Osteocytes are the basic unit of the skeleton system. They have a great capacity for regeneration. Can we accelerate this process artificially? Scientists are close to finding a way.

Today we’ve begun Section 45.2: The Skeletal System. Bone is connective tissue that has a great capacity for self-regenaration. 3D printing is all the rage in the contemporary and technological cutting edge. Thus, it was just a matter of time before this budding technology was applied to anatomical purposes:

It’s 2020 and you have severe gum disease. It’s bad enough to require surgery to replace lost bone. So your doctor pulls up a computer program, makes a few calculations, and prints out a fresh piece of bone (technically a bone-like powder) on a 3-D inkjet printer. The printed bone, which is used as a scaffolding to allow fresh cells to grow, is implanted in your mouth. Eventually, it harmlessly dissolves as new bone tissue emerges from your cells.

The following video gives us a little bit more information about what this process is all about: