 There is a growing interest in stem cell research these days as stem cell therapy around the world has been successfully used to alleviate suffering and treat a number of human diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma. Stem cell therapy has been performed successfully over 700 times in the United States in the last 10 years. In the future, based on promising research to date, medical researchers anticipate stem cell therapy to treat challenging diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, juvenile diabetes, cancer, as well as spinal cord injuries.
However, the painful method of obtaining adult stem cells such as from bone marrow, and the ethical issues surrounding the source of embryonic stem cells have slowed progress in the research field of personalized medicine. Overcoming the controversial social and ethical debate can now be put aside. In the last few years, new research has uncovered an abundant and easily obtainable source of stem cell.
These cells are located in your child’s milk (baby) teeth. Baby teeth begin to appear at the age of six months and usually fall out between six and eleven years old. Rather than adding to your child’s box of baby mementoes or discarding these teeth in the typical household disposable receptacle, the cells contained within each tooth can be saved and cryogenically preserved for future medical use - thus acting as personalized “biological insurance”. By banking on the future there is the potential to save a life by way of treatment for a life-threatening disease or debilitating condition that may occur in the lifetime of the donor or may be used also to treat a blood relative.
 Stem cells are unique in their ability to differentiate into a diverse range of specialized cells and can develop into functional cells types that make up organs such as the heart, liver, brain and skin. Stem cells are the building blocks of life, thus making them ideal as a human repair system. For successful stem cell therapy, it is most important that the source of stem cell be compatible with the recipient to avoid rejection of transplanted tissue. What more could you ask for from a discarded baby tooth than to use the donor’s own cells to replace those that have been damaged by injury or disease? Imagine – one day the tooth fairy could save your child’s life.
A recent example of the potential stem cells from baby teeth hold is the story of Chris Rodriguez. Chris is a 10-year-old boy who is currently paralyzed from the waist down after being hit by a stray bullet while attending a piano lesson on January 10th, 2008. Chris’ family hope one day the stem cells cryopreserved from his baby teeth today will yield a cure for his paralysis.
To read more about Chris visit –
If you would like to learn more about tooth stem cell preservation with the promise of future treatment of a loved one please visit BioEDEN Tooth Cell Bank: www.bioeden.com or call toll free 888-315-3843.
BioEDEN, founded in Austin, Texas, is an international bio-science operation and the first company to collect, assess and cryogenically store living tooth cells from deciduous baby teeth. |
