Baby Teeth Shown to Have Valuable Stem Cells

It is a fact that roughly one in 5 people know someone or care for someone that has a spinal cord, brain or bone affliction such as Spina Bifida, Parkinson's disease, or Muscular sclerosis. We also know that stem cells may be able to help these afflictions. Furthermore, we also have an opinion about whether or not embryonic tissue stem cell harvesting is even ethical, but now there is an alternative source of stem cells, and it's something we lose anyway. Our baby teeth.

Before 2003, researchers could only isolate 2 types of stem cells; Adult, and embryonic.

Embryonic stem cells come from only one source; fetuses that have been aborted. Embryonic stem cells are the most versatile cell in the human body, because they can be used in any part of the human body and repair it.
Adult stem cells come from bone,blood and bone marrow and can be used for the same purposes, however the cells are much more limited in what it could be used for. Cord blood is also a great form of stem cells. The cord blood is collected shortly after birth, and sent to a cryogenic company to be stored until needed, but the cost of having it cryogenically frozen and stored can be very overwhelming. testing on Wisdom teeth started in 2000, and found that the pulp of the tooth contained stem cells. Since we shed more baby teeth than wisdom teeth (20 baby teeth to 4 wisdom teeth) Researchers decided to experiment with baby teeth next.

Researchers have been testing for stem cells harvested from deciduous (baby or primary) teeth stem cells for 4 years, and they have discovered that the tooth stem cells grow very well when cultured, and are more versatile than adult stem cells. They can grow into bone and/or tissue that may have the potential to repair nerves, teeth, bone, and create fat cells. teeth were collected from parents whose children lost teeth soon after the child lost the tooth, placed it in a glass of milk, and given to their dentist for pulp extraction and culture. What they found was amazing! They averaged an astounding 12 to 20 cells per incisor. Researchers also found that this certain form of stem cell could help growth in bone.

This is a huge step in replacing heavy metals we use for fillings and crowns. Researchers are also very hopeful that this could help in the fight against spinal cord injuries, degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, and even diabetes. Maybe someday all we will have to do is take a cup of milk to the dentist with a tooth inside, have them extract stem cells,freeze them, and they will be available whenever they are needed. The myth of the tooth fairy may come to an abrupt end, but it's a small price to pay for medical advancement that could someday have no need for dead babies, thus ending the debate over stem cell research. Is it really this simple?

For more information on baby teeth banking, visit http://www.bioeden.com/