An Implanted Tooth That Can Feel

Diverse material species, ranging from gold to ceramic, have been selected to construct dental implants in the past decades. However, existing implants are primarily designed to restore masticatory function yet fail to completely recover the sensory feedback of natural teeth. Deprivation of sensory inputs impairs the perception of food texture and hinders the regulation of chewing force. This defect could result in unnecessary overload, leading to technical complications and biological failures, such as bone loss and temporomandibular joint damage, which remarkably limit their clinical outcomes. To endow the implanted tooth with masticatory perception, herein we demonstrate a 3D-printed piezoelectric-core/robust-sheath implanted tooth can rebuild the sensing feedback, serving as "mechanoreceptors" in converting mechanical chewing force to electrical signals, and up to brain through surrounding alveolar nerves. Working mechanism for the piezoelectric tooth has been revealed by real-time tracing of neurological activities in the mouse brain in response to simulating occlusal stimulus. Furthermore, more than 90% patients in clinical cases subjectively admitted the rebuilding of their masticatory perception after being implanted the piezoelectric tooth. These findings substantially advance the field of smart implants and herald a promising avenue for medical engineering aimed at enhancing the multi-functionality of implants in their applications.