The Main Reason Why Doctors Are Urging Parents to Keep Their Kids’ Baby Teeth
According to doctors, you
should not throw your baby’s fallen teeth away as they are a valuable
source of stem cells that could treat disease or dental problems later
on in life.
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Stem cell technology is advancing to
stages that are truly a remarkable feat of medical science. But to make
stem cells even more efficient in curing people, a person’s stem cells
should be made available at any time. For this, there is cord blood that
now parents are freezing and storing in hopes that it may save their
child’s life one day. But now scientists are saying that other parts of
the body can be sourced for the stem cells and one of them is baby
teeth. The next time your child leaves his tooth beneath his pillow for
the tooth fairy, make sure you take it and get it stored in a proper
way. You see even the teeth contain stem cells and they could come in
use one day.
1Why you need to keep teeth for dental cells
Scientists are recommending that a
child’s milk teeth should not be thrown away. It could be preserved for
treating serious health issues in the future. The teeth can be sourced
from dental stem cells which can even save your child’s life.
2What are dental stem cells?
Stem cells are different from other
cells in the body. Your body consists of several thousand cells. The
cells are all divided into three major groups such as red blood cells,
muscle cells, and nerve cells. There are also other branches of human
cells in the body. But before these can grow into fully functional
cells, they are first stem cells. It is these stem cells that grow into
the respective types of cells.
3Stem cells can regenerate into new tissue
Stem cells are capable of renewing
themselves and even transforming themselves into even more special type
of cells. These can repair and replace various tissues and organs.
According to the national institute of health, stem cell technology is
the most promising frontier of medical technology and research.
4They can treat disease
Because of their regenerative
capabilities, stem cells have great potential in treating diabetes, and
heart disease. However, research is still underway to study stem cells
and find even more innovative ways to use them as regenerative medicine.
5Where can we take stem cells from?
Stem cells consist of two basic types.
Embryonic and adult. While embryonic stem cells can only be harvested
from human embryos, adult cells are found in bone marrow (the spongy
substance found in bones) and the umbilical cord. Scientists have now
discovered that the pulp of baby teeth also contain stem cells with
regenerative properties. In fact, studies have found that at least one
to two dozen stem cells reside in baby teeth.
6How to store teeth for stem cells
Blood cells grow and develop in a
sponge-like part of the bone called bone marrow. Stem cells can be taken
from teeth as well as other parts of the bone. Remember, teeth should
be properly stored to become useful. Doctors and scientists use several
kinds of technology to preserve and later produce stem cells.
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7How stem cells can help
As mentioned earlier, stem cells can
actually reproduce different types of cells in the body. They can also
be used to fight cancer. Ongoing studies are presently trying to find
out the potential of stem cells to treat diseases and conditions like
heart Infraction.
8How are dental stem cells preserved?
First, you need to make an appointment
with a dentist. There are several agencies promoting the preservation of
dental stem cells. Just as in cord blood stem cells, dental stem cells
can also be preserved in stem cell banks. Once you contact a reliable
company for storing your child’s dental stem cells, they may send a kit
to your dentist.
The procedure has to take place when the
tooth is about to fall out or loose. The dentist will extract the loose
tooth and place it in the storage kit which will nourish the stem cells
while en route to a facility, or laboratory. The lab will make an
assessment to see which cells present in the tooth are ok for
preserving. The dental cells once chosen will be cryogenically preserved
by stem cell storage technology.
9Are there any disadvantages to storing dental stem cells?
The only disadvantage of storing both
stem cells and dental stem cells is the cost factor which does not come
cheap. However, if you consider the future benefits, then it may be
worth a consideration. Storage facilities may vary from company to
company.
The biggest question that people face
regarding stem cell storage is if they will work or not. Do the benefits
justify the costs? At present, it is too early to speak for or against
stem cell treatment because research is still going on.
10A new study proves stem cell can produce dentin in decayed teeth
In a very new study involving dentin
production from stem cells, scientists are working on a new medicine
called Tideglusib that stimulates stem cells within decayed teeth to
produce dentin to fill a cavity after the decayed material has been
removed by dentists. Instead of filling with conventional filing,
doctors will rely on the medicine for stem cell regeneration of dentin.
The drug is scheduled for human trials and will be a step forward in
proving the effectiveness of stem cell therapy.
11What experts have to say?
The FDA or food and drug administration
are yet to approve dental stem cell therapy. Dr. Pamela Robey of the
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial research says that “What
we do know is the cells from dental pulp in baby or wisdom teeth have
the ability to make dentin and pulp and they might have the ability to
make bone, but right now that’s all we really know for sure … we can’t
say how useful for the future they’ll be.” Considering the uncertainties
and the cost, then, parents would be well advised to seek the opinion
of a knowledgeable medical professional and carefully weigh their
decision before investing in a baby tooth bank account.
12The bottom line
The bottom line about dental stem cells
is that though they are promising given the advancements of stem cell
research, the idea is still too new to decide whether dental stem cells
should be stored or not. On the other hand, every new drug or medical
technology existed as an idea once and was greeted with its own share of
skepticism. Stem cell logics point out to the fact that stem cells
indeed can help cure disease and dental stem cells do possess the same
potential. The ultimate decision is left up to a parent.
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13What you can do
What you can do is to seek more
information and advice from the International Society of Stem Cell
Research to find out the risks and benefits. You can also consult with
your doctor on your best course of action.
14You can improve your child’s creativity with their own teeth
If you still want to save your baby’s
teeth, you could also get your child to use them in a school science
project. You could show them how to use the teeth to see the influence
of items like coke, sugar, coffee on the tooth. Or you could simply rely
on the tooth fairy to bury it in the garden.
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