A planned tooth extraction presents an excellent opportunity: you can extract your childās stem cells from the teeth and store them for future therapeutic use.Ā
Ashburn Childrenās Dentistry partners with StemSave, Americaās premier dental stem bank, to provide this service to our patients. Stem cell therapy is advancing daily, and researchers anticipate that it will be used to treat countless more diseases and injuries in the future.Ā
Baby teeth are an excellent source of stem cells. When they are extracted as part of a dental procedure, they are ideal for stem cell banking.Ā
Why You Should Consider Stem Cell Banking
Stem cells are special kinds of cells in the human body that can develop into a variety of different cell types. Stem cells can become brain cells, muscle cells, skin cells, heart muscle cells, bone cells, and more.Ā
These are the only cells in the human body that generate into new cell types. This unique ability makes them very important in the development of new treatments for diseases, illnesses, and injuries.Ā
Stem cells are found throughout the body, but there are far more of them in some areas than others. When harvesting stem cells, itās important to gather as many as possible, which is why they are only collected from certain areas.Ā
Typically, stem cells can be harvested from embryonic material, the umbilical cord (both tissue and blood), bone marrow, peripheral blood, adipose, and dental pulp.
To date, stem cell therapy has been used to treat:
- Autoimmune disorders
- Inflammatory conditions
- Neurological conditions
- Orthopedic injuriesĀ
- Traumatic injuries
- COPD
- Parkinsonās Disease
- Crohnās Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Lupus
- ALS
- Stroke
As new therapies are developed over your childās lifetime, stem cell banking ensures that they have access to young, healthy stem cells that are an exact match for their bodyās needs.Check out this video to learn more about the benefits of stem cell banking.Ā
Using Baby Teeth for StemSave
As the team at StemSave explains: āStem cells age along with the individual and over time, both their number and regenerative capabilities diminish. Hence, baby teeth and wisdom teeth provide an excellent source of stem cells when the cells are both young and plentiful.ā
The viable stem cells in your childrenās teeth can be cryopreserved by StemSaveās expert technicians. This process is easy and convenient for our patients, who only have to register at the StemSave site in order to start the process.
StemSave will send one of its patented transport kits directly to our office. After your childās tooth extraction, we will package the tooth and send it back to StemSave for long-term cryostorage.Ā
What to Expect During Your StemSave Dentistry Appointment at Ashburn Childrenās Dentistry
Baby teeth are not extracted specifically for StemSave storage, though we can discuss the viability of pulling a tooth that is already coming loose.
However, if your child is undergoing a planned tooth extraction, you can use it as an opportunity to bank their stem cells.
There is no difference in the experiences of our patients who are banking with StemSave and those who are not. We simply add a few more steps to our processes: We preserve, package, and ship the tooth to StemSave in their transport kit.Ā
You do not need to bring anything special to the appointment, but be sure to let us know when you check in that you have pre-registered at StemSave.Ā
Make an Appointment for Your Child at Ashburn Childrenās Dentistry Today
As with all appointments at Ashburn Childrenās Dentistry, you can expect to be treated with respect, attentiveness, and kindness throughout your entire visit.
Going to the dentist doesnāt have to be scary or anxiety-inducing. We create a fun and pleasant environment so that our patients can think of going to the dentist as a treat, not some kind of punishment!
Contact our offices to schedule an appointment or learn the answers to any of your questions about dental care, office visits, and the StemSave process.