Instead of letting the Tooth Fairy save a baby tooth that just came out of your child’s mouth, within the next few years your dentist will save the stem cells found inside those baby incisors. Stem cells are called the master cells of the body. And a great place to find these incredible cells is within the pulp tissue of a child’s baby teeth. There, one can find literally millions and millions of these stem cells inside even one incisor! These cells produce the blood vessels, nerve tissue and even the enamel forming the tooth. However, it has now been shown that stem cells found in the dental pulp can produce cartilage and bone necessary throughout the body! They will fully cure diseases by producing regeneration of these tissues needed. Since there are 220 types of tissue found in the human body, the versatility of these stem cells cannot be overstated. These stem cells could even regenerate the pulp, or nerve tissue inside an abscessed tooth- possibly resulting in no more root canals!
Dental stem cells are also showing great potential in treating diabetes, parkinsons, arthritis, muscular dystrophy, and repair a myocardial infarct (heart attack).
The song, ‘How do you mend a broken heart?’ could take on a whole new meaning.
So, instead of placing your child’s precious baby canines under the pillow in hopes of them receiving 50 cents from the good ol’ tooth fairy, their baby teeth will now become incredibly useful. When removed, the dentist will store them in a cryobank. If and when they are needed years down the line, these frozen cells could be easily harvested and used to completely cure diseases!
But don’t despair if your childhood days are long gone. If you are a teenager, your developing wisdom teeth are a great place to find viable stem cells. And for us baby-boomers, even the gum tissue surrounding the teeth are showing signs of being able to harvest healthy stem cells.
Who would have thought the Tooth Fairy would become a casualty of technology?
Edward M. Reifman, DDS 818.990.6659 www.encinosmiledr.com
