Dentist Removes Daughter’s Teeth To Use Stem Cells

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A dentist has removed his daughter’s front teeth to use the stem cells in the event of her falling ill in the future.

Callum Graham removed his daughter, Becca’s front teeth and they will now be frozen so that the stem cells can be used to treat her if she becomes ill in the future. Callum and Heather, Becca’s parents, decided to take the step so that their daughter could take advantage of advances in stem cell research in the future. Stem cells from bone marrow and the umbilical cord have already been used for many years and stem cell research is developing at a rapid pace.

Mr Graham said that teeth are an “incredible source” of stem cells and research projects are being carried out all over the world to see how they could be used to treat a range of conditions, including strokes, diabetes, liver problems and injuries to the spinal cord.

Becca has her two loose front teeth extracted by her father at his practice in East Kilbride; at the time, she said that the procedure was a little bit painful, but she was more worried about missing out on a visit from the Tooth Fairy. Becca wrote a letter to explain what had happened and was delighted to receive £5 in return.

The dental pulp of the teeth will now be frozen and it could be used for up to 30 years. Mr Graham said that dental stem cells have already been used to treat periodontal disease and to regenerate bone tissue.

Mr and Mrs Graham first thought about collecting and freezing stem cells when Becca was born but they were too late to use the stem cells from the umbilical cord; they decided to use the teeth after seeing a leaflet for Precious Cells, a stem cell banking company. The couple said that they were sure that stem cells would become increasingly important in the next 20 or 30 years and although it was a bit of a nerve-wracking decision, they are confident that they have done the best thing for Rebecca.

 

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