This Is The Reason Why Doctors Recommend To Keep Your Kids’ Baby Teeth

Oct 29, 2018 by apost team

Losing baby teeth is a nostalgic time for a parent who is raising a young one. We always feel as though they are growing up so quickly!

Many parents choose to set aside their children’s baby teeth, mostly for memories sake. Well, it turns out that recent research is showing that keeping the child’s baby teeth can actually be a valuable health advantage for them later in life.

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Doctors have cited stem cell technology as a solid reason to hang on to those baby teeth until later in life. This technology has come so far in recent years, advancing so far as to truly change the face of medical science today. In order to use the stem cells for an individual person’s cure, the stem cells must be readily available to the medical scientists.

Many parents choose to freeze their children’s cord blood and store for later use, in hopes of it potentially saving the life of their child, if needed. Scientists have more recently found that there are other parts of the human body that can be utilized for stem cells, along with blood.

Parents of growing children all over can be thrilled that their nostalgic and loving efforts may just come in handy one day! Next time your little one leaves a tooth under his or her pillow, make sure you find a safe storage place to keep it for the future.

So, other than fond memories, the number one reason doctors urge parents to keep their children’s baby teeth is for stem cell technology. How and why does this work, and what are the reasons for its importance?

Essentially, the dental stem cells can be sourced for stem cell research specific to the individual.

Not quite the same as all other cells throughout the body, stem cells are somewhat like baby cells. Of the several thousand cells in our bodies, there are three different types. There are nerve cells, red blood cells, and muscle cells; this goes along with other branches of human cells in the body.

Before any of these types of cells begin to form into cells that are fully functional, they begin as stem cells.

The miraculous idea behind stem cell research comes from the fact that any type of stem cell can not only renew itself, but can do so while transforming itself into a specialized and specific type of cell.

Stem cells can use this ability to replace areas of, or repair, certain types of organs and tissues in the body. The National Institute of Health recognizes stem cell technology as the single most promising modern arena of research and technology in medicine.

The ability to regenerate themselves means that stem cells can be used for incredibly effective treatment of heart disease, diabetes, and other scary diseases – ones that we hope our children and future generations will not have to worry about as much, with stem cell research on our side.

Currently, research is ongoing, yet innovative. Studying stem cells and finding different groundbreaking uses for them, including the treatment of disease and as use as regenerative medicine, is on the frontier of medicine.

Stem cells are categorized as either embryonic or adult. Embryonic stem cells are only available to us through the harvest of human embryos. Adult stem cells, on the other hand, can be found in bone marrow or in the umbilical cord and, as is recently proven, the pulp within baby teeth. Each baby tooth could have even one or two dozen available stem cells, ready to be harvested.

Many parents are reading this article and wondering if their child’s baby teeth are holding up alright, in the scrapbook or old film canister in which they are stored. While they may be useful, it is of course best to store them in airtight containers which they won’t be rattled or bumped about in.

Medical doctors and scientists have different kinds of technology to preserve the teeth or bones to later be used to produce stem cells. There are even specially designed canisters, similar in shape to a retainer case, with a spot for each individual tooth.

In addition to all of what we’ve mentioned already, the use of stem cells to reproduce a variety of cell types throughout the human body has almost limitless possibilities. Ongoing research continues to unlock all of the potential of stem cells.

If you are interested in preserving dental stem cells, the first step is simple: see a dentist. Many successful dentist agencies promote the conservation of human dental stem cells, and have services which allow you to store them in stem cell banks.

This method is of course the most effective, certainly above the scrapbook and even the individualized container. Be sure to find a reliable company with stem cell banks, and they will likely send a kit to your current dentist.

When the tooth is loose and ready to fall out, you’ll simply return to the dentist, who will then remove the tooth – hopefully as painlessly as possible for your little one. The tooth is then placed inside the storage kit, which actually serves to nourish the stem cells while the kit is en route to the storage facility.

Once there, an assessment will be made on the dental cells within the tooth to see which are able to be preserved; at which point, those chosen are cryogenically frozen.

Like many new and advanced life-saving techniques, the process comes with a bit of a cost factor. Future benefits tend to outweigh these benefits strongly, especially for families with history of health problems. In addition, research is still ongoing, so the benefit given in a cost-benefit analysis is still difficult to fully determine.

In recent studies, dental stem cells have been found to produce dentin, which can be used to fill a cavity more naturally. Research is in progress for a medicine called Tideglusib, which acts as a stimulant for the stem cells within teeth that are already decayed. Once stimulated, the decay or cavity will be filled with dentin rather than conventional filling.

Stem cell research is not yet approved by the food and drug administration. There are still many uncertainties in the field, along with cost disadvantages. The ability to harvest stem cells from baby teeth is a great step forward, but there are still many more that need to be taken.

Overall, stem cell research is quite promising and has made many advances in recent years. In the field of medicine, it’s still known as a very new technology that some are still skeptic about.

Of course, every medicine was at one point a new and scary idea facing criticism and skepticism, the question of stem cells is will it logically turn into an advanced field that cures diseases or not? Ultimately, these decisions will fall not only to medical professionals but also to the parents.

Consult your dentist, or even look for more information on the International Society of Stem Cell Research for answers. You can also save your child’s teeth for practical or creative purposes, such as using them for a science project that displays the influence of sugar or soda. Of course, there is always the age-old Tooth Fairy Option.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!

Do you still possess your baby teeth? Isn't it crazy that they hold lifesaving stem cells! Let us know your thoughts in the comments and don't forget to show this information to your friends with kids!