What are Dental Stem Cells?

by Toot Hbank Tooth Bank

Stem cells have been quite the buzz in pioneering medical science, but many people don't quite know what they are and what potential they have. What's even more special about stem cells is the discovery of dental stem cells. Before paying dental stem cell fees, here's a brief guide to understanding these unique cells:

Stem Cells, Generally Speaking

Before getting into the specifics of dental stem cells, it is important to understand the basics of a general stem cell. The basic definition of a stem cell is a cell that has the potential to develop into a different type of cell. Different stem cells have different potential.

Differences in Potency

Totipotent cells have the utmost potential, meaning that they can develop into any cell. Therefore, these stem cells can develop a viable organism. As a result, these stem cells can only found during the first stages of sexual reproduction. After this, the only stem cells in development are pluripotent which are just slightly less potent than their predecessors. Following pluripotent, there are multipotent stem cells that can develop into a variety of similarly related cells, oligopotent cells that can only develop into a few cells, and unipotent which have only the potential to develop into one cell.

Dental Stem Cells

Dental stem cells are multipotent stem cells found primarily in the interior tissue of teeth. Because this interior tissue is important to living teeth, the proper way to access dental stem cells is in recently lost teeth, such as baby teeth and wisdom teeth. Their multipotency enables them to develop into related cell types, but their exact potential is still being researched.

Applications

The multipotency of dental stem cells initially tells you that it can be used to develop similar dental tissue. This means that instead of prosthetics when you lose a tooth, you could use your previously stored dental stem cells to develop a replacement tooth. Dental stem cells could also be used in the same way that general stem cells are being applied to treat different diseases.

At the end of the day, stem cells provide many possibilities for further medical developments and personal safeguards against future maladies. Whether its the science behind them or the logistics of dental stem cell fees, understanding the growing plethora of information regarding dental stem cells is important in discovering their potential for you and your family's health.