Lasers are used frequently in medicine to destroy tissue, by making tiny surgical cuts, erasing spider veins, and banishing body hair. This week, researchers showed that low-power lasers can be used for the opposite purpose: to regrow missing tissue.

In a new study, the researchers used a laser to stimulate the stem cells within the teeth of rats. That could someday provide a simple way to avoid painful root canals. More significantly, researchers say, it may also work in other ways, perhaps encouraging wound healing and bone regeneration.

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