Dental Stem Cell Banking Facts

When the tooth of your child is about to fall off, you now have got the alternative of saving that tooth in a dental stem cell bank.

Until now, the most popular method of collecting stem cells was through the umbilical cord (from cord blood more specifically). Now, however, it is possible to collect healthy stem cells right from the pulp of the milk teeth of children.

The dental pulp is going to be cryo-preserved (that is, stored at extremely low temperatures). Moreover, it is possible to preserve the stem cells even from adult wisdom teeth.

Parents who have missed the opportunity of preserving stem cells from the umbilical cord of their child, can now preserve cells from the dental pulp much later on (when the child is 6, 7, or even 10 years old).

Investing into preserving the dental stem cells can really be a life saving decision fort the child. With stem cell treatment, new cells are introduced into the tissue that is damaged, and thus several health conditions can be treated efficiently. There have been several studies made which clearly show the efficiency of dental stem cell treatment in case of heart complications, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, and even cancer or Parkinson’s disease.

Currently, there are studies undergoing which research the possibility of growing new teeth through using a patient’s own dental stem cells. The medical science is in a continuous development, and stem cells have many applications. Researchers are even trying to prove that stem cells can be used in cosmetic applications, such as stem cells helping to grow new hair.

The Journal of Dental Research has published a study according to which the stem cells that are collected from the pulp of the milk teeth are able to produce insulin. Of course, the studies are only in a very early stage, but the chances are great that some day the dental stem cells will be helpful in treating Diabetes Type I condition.

Then, a Japanese study led by researchers from the University of Nagoya proved that spinal cord injuries could be reversed with the help of stem cell implantation. In the lab tests there were used rats who had a disability due to spinal cord injury.

The researchers have applied a dental stem cell treatment to these rats, and they noticed that the animals regained movement in their legs. This particular study has been published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Research is extremely promising in the field, so it is definitely worth to invest in preserving the tooth of your child in order to reverse any future health damage with the help of stem cell transplantation.