This Is Why Doctors Are Telling Parents To Keep Their Kids' Baby Teeth

August 16, 2016

If you're like a lot of people, losing a baby tooth means a little cash under the pillow in the morning from the "tooth fairy."

But what do you do with the tooth after you swap it out for a buck or two?

Researchers at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research found that baby teeth contain valuable stem cells.

That means that if later in life, a child needs replacement tissue for whatever reason, the stem cells from their baby teeth can be used to grow the needed tissue.

The best part? Stem cells from baby teeth are among the most powerful in the human body. They proliferate much faster – and for longer – than stem cells from other areas.

Sure, you can keep them in a box, but there's also services like Store-A-Tooth to properly preserve children's teeth.

They partner with your dentist to collect the tooth and have it shipped overnight to their facility in a temperature-controlled kit. Once the tooth is in their hands, they extract the stem cells and place them in a culture where they can grow. Then, the cells – along with the tooth – are cryopreserved.

If later in life, the child, who may be an adult at this point, needs their stem cells, the teeth are taken out of storage and shipped to their doctor.

That's pretty amazing!

(h/t) LittleThings, StemSave