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Replacement Teeth from Stem Cells

January 7th, 2009 · No Comments

It appears that teeth will be the first fully funcitoning, complex organ created solely from stem cells. An article in The Washington Post, republished in Seattle Times Newspaper, featured an interview with oral health researchers and scientists on the topic. Though a human tooth has nerves, ligaments, pulp, and enamel, as well as tiny internal tunnels, scientists predict that in about five or ten years, a human will be able to grow a tooth from his or her own stem cells.

Because the stem cells for tooth generation originated in the host, his or her body won’t reject them. Dental stem cells can be harvested from wisdom teeth or baby teeth, then preserved indefinitely in a liquid nitrogen tank. So dentures, and even dental implants, may be a thing of the past for our children. Read the full article by Joel Garreau here.

Tags: News