When your dentist informs you that it is time to extract your wisdom teeth you may not know that you are sitting on a biological treasure. Scientific research has revealed that recent has found the wisdom teeth to be a source of wealth in form of stem cells, which are potent, self- renewing cells that are able to repair damaged tissues of the heart, brain, bones and even nerves.
A Secret Healing Factor in Your Mouth.
Stem cells can be referred to as the natural repair mechanism of the body. They can only change into other forms of cells such as muscle, bone, nerve or heart tissue wherever the body requires healing.
Researchers have currently discovered that wisdom teeth (third molars) contain high concentration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) the same ones that are used in regenerative medicine and organ repair.
Why Wisdom Teeth?
The wisdom teeth being generated at adulthood is considered to be an easily accessible and ethical source of stem cells without the need to undergo invasive surgeries.
Dental Waste to the Life-Saving Therapy.
Conventionally, the extracted teeth are disposed as medical waste. However, currently, physicians and scientists are encouraging individuals to save their wisdom teeth using special dental stem cell banking.
These stem cells may be regenerated later in life, such as in the curing of heart damage following a heart attack, in stroke patients to repair brain tissue and in the rebuilding of broken bones.
The mechanism of the Wisdom Tooth Stem Cells.
The dental pulp stem cells, when isolated and cultured, have the capacity to form various cell types such as neurons, osteoblasts (bone cells) and cardiomyocytes (heart cells).
This renders them very useful in stem cell therapy in the future whereby they could be injected into the damaged sections, causing the body to heal itself and develop tissues.
Repairing the Heart
According to cardiologists, dental stem cells would be instrumental in curing heart disease, which is the cause of death in the world. Preliminary research demonstrates that transplanting such cells into the damaged heart tissue can be used to regenerate new muscle cells to restore the hectic functioning of the heart and avoid the formation of scars.
Healing the Brain
It has also been discovered by neuroscientists, that the stem cells of wisdom teeth can be developed into neurons and glial cells and this could be used to treat neurological diseases like Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease and spinal cord injuries.
This introduces a new frontier in medicine it is the use of your own teeth cells to repair your brain.
Building Bones and Joints
With the help of the dental stem cells, orthopedic researchers are growing bone and cartilage tissue to treat patients with bone fractures, osteoporosis, and arthritis. These cells can be used to regenerate whole sections of the bone damaged by trauma or disease when used with bioengineered scaffolds.
Safe and Ethical Source of Stem Cells.
Dental stem cells, as opposed to embryonic stem cells, are obtained in adult tissues in the course of normal extractions, which does not cause ethical concerns. This renders them not controversial, insecure and readily accessible.
Smiling in the Refrigerator.
Stem cell banks have since introduced cryopreservation facilities through which people can preserve their extracted teeth in controlled conditions to make use of them in the future. Similar to the umbilical cord blood banking, the practice would soon become a main stream healthcare procedure.
Regenerative Dentistry and Medicine The Future.
Experts are hopeful that dental stem cells would be used in the future to substitute the conventional methods of repairing tissues and organic failure. The possibilities are enormous in terms of re-creating missing teeth and that of heart muscle.
Conclusion: The Tooth That Could Save Your Life.
In addition to being known to cause pain and extraction, they have the power to heal and restore the human body.
Science has only just started to tap the potential of these buried treasures - and this is where even a thing that has been forgotten can be used as a life-saving source.