Stem Cells in Baby Teeth

3 minutes

Reviewed and approved by the psychologist María Alejandra Castro Arbeláez.

Last update: 27 December, 2022

Did you know there are stem cells in baby teeth? It’s true! Dentistry has been revolutionized with this recent discovery.

Very few people know that in addition to the umbilical cord and bone barrow, baby teeth are also rich in stem cells. Stem cells extracted from baby teeth are different from those extracted from the umbilical cord.

This discovery ocurred in 2003 when a researcher from the National Institute of Health confirmed the existence of stem cells in dental pulp, which is covered by dentin on baby teeth.

The benefits of using stem cells to treat different aspects of human health have been widespread over the last few years. We all want to use stem cells to regenerate tissues and appear fresher and younger.

The best thing about stem cells is that they have the ability to multiply and separate to form other cells which can regrow a variety of tissues and organs.

Amazing cells

The cells obtained from baby teeth are called mesenchymal and have the ability to regrow numerous complete organs and other parts of our anatomy.

They can regrow bones, muscles, body fat, cartilage, pancreas, heart, or even nerve cells located in the brain. In this sense, stems cells have an incredible regenerative potential.

Mesenchymal cells can be extracted from children‘s baby teeth (or from adult wisdom teeth) and they can treat certain heart conditions, as well as:

Parkinsons
Alzheimers
Diabetes.
Paralysis due to spinal cord injuries
Reproducing bone, cartilidge, and other tissues

IMPORTANT

Stem cells in teeth can be used to treat illnesses from a first or second degree relative of the patient: siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.

Where are stem cells preserved?

These cells (found in the soft interior part of baby teeth) serve to regenerate the living part of the tooth. They generally appear around six years of age and fall out naturally between six and twelve years of age.

These teeth should be preserved in a specialized laboratory.

If the tooth falls out at home or anywhere else…

If the tooth falls out at home or anywhere besides the dentist’s office, immediately place it in a glass with milk and put it in the refrigerator. If you do that, it is very likely that the stem cells can be cultivated and preserved successfully.

The first 48 hours after the tooth falls out are critical. The tooth should be packaged, sent and received by the laboratory during this time to successfully isolate the cells.

American dentists recommend extracting baby teeth before they fall out. They advise parents to make the decision to professionally preserve the teeth before they have fallen out.

Aside from practices in the US, many dentists do not recommend extracting baby teeth unnaturally. The reasons for this include:

Baby teeth are a new source of youth that everyone wants as soon as possible and as easily as possible. The lack of patience in society leads to an extremely aggressive market that seeks to prematurely extract teeth from little ones.

Keep those baby teeth safe!

If you are interested in saving your child’s baby teeth for the future, specialists recommend discussing this with a stem cell bank of your choosing.

There they will provide you a bio-kit with everything needed to securely save the tooth until you turn it in to laboratory staff.

In fact, wisdom teeth also have a large amount of this type of cells, that have been shown to be able to regenerate damaged corneas.

Traditionally, many mothers around the world have saved their children’s baby teeth.

Have you ever seen a box with whole baby teeth it in? Maybe you won’t see them the same way in the future.

This tradition may begin to change. Instead of saving the baby teeth in a box, mothers may begin to save them in a stem cell bank, where they can be preserved in laboratories.

They will be there if needed, whether to combat disease or regrow an organ in the body.