothes that can never become dirty? Actually, this is what we are going to witness in the near future. This is nanotechnology that can give us such amazing benefits just within the next decade. The fact that technology is a way of producing objects is known to everyone. Nanotechnology is a set of methods that allow you to create objects of Nano size (from 1 to 100 nm). A prefix  «Nano » means  «dwarf » in Greek and is used to show how microscopically small a nanometer is. One nanometer is 0.000000001 m (one billionth of a meter). Lets try to imagine an object of this size. A nanometer is shorter than a meter about as much as a walnut is smaller than the earth. Dimensions of several nanometers have large molecules, for example, proteins. Atoms and ordinary molecules are smaller: they are measured in tenths of a nanometer. Such objects have special properties. These properties of nanomaterials allow them to be used for the latest scientific achievements. As for now, nanotechnology is the most promising and government-sponsored area in the world science. Nanotechnology in medicine articles appears more and more often each day. The application of nanotechnologies is so long-awaited mainly because of their great prospects for different spheres of medicine. Although many scientists point at some disadvantages of nanotechnology in medicine, the fact is that Nano sensors will ensure progress in the early detection of diseases, which might increase the chances of recovery. Scientists will be able to defeat cancer and other diseases. Old cancer drugs used to destroy not only diseased cells but also healthy ones. With the help of nanotechnology, the drug will be delivered directly to the diseased cell. As we have mentioned above, pros and cons of nanotechnology in healthcare are widely discussed, but lets stick to the pros first. There are many aspects of dentistry and medicine where Nano medicine is going to replace the traditional methods and even create new medical niches. Here are only some of these niches which are predicted to occur in the nearest future: Nano diagnostics Regenerative medicine Surgical Nano robots Nano dentistry Nano diagnostics Nano diagnostics is one of the most vivid potential advantages of nanomedicine. Scientists predict that Nano devices will help doctors to identify any disease on its early stages or even predict its possible development due to genetic predisposition. Regenerative medicine Nanotechnologies can bring new strategies to regenerative medicine, including some effective techniques for repairing or even replacing the damaged tissues. The most recent findings are based on the results of a study by Taiwanese scientists. In the conclusion of the article, it is stated that understanding the mechanisms of interaction of nanomaterials with stem cells can help to create cell-mediated combined technologies in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Surgical Nano robots Imagine that you have caught a common cold and immediately pay a visit to your doctor. But instead of prescribing you a pill, the doctor sends you to a medical center that will  «run » tiny robots into your blood. These robots will find out the cause of your illness, choose an exact system of organs and deliver the necessary dose of the drug directly to the  «affected area ». You will be surprised, but modern medicine is not so far from such devices, which are already partially used. These specific devices are called Nano bots, which were created on the basis of Nano electronic structures and biotechnologies and acquire new physicochemical properties that differ from the constituent molecules and atoms. Such Nano robots will be able to function in the human body and perform a variety of functions, from monitoring molecular and cellular processes to diagnosing and repairing the whole body. Scientists think that nanotechnology in medicine drug delivery will be available very so on. Nano dentistry Many modern scientists are currently working on the possibility of  «growing » teeth in return for the lost ones by means of molecular structural construction. Some scoffers claim that this option will be both among advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology in medicine because people will become healthier but all dentists will lose their jobs. But they are wrong because any process should be managed by a highly qualified specialist, without whom all the super technologies will hardly function better than a heap of scrap metal. How can nanotechnologies help in combating cancer? Nanotechnology which is related to cancer research aims to detect cancer cells in the patients body and develop the technology which will possibly treat these cancer cells. Such trials give scientists a chance to diagnose cancer on early stages and even prevent the development or relapse of an already existing disorder. Potential solutions for cancer patients are among the most well-known pros of nanotechnology in medicine. Risks of nanotechnology in medicine Meanwhile, some studies still show the likelihood of harm from components at the nanoscale. For example, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (UK) found that when mice breathe carbon nanotubes, they get lung damage which is similar to the effects of asbestos. Besides, according to one theory, nanomaterials can adversely affect DNA. Most of the scientists are not in a hurry to draw conclusions before the full information about the subject of the discussion appears. The same authors of the study with the participation of mice call for greater transparency in the nanotechnology industry. More recently, the US National Research Council and the British Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution also pointed to a lack of data on the potential threat of nanotechnology. And the European Parliament expressed the need to develop clear rules and regulations in this area. As we see, advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology in healthcare are not equally vivid, and this makes sense to wait for Nano technological progress with impatience.