Dear Santa,
This is so hard; I didn’t know who else I could write that could help me in my dilemma. My college finals are over and I recently went to oral surgeon’s office about my wisdom teeth. The plan is to have them taken out right after Christmas. The deal is, they’re not hurting. In fact, they are so buried in the bone that they aren’t even close to my other molars.
The weird thing was when I went to the oral surgeon for a consultation, he told me that when he took the wisdom teeth out, he could send all of them to a cryogenics lab where they would extract my stem cells and freeze them in case I needed them in the future to grow new nerve, cartilage, bone, a liver, or even a new heart.
I thought about it a lot, I really did, Santa. Did my research, too and realized that you’ve got some experience dealing with people who want to deep freeze everything they can touch. Here’s what I came up with:
- The company that my dentist is using is called StemSave. It costs about $700 for StemSave to process and store my wisdom teeth for the first year and $100 per year afterwards. Until I use them or die, whichever comes first.
- BioEden is another company that also cryopreserves teeth for future use, with methods and fees similar to StemSave’s.
- The technology for the actual preservation seems good, and wisdom teeth may have more useable adult stem cells compared to bone marrow if I get sick and need them later in life.
- As teeth age, they have fewer stem cells in them.
- There is a bit of controversy on the subject – I’m worried that stem cell banking may be more beneficial for the cryobanking investors than for the patients. There’s not really enough long-term data to suggest anything but hope on the researcher’s parts.
Then I got to thinking in the opposite direction. What if I just left my wisdom teeth in place? Doesn’t my own body work pretty good as an incubator for all those stem cells? Guaranteed to stay a steamy 98.6 degrees (or more), whether or not I make the payments each month? And the future, being so bright and all, maybe there will be a way to harvest my wisdom teeth with lasers instead, and then tease out all those precious tidbits from the insides.
Now I know you’re not a dentist yourself, Santa. But didn’t I hear that one of your elves become part of the North Pole Cavity Patrol? I’ve enclosed a copy of my X-Ray for Dr. Hermey to look at. All I want for Christmas is my four back teeth, one way or the other. Please help me decide what to do, Santa!
Signed,
Blue Christmas Girl 
LOVE your photoshopped images of the Snow Miser and the Heat Miser!
National Hit TV Show “The Doctors” Recommends StemSave
Doctors now say that preserving stem cells found in teeth provide an excellent opportunity for parents that did not bank children’s cord blood
NEW YORK, NY, January 9, 2009 – StemSave(TM), Inc., a market leader in the field of stem cell recovery and cryo-preservation, has been recognized by world renowned doctors on CBS’s nationally syndicated hit series, The Doctors, as an ideal service to recover stem cells for families who did not bank their children’s cord blood.
On the episode that aired January 8, 2009, Dr. James Sears, M.D., and board certified pediatrician, explains that stem cells offer the potential for the future treatment of serious ailments. And furthermore, the banking of stem cells found in teeth provides parents with a new way to have access to the powerful medical applications of stem cells, particularly for those parents who missed the opportunity to bank stem cells from umbilical cord blood.
“We are thrilled to be recognized by the world renowned physicians who host The Doctors,” said Dr. Gregory Chotkowski, DMD and president of StemSave. “We make harvesting stem cells from teeth easy and affordable, this way everyone can benefit from the powerful medical applications of stem cells.”
StemSave is a collaborative effort between stem cell researchers and the dental community to provide families, individuals and stem cell researchers a cost effective, non-invasive methodology for the recovery and cryopreservation of powerful and valuable adult stem cells residing within baby teeth, wisdom teeth, permanent teeth for future use in personalized medicine and regenerative medical therapies. The stem cells are recovered as part of routine dental procedures, so patients don’t need to have any special appointments or surgeries.
StemSave’s network of dentists is the largest in the US and continues to expand rapidly. Through StemSave, dentists are now able to play a greater role in the overall health of their patients by participating in groundbreaking stem cell recovery.
The science and application of stem cells to treat today’s most difficult diseases and injuries is no longer science fiction. With news of the first organ transplant grown from an individual’s own stem cells, and the US Army’s $250 million investment in regenerative therapies, the promise of stem cells is being recognized today.