If You Think It's Weird For Parents To Keep Baby Teeth, There's Research Showing They May Harvest Stem Cells

Earlier this month, TikTok user @xo_miss.sim_xo shared a video saying you should save your child's baby teeth because they can harvest stem cells.

To get more information, BuzzFeed spoke to board-certified pediatric dentist Dr. Fatina Shtivelman. She is from Gramercy Kids Smiles and a Firefly Kids Oral Care brand ambassador. Dr. Shtivelman said using baby teeth to harvest stem cells is a newer development and a lot of research is currently being done. "The goal is to use the stem cells to help treat illnesses. Even though this is an area of research that is still developing, the research sounds promising," she said.

CNN spoke to Ben Scheven, who is a senior lecturer in oral cell biology in the school of dentistry at the University of Birmingham. He stated that dental stem cells may provide advantageous cell therapy for repair and regeneration of tissues. However, they also spoke to Dr. Pamela Robey — chief of the craniofacial and skeletal diseases branch of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research — who said that since most of these studies have only been done on animals, they currently provide little evidence of benefits.

So, while more research still needs to be done, the use of baby teeth for stem cells may be something we see in the future.

If you're wanting to keep your kids' baby teeth for possible future stem cell use, you have to do it properly and plan ahead. Dr. Shtivelman said it's important to not let the tooth just fall out on its own. When the tooth starts wiggling, you'll want to pull it right away in order to maintain the rich blood supply of the tooth. If you want more information on how to safely preserve your kid's baby teeth, talk to your dentist.

She also said there are labs that will store the baby teeth and to talk to your child's dentist if it is something you are interested in doing.

Children have a total of 20 baby teeth, which all fall out at different times. She said, "Usually a child will have their baby teeth in by 3 years old and will lose them between the ages of 6 and 12. The baby teeth are the GPS for the adult teeth to come in the right direction, so it’s so important to take good care of them!"

In conclusion, before you make your kid's baby teeth into a necklace, consider saving them for potential stem cell use instead!

Article originally published by Buzzfeed - https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristatorres/baby-teeth-stem-cell

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