Stem Cell Banking

• Alzheimer’s
• ALS
• Autism
•  Brain damage
• Cerebral palsy
• Cosmetic & anti-ageing applications
• Crohns disease
• Corneal repair
• Diabetes
• Eye diseases
• Hair regeneration
• Kidney diseases
• Liver diseases
•  Macular degeneration
•  Multiple sclerosis
•  Parkinson’s disease
•  Myocardial infarction
•  Muscular dystrophy
•  Rheumatoid arthritis
•  Scleroderma
•  Spinal cord injuries
•  Stroke
•  Skin repair
•  Sports injuries
•  Wound healing

Deciduous teeth, otherwise known as baby teeth, temporary teeth and primary teeth, are the first set of teeth in the growth development of humans. Milk teeth start appearing at 6 months of age and they are shed from age 5 onwards. Research has shown that milk teeth are a rich source of stem cells. Stem cells extracted from milk teeth contain mesenchymal stem cells, which multiply rapidly and differentiate into many different cell types and could be used for generating a wide range of cellular tissues. They can then be a potential source of repair kits for future e.g. chondrocytes with ability to generate cartilage, important in the treatment of arthritis and joint injuries; osteoblasts with ability to generate bone, adipocytes with the ability to repair damaged cardiac tissue e.g. after a heart attack. These cells also have the capacity to generate neural cells, skeletal cells amongst others.

Dental stem cells are extracted from milk teeth of children aged 5 onwards. This is the ideal age as the quality of the stem cells starts to decrease with the increase in the age. The stem cells are most vital during this period. The right time to recover milk teeth with stem cells is before the teeth become very loose, as the cells in the dental pulp will remain more viable if they continue to have a blood supply. Instead of putting it under a pillow and discarding them, they can now be a potential source of repair kits for the future.

For children over the age of 12 years and for Teens, the opportunity to bank dental stem cells arises especially when they are undergoing any orthodontic procedures where healthy teeth are removed to apply braces, etc. Premolar teeth and any other permanent teeth removed for these purposes too are rich sources of stem cells. So if your teenage children are undergoing any sort of Orthodontic procedure or Braces, you can simply bank his / her dental stem cells and still ensure a healthy life for their future.

Any of the four third molars are known as wisdom teeth. They usually appear between the ages of 17 and 25. Wisdom tooth too is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells. What is the right age to collect wisdom teeth to extract stem cells? In case of wisdom tooth, the rule is the sooner, the better. As age progresses, it has been observed that there is a loss of viable stem cells in tooth, hence to avoid that it is better to get your wisdom tooth extracted sooner and stored. Viable stem cells have been found in healthy wisdom teeth of individuals aged 30 or more. Only healthy wisdom teeth are collected for preservation. We recommend collection of wisdom teeth when they are extracted either because they have already become impacted, or because the wisdom teeth could potentially become problematic if not removed. Often they are also taken out for orthodontic procedures.

Stem cells are extracted from the milk teeth or adult teeth that have been taken out for various purposes. A prior registration with our stem cell partner, Stemade, is mandatory. After the tooth is extracted, it is transported to the Stemade facility in a special container to preserve the viaility of your tooth. The cells are then extracted using a proprietary process and preserved for the period of time you have signed up for. After the cells are cryopreserved, a certificate of banking will be sent to you, which you must preserve for future records. You can find more information on http://www.stemade.com/index.php.