Stem Cells Found in Baby Teeth

Could your child's baby teeth be a life saver? For parents, concerned about their young ones future it sounds like a good choice. Store your child's baby teeth so if they ever need stem cells down the road to cure some illness they already have them, waiting in a stem cell bank. Seems too good to be true doesn't it?

Heres the catch; the therapies that would make these stem cells usable have not yet been developed and even if they were there is no guarentee that these stem cells will even be able to be used to cure diseases like diabetes or Parkinson's. But despite the uncertanties parents continue to bank their children's baby teeth, just in case. It's a good option for parents who missed out on the chance to bank their baby's umbilical cord blood when they were born.

Although the best source for stem cells is the human embryo, baby teeth also contain a rich supply of stem cells but researchers are skeptical if they could ever offer the same possibilities and with the price to store them (a $590 initial cost, plus an annual fee of $100 ) it's a big mabye that might not even be worth it.

"Theoretically, if you wanted bone cells, maybe someday you could use these to produce them -- but you probably couldn't from what we know now," says Dr. Curt Civin, professor of cancer research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

In my opinion I think it's something to consider despite the costs and uncertanties. I mean it's just something you don't want to risk; better safe than sorry. It also offers a good alternative to embryonic stem cells that are very controversial since these stem cells come from baby teeth. Just like umbilical cord blood, I think if the option is there then people should at the very least consider it because it could very well affect the future of your childrens lives.