Stem Cells from Teeth

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Just wondering what folks have done/heard/learned about this. My D had her wisdom teeth extracted and was thinking about whether they should have possibly been preserved so that the stem cells from them could potentially be used for something in the future. </p>

<p>I called around frantically trying to find out more & have been told by trusted sources (dental & oral surgeon offices) that this is still very experimental at this point. My D’s new dentist said that her H is a pediatric oncologist & they didn’t save any of their kids’ extracted wisdom teeth (nor did my BIL dentist with his kids extracted teeth), as the procedure is still experimental. She also mentioned that while many states are setting up banks to save umbilical cord blood as a public benefit and our state has managed to match 100+ people so far, private companies that “bank” cord blood will charge up to $1000/year!</p>

<p>From a brief web search, there are at least 4 companies that claim to cyrogenically freeze the teeth and/or extracted stem cells for potential future use with liquid nitrogen and charge varying fees to set up (up to $1000) as well as annual fees of $100-125. Anyone have experience and/or knowledge? Most of these companies look to be quite new and no one could answer my questions over the phone–the person handling the matters was out to lunch. We have opted not to pursue this at this point.</p>

<p>Anyway, would love to know more from those of you who may have insights to share. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>From the dearth of postings, does this mean that no one has any info to share about this topic? I’m just curious, since the folks here tend to be well-informed.</p>

3

<p>Sorry, never heard of it. My son just had his removed a month ago and was upset that they were not given to him but he didn’t have a good purpose for them. He just wanted a souvenir.</p>

4

<p>I’ve never heard of this, HIMom. </p>

<p>But I did save all my children’s baby teeth. :)</p>

5

<p>Should not cost $1000 a year to keep a small sample in liquid nitrogen. Could have a home version, a completely sealed vessel with liquid nitrogen inside should last indefinitely with no special care, just lock it in your safe maybe.</p>

6

<p>Well, that’s the difference between what things cost versus what is charged.</p>

<p>Just like hospital costs. :rolleyes:</p>

7

<p>Oh well, just curious. D did ask for & get her wisdom teeth (the two uppers which were removed whole). They had to break the lowers (impacted) into sections to remove so didn’t give her those. We stored it in milk but I guess we’ll toss the milk & let her keep them as a momento.</p>