Saving baby teeth is more useful than you might think

When considering saving baby teeth most people will first and foremost think about how nice it would be to be able to look at them later. It’s mostly about nostalgic considerations. But saving your baby’s teeth turns out to be very useful for a different reason, and can even end up being very important.

Science
Baby teeth are an important source of stem cells, which are the most important cells in the human body. They can transform into all kinds of different cells, such as bone cells, fat cells and nerve cells. Stem cells are already used in treatments against leukemia and other forms of cancer and blood disorders and they can also help in repairing nerve and muscle damage, and possibly also heart tissue damage after a heart attack. In short, they’re of vital importance to us and to medical science.

Tooth fairy
Especially in the United States keeping baby teeth is a huge phenomenon, with the tooth fairy as its central figure. Children can put their lost tooth beneath their pillow and the tooth fairy will then come at night to replace the tooth with money. Perhaps you have done this with your children as well?

Preserving the teeth
But what’s a good way to actually save and preserve baby teeth? First of all, it’s important to freeze them in a little bag. That way the stem cells within the teeth will remain in tact. Do this within 48 hours after your child has lost their tooth, so you’re absolutely sure it can still be used. You can also buy special teeth containers in which you can store the teeth in a pretty way. We recommend going for medical science over aesthetic and nostalgia, though. It might save a life someday!

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