Stem Cell Recovery

Stem cells are unique because they drive the natural healing process throughout your life. Stem cells are different from other cells in the body because they regenerate and produce specialized cell types. They heal and restore skin, bones, cartilage, muscles, nerves and other tissues when injuries occur.

As a result, new medical treatments are being developed to treat a range of diseases contemporary medicine currently deems difficult or impossible to treat. Among them are:

While stem cells can be found in most tissues of the body, they are usually buried deep, are few in number, and are similar in appearance to surrounding cells. With the discovery of stem cells in teeth, an accessible and available source of stem cells has been identified.

The tooth is nature’s “safe” for these valuable stem cells, and there is an abundance of these cells in baby teeth, wisdom teeth and permanent teeth. The stem cells contained within teeth are capable of replicating themselves and can be readily recovered at the time of a planned dental procedure. Living stem cells found within extracted teeth were routinely discarded every day, but now, with the knowledge from recent medical research, Keith Chertok, DDS provides you the opportunity to save these cells for future use in developing medical treatments for your family.

Aside from being the most convenient stem cells to access, the stem cells from teeth have been observed in research studies to be among the most powerful stem cells in the human body. Stem cells from teeth replicate at a faster rate and for a longer period of time than do stem cells harvested from other tissues of the body.

Using one’s own stem cells for medical treatment means a much lower risk of rejection by the body and decreases the need for powerful drugs that weaken the immune system, both of which are negative, but typical realities that come into play when tissues or cells from a donor are used to treat patients.

Stem cells in the human body age over time and their regenerative abilities slow down later in life. The earlier in life that your family’s stem cells are secured, the more valuable they will be when they are needed most.

Advantages of Stem Cell Recovery and Cryopreservation from Teeth:

• Accessible:
  The stem cells contained within teeth are recovered at the time of a planned procedure: Extraction of wisdom teeth, baby teeth or other healthy permanent teeth.
• Affordable:
  When compared with other methods of acquiring and preserving life saving stem cells from peripheral blood, bone marrow, or cord blood, recovering Stem Cells from teeth is the most affordable and least invasive.
• Convenience:
  The recovery of stem cells from teeth can be performed in the doctor’s office anytime when a healthy tooth is being extracted.
• Easy:
  The recovery of stem cells from teeth does not add any additional time to a planned procedure. Your doctor does not require any additional equipment or training.

FAQ: Stem Cell Recovery and Cryopreservation from Teeth

Why should someone recover and cryopreserve their own stem cells from teeth?

Healthy dental pulp contains stem cells that are among the most powerful stem cells in the body and replicate at a faster rate and for a longer period of time than other types of stem cells. Stem cells from teeth show great promise for future regenerative medical treatments of neurodegenerative diseases, heart disease, diabetes, bone diseases and brain and nerve injuries.

Which teeth are candidates for stem cell recovery and cryopreservation?

Any extracted tooth with a healthy pulp contains stem cells. Wisdom teeth, baby teeth and other permanent teeth i.e. healthy teeth that are fractured and teeth recommended for extraction for orthodontic purposes are all candidates for stem cell recovery and cryopreservation.

At what age am I no longer eligible to recover and preserve stem cells from teeth?

Age does not seem to play a major factor. All extracted healthy teeth contain stem cells. However, the younger you are, the younger the cells are, and these may be more beneficial in future regenerative therapies.

Is one tooth enough or should I try to bank as many teeth as I can as the opportunities arise? Should I bank deciduous teeth? Should I bank third molars?

Diseases of different severity or tissue defects of different size will undoubtedly require different amounts of stem cells to heal. Conceptually, the more teeth are banked, the greater the potential for sufficient stem cells to treat various diseases.