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In the few short decades since their discovery, stem cells have changed the way doctors around the world see the future of medicine. Doctors have already harnessed the unique ability of stem cells to treat cancer and genetic blood diseases, using stem cell therapies such as bone marrow transplants. Today, more than 1,700 clinical studies are under way, demonstrating the use of stem cells to treat diseases, to heal injuries, and to grow replacement tissues like tendons, muscles, and blood vessels. As these studies and trials progress, we discover more and more about the potential packed into these remarkable cells.
There is still much to learn, but stem cells are changing the future of medicine. This exploding field of research holds the promise that your child, utilizing a toolkit of their own stem cells, will live a life of unprecedented wellness extended by decades.
Stem Cells: The Basics
Ordinary cells in your body replicate to make new cells of the same type – blood cells make more blood cells, skin cells make more skins cells and so on. However, there is another type of cell, called a stem cell. These are nature’s “master” cells, which can be “programmed” to regenerate into a wide variety of cells and tissues. Amazingly, after our birth and into adulthood, we keep a store of these stem cells in certain parts of our body.
Because stem cells can regenerate into other types of body cells and tissues, they have the ability to aid in healing. This is why scientists and doctors are so excited about the growing role of stem cells to treat disease, injury, and the deterioration of tissue due to aging. For example, doctors have already tapped into the unique ability of stem cells to treat leukemia and genetic blood diseases.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells
One of the most well understood and widely researched types of stem cells is the mesenchymal stem cell. This type of stem cell can be found in the healthy dental pulp of teeth. Mesenchymal stem cells can form tissues such as tendons, muscles, and blood vessels.
Regenerative Medicine
Stem cells are the cornerstone of a new field called Regenerative Medicine. This exploding field of research holds the promise that your child will be able to utilize a toolkit of their own stem cells harvested and stored early on to live a life of unprecedented wellness.
Imagine a future where serious conditions like type 1 diabetes are treated with a combination of drugs and regenerative medicine. Imagine skin and bone grafts created from the patient’s own cells. Imagine treating age-related conditions like arthritis, dementia, and Alzheimer’s using cells from the patient’s teeth that were banked when they were young.
Your Child’s Teeth: A Simple, Non-Invasive Source of Stem Cells
There are many reasons why teeth are a great source of stem cells for banking. The most obvious one is that it’s easy to collect a baby tooth that’s naturally falling out or a wisdom tooth being extracted. More importantly, the dental pulp in your child’s baby and wisdom teeth is an excellent source of mesenchymal stem cells, one of the most well-understood, widely researched and promising types of stem cells.
The younger the stem cell, the more potent the stem cell. Banking stem cells in a youthful state preserves their future ability to generate replacement tissue and heal the body. Younger cells divide more frequently, grow faster, and can turn into a greater variety of cell types.
Store-A-Tooth™, the industry-leading stem cell banking service for preserving the stem cells found in baby teeth and wisdom teeth, is a service of Provia Laboratories, LLC. Available since 2006 from dentists across the U.S., our laboratory is FDA-registered, CLIA-certified, and AABB-accredited.
As the research community learns more and more about stem cells and dental stem cells specifically, our goal at Provia Labs is to make this information available to you so that you can make the most informed decisions possible.
For more information about the power of dental stem cells and how you can enhance your child’s future health care, visit www.store-a-tooth.com,
discuss with a clinical specialist at 305-408-2952, or talk with your dentist.
