FLORIDA,None — BACKGROUND: Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell. ( Source: The National Institutes of Health resource for stem cell research)
DENTAL STEM CELLS: Adult stem cells in dental pulp are a recent discovery. They are undifferentiated mesenchymal stem cells, which appear to have greater plasticity than other adult stem cell types. Dental stem cells, like other mesenchymal stem cells, can trans differentiate into cardiac muscle cells and skeletal muscle cells, suggesting an important future role in muscle repair and regeneration. Adult stem cells in dental pulp are easily obtained from primary and permanent teeth.
SAVING FOR THE FUTURE: In 2000, scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) discovered that potent stem cells are found in both baby teeth and wisdom teeth, providing a new, convenient and plentiful source of stem cells.
Store-A-Tooth is a service that lets you preserve the stem cells in your or your children's teeth. Instead of throwing out your child's baby tooth (or putting it under the pillow), or having your dentist's office discard his or her extracted wisdom teeth, consider storing these precious dental stem cells that could one day be useful for a number of dental or medical applications.
Once in the lab, if the teeth pass the initial inspection, the dental pulp and tissue that contains the stem cells is harvested and processed. The processed cells are equilibrated with a cryoprotectant to stabilize the sample, frozen using controlled-rate freezers, and transferred to liquid nitrogen vapor phase freezers for long-term storage until needed by the healthcare provider.
(Source: Store-a-tooth.com)
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