Baby / 15 July, 2024 / My Baba
Stem cell therapy is hailed as the future of medicine and you can now store baby teeth and their precious stem cells – instead of leaving them for the tooth fairy! Future Health shares everything you need to know about private stem cell banking and its latest innovation – milk tooth banking.
More and more parents are storing their children’s stem cells for use in potential therapies. It’s called private stem cell banking and helps families to protect the health of their little ones for years to come.
Private stem cell banking is the process of collecting and storing stem cells specifically for your child – should they ever need them in future treatments. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are currently used in 80+ standard therapies, and you can safely collect them from your child’s umbilical cord blood or cord tissue at birth, or the dental pulp in their milk teeth.
An increasing number of parents are choosing private stem cell banking for their children and families. In fact, 27,028 blood and tissue samples in the UK were banked privately in 2018, compared with 16,965 in 2014.
If you missed collecting your child’s cord blood or cord tissue at birth, milk tooth banking offers a second chance to non-invasively store precious stem cells unique to your child. As well as being a 100% match to your child, they offer a 25% chance of matching a sibling.
Stem cells feature or have featured in many clinical trials and scientific studies, with stem cells from cord blood approved for for over 80 standard therapies. But while cord blood banking is increasing in popularity, studies and research shows that stem cells found in the dental pulp of milk teeth could also treat various diseases and conditions. These are known as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs).
Why We’re Collecting Our Baby’s Stem Cells for Storage
There are over 300 ongoing studies into MSCs investigating their ability to regenerate and renew muscle, nerve, bone, fat and cartilage tissue in the human body. Clinical trials involving MSCs found in milk teeth include type 1 diabetes, arthritis, neurological diseases, dental regeneration. Whereas cord blood (which treats genetic and blood-related diseases), tooth stem cells specialise in the regeneration of body tissue and organs.
It’s important to note that all tooth stem cell research is in trial phase, and is a rapidly developing field with huge medical potential.
The process of milk tooth stem cell banking is easy and non-invasive. A specialist stem cell bank will provide a collection kit when your child has a wobbly tooth. When the tooth falls out, simply place the tooth inside the kit and send it back to the stem cell bank for laboratory testing, processing and storage. The stem cell bank will also arrange for a small blood sample from your child for testing purposes, which can take place at your home or local GP.
Your child’s stem cells are stored using a freezing process called cryogenic preservation at a dedicated facility, for 25 years or more.
The process is usually successful using only one tooth. If it does not work with a single tooth, they will attempt the process again at no additional cost.
Whilst all teeth contain dental pulp from which cells can be isolated, the most desirable teeth are anterior deciduous teeth. These are the top and bottom front six teeth. It is important to remember that like all cells in our body, stem cells deteriorate with age. The younger the better. Because of this, it’s advised to begin the process as soon as you have decided to store the cells.
It is a regulatory requirement that all donors of teeth sent for processing have a blood test within 7 days of the tooth falling out. This mandatory screening ensures the sample is safe for storage and the potential recipient of the sample in the future understands the sample’s background – this screening could also aid a sample being used by someone else in the future, by a family member for example.
Yes. If a tooth is free of decay and fillings, it can be processed in our laboratory. Often, people who have had wisdom teeth extracted will go on to store the tooth cells.
Stem cell therapy is a very real possibility for both transplant and regenerative medicine. In 2008, it was estimated that 1 in 200 people will undergo a stem cell transplant before the age of 70. The transplant data used in this study is now ten years old and stem cell research has continued to develop at an astonishing rate. In fact, it is now estimated that as many as 1 in 3 people will benefit from stem cell-based regenerative therapies. To date, Future Health has released 26 samples for transplant of a range of illnesses such as autism and diabetes.
The process allows for teeth to fall out naturally, you can send a tooth that falls out from your home. Future Health can also accept teeth that are extracted by a dentist.
Yes, cord blood stem cells are very different from tooth stem cells, they each perform a very important job in body repair for different types of illnesses. Cord blood stem cells predominantly treat immune disorders and blood diseases whereas tooth cells have the potential to be used for a wide range of regenerative purposes, including the treatment of diabetes and heart disease.
You can learn more about how to store baby teeth with Future Health’s tooth cells banking service. Call 0115 967 7707 or email custcare@fhbb.com.
Future Health Biobank is the UK’s largest private stem cell bank and one of the most accredited in the world. With over 20 years experience, they are one of the world’s only established tooth stem cell banks. They’re offering a 10% discount on this service for MyBaba readers when you quote ‘MY BABA.’
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