Why You Should Preserve Dental Stem Cells

Parents often save stem cells from their infants’ umbilical cords to preserve them for future use. It’s an excellent idea because stem cells are powerhouse cells. Unlike most cells in the body that serve a specific function, stem cells are the origin of all other specialized cells. They become all the other cells that make up the body’s tissues, bones, and organs. Throughout our lives, stem cells promote the healing process and regenerate.

Why are Stem Cells Important?

Stem cells have a variety of medical uses that make them extremely valuable. They can help researchers understand diseases by observing how the cells mature and become differentiated cells with specific functions.

Stem cells can be used in regenerative medicine to replace diseased or damaged cells in the body. There are many diseases and conditions that may respond to stem cell therapy, including spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, type 1 diabetes, ALS, burns, Alzheimer’s disease, and osteoarthritis. In the future, stem cells may be used to grow new tissue for transplants.

What are the Advantages of Dental Stem Cells?

Stem cells are not easily found in the body because they are located deep within the body, look like many differentiated cells, and are limited in number. Recently, the discovery of stem cells within the pulp of healthy teeth has given physicians and researchers a new source of stem cells.

Dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) are similar to the stem cells found in bone marrow. DPSCs can become part of the dentin-pulp complex or differentiate into dentin cells in a laboratory setting. Dental stem cells can be used for regenerating dental tissues after oral surgery. Advantages of this approach include:

• Easily accessible during oral surgery
• Easy to keep alive
• Dental stem cells generate dentin tissue faster than stem cells from other areas of the body.
• Dental stem cells can be cryo-preserved for later use
• They have anti-inflammatory qualities to reduce swelling and pain during surgery

Why Should I Save My Dental Stem Cells?

Banking your dental stem cells any time you have a tooth removed is an investment in your future health and wellness. Any tooth with a healthy pulp contains stem cells that can be preserved for future use. Many parents have stem cells extracted from their children’s wisdom teeth when they are removed. At this age, stem cells are in peak condition.

Preserved stem cells can aid in healing and new cell growth following surgery. In the future, the use of stem cells to treat a wide range of diseases, including various forms of cancer, and aid in organ transplants will become more prevalent. Using your own stem cells in any treatment ensures your body will not reject new cell growth or treatments.

Stem cell research continues to reveal new applications for stem cells. By preserving yours now, you can ensure a healthy supply of stem cells if you need them in the future.

If you are interested in saving dental stem cells from extracted teeth, be sure to tell our doctors at your next appointment. To learn more about how dental stem cells improve your health and aid in recovery, contact our office at Flushing NY Office Phone Number 347-943-1960 and schedule a consultation with Dr. Li or Dr. Fan.

Call our office at Flushing NY Office Phone Number 347-943-1960 to schedule your tooth extraction consultation!