You likely have a number of different memories from when you were a child, although you may not stop to think about all of them. Some of them involve happy memories and others involve memories that could be somewhat traumatic. For example, you probably remember losing a tooth or two when you were a youngster. It was a happy event because it meant that you were moving on and getting older but it was also traumatic for some children. In either case, you can probably remember losing a few.
The real question is, what do you do once you lose the tooth? Some kids would simply cash them in but other parents would take the time to save them so that they could share them with the child when they got older. It turns out that saving the child’s tooth is not only good for nostalgic reasons, there may be some medical reasons why it is important as well. A study was done in 2003 that showed how baby teeth include many stem cells. If a child needs some type of replacement tissue later in life, the baby teeth could be a source of stem cells that should not be overlooked.
Deciduous teeth, which are the baby teeth, are eventually lost but they should not be forgotten. The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin says that most children will lose their first baby tooth when they are around the age of six and continue to lose them until they are 12 years old.
Do you remember wiggling your teeth when you were young and then suddenly how strange it was to lose it?
Most children put their tooth under the pillow in hopes that the tooth fairy will come and give them some money. This is a tradition that may date back for hundreds of years. At one point, they may have been considered to be ‘good luck’.
There are other cultures around the world that also have traditions associated with baby teeth. Some of them throw them into the air or on the ground and there are even some places where children bury their baby teeth.
Scientifically, teeth can also be beneficial according to a 2003 study. It claimed that baby teeth contained stem cells so if they are preserved and stored for years, they could later be used for medical purposes.
It is necessary to keep the baby teeth fresh in order to stop the stem cells from the grading. They need to still have some potency when it is time to use them later in life.
That rules out keeping them in a jar or a box.
There are services, such as Store-A-Tooth that will preserve them for you. You can set this up with your dentist in advance.
Your dentist works along with the staff at Store-A-Tooth and the teeth are shipped to them. The service will store stem cells for possible use later in life.
A liquid nitrogen cryopreservation vault is used for storing the stem cells after they are extracted from the teeth. It is feasible that the stem cells could still be used for years. If the child needs stem cells later in life, they can be shipped to the doctor.
Store-A-Tooth is not cheap but in the event of a medical emergency, having those stem cells is vitally important. Your child will also likely love knowing that their teeth are stored somewhere.
Cultures around the world have superstitions associated with baby teeth. There is no need to be superstitious any longer. Baby teeth are a wonderful source of something that can help us later in life.
Source: Little Things