Scheme 2. Injectable Peptide Scaffolds for Pulpal Regeneration.

The dental cavity may contain bacterial colonies that need to be extirpated (partial or complete pulpotomy). After clinical extirpation, the void may be filled with the thixotropic peptide hydrogel with dentinogenic activity. As the hydrogel promptly recovers after shear thinning, it should reassemble into a viscoelastic scaffold, filling the void. Recruitment and differentiation of autologous stem cells may then lead to re-establishment of a pulplike tissue niche.