Save the Stem Cells from Your Teeth

According to the HHS, "This revolutionary technology has the potential to develop therapies for previously untreatable diseases and conditions. Examples of diseases regenerative medicine can cure include: diabetes, heart disease, renal failure, osteoporosis and spinal cord injuries. Virtually any disease that results from malfunctioning, damaged, or failing tissues may be potentially cured through regenerative medicine therapies. Having these tissues available to treat sick patients creates the concept of tissues for life." So promising is the technology that the US military is spending hundreds of millions of dollars through the AFIRM (Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine) initiative, to develop regenerative stem cell therapies to treat injured soldiers returning from battle.

So what is Regenerative Medicine? According to the NIH, "Regenerative Medicine is the process of creating living, functional tissues to repair or replace organ function lost due to age, disease, damage or congenital defects. This field holds the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by stimulating previously irreparable organs to heal themselves. Regenerative medicine also empowers scientists to grow tissues and organs in the laboratory and safely implant them when the body cannot heal itself." Simply put, regenerative medicine utilizes stem cells, the body's own natural repair and maintenance mechanisms, to address disease and trauma.

Stem cells are unique in that they are the only cells in our body that can regenerate. Certain types of stem cells have the ability to 'differentiate.' This allows stem cells to turn into a broad range of specialized tissue types. This means that stem cells can regenerate organs, tissues, bones and much more. As a result, we are witnessing stem cell therapies being developed to treat disease and trauma such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, MS, arthritis, heart disease, spinal cord injuries, joint replacement, genetic diseases and many more.