Cavity treatment may soon be revolutionised thanks to a new synthetic biomaterial.

The new material, developed by the University of Nottingham and the Harvard University's Wyss Institute, stimulates the repair and regeneration of parts of teeth.

The currently used material is incompatible with the pulp of the teeth, which is located in the core of the tooth, where all the nerves and blood vessels are situated.

The new biomaterial can actually stimulate tooth stem cells, meaning it could essentially help re-grow pulp and dentin in a damaged tooth.

The innovation landed the second prize in the materials category of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Emerging Technologies Competition 2016.

Not that the discovery means you should stop caring about dental hygiene - it will likely take some time for the innovation to come into everyday use.