The Professor Who Revolutionized Bone Regeneration: A Tree’s Secret to Healing 

How nature’s oldest circulation system inspired the future of dental surgery  

 

“Without bleeding, it’s dead bone.” 

Dr. Daniel Oh understood this fundamental truth from his years as a biomaterials specialist and professor at Columbia University and the University of Texas. He watched bone grafts struggle with one critical problem: they couldn’t deliver enough blood circulation that bone needs to heal. 

But Dr. Oh had a different idea. 

 

The Tree That Changed Everything 

Dr. Oh was fascinated by a simple question: How do giant trees move water 10 meters high—from roots to leaves—without a pump? 

The answer: capillary action. 

Trees create microscopic channels that pull water upward through pure physics. No machinery. No external force. Just smart design that works with natural laws. 

“Thinking about nature,” Dr. Oh explains, “the giant trees suck in water and nutrients from the root, and then it moves to the top of the leaves, 10 meters, whatever the height. That’s the capillary action from the root to the top.” 

That’s when it clicked. What if bone grafts could work the same way? 

 

The Circulation Challenge 

Here’s what happens with traditional bone grafts: 

You place the material. Your body tries to integrate it. But without proper blood flow, cells struggle to get the oxygen they need. The healing process becomes much slower and less predictable. 

Dr. Oh realized that bone regeneration isn’t just about filling gaps. It’s about creating the conditions for your body to rebuild itself more effectively. 

“The blood circulation is the most crucial factor for bone regeneration,” he says. 

Engineering Nature’s Solution 

Dr. Oh spent years designing what would become InRoad Bioceramic Bone Graft—a material that doesn’t just fill space but actively recruits blood flow. 

The breakthrough lies in creating multiple levels of tiny channels throughout the material. This design achieves 75% porosity that works like a biological sponge, pulling blood into the graft from the moment it’s placed. 

When cells multiply rapidly around the graft, they consume oxygen quickly. This signals your body to create new blood vessels—exactly what’s needed for strong bone regeneration. 

 

From Research to Reality 

After proving the concept in his lab, Dr. Oh faced a choice. His colleagues at Columbia said it best: “It looks very promising. Why don’t you try to commercialize it? Then patients can get the benefit from you.” 

Here was the real challenge: The FDA required six years of additional research to meet medical device regulations. But in 2022, InRoad finally received approval. 

“It’s totally different path,” Dr. Oh reflects. “I have to redo all the research to follow exactly the regulations. That’s why it takes another six years to get FDA approval.” 

 

The Three Generations of Dentistry 

According to Dr. Oh, dentistry has evolved through three distinct phases: 

First generation: Traditional filling and sealing Second generation: Digital dentistry with computers and advanced imaging
Third generation: Biological dentistry that works with your body’s natural processes 

“Now, the third generation is coming. That’s biological dentistry,” he says. 

This means using materials that your body recognizes and can integrate with—ceramic to ceramic compatibility that eliminates immune system conflicts. 

 

Available at TRYBE 

Today, TRYBE is one of the few clinics in Latin America offering this breakthrough technology. Dr. Oh personally endorses the partnership: “Dr. Fernández is the master of biodentistry using InRoad.” 

For patients, this means access to bone grafts that don’t just fill space—they create the biological conditions for more predictable regeneration. 

 

The Future of Healing 

Dr. Oh’s journey from professor to pioneer illustrates a simple truth: the best solutions often come from understanding how nature already solved the problem. 

Trees have been moving water through capillary action for millions of years. Now that same principle is helping patients rebuild their jaws, one microscopic channel at a time. 

As Dr. Oh puts it: “Ceramic to ceramic to ceramic. This is biological dentistry that I’m thinking.” 

 

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