My Erin has been through more than most with her health. The news that she needed her hip to be reconstructed due to hip dysplasia at age 2 was devastating. Learning that she is quite likely to need more surgery as she grows is not the news any parent wants to hear. But it does mean that we can prepare for the future. Knowledge is power after all. We have looked at how we can safeguard her future using stem cells rather than the tooth fairy with Bioeden.
At the moment a hip replacement lasts about 20 years. The longer Erin lasts without one the better for her long term health. Thankfully medical science is growing at a fast rate and by the time Erin needs more surgery or that dreaded hip replacement the implants, the metalwork will all have improved and moved forward.
As a parent I will do whatever I can to protect her future and that is why I still get paranoid and catch my breath when I see her doing anything that could damage her hip. I walk the tightrope between letting her be a typical seven year old and keeping her away from risk every single day. But I am getting better – hell I even let her go climbing recently!
Upon reading about health advances I came across stem cells and how they are the future. Stem cells will be able to improve and even save lives soon. They are reported to be the future of medicine and science. What is more is that we can use our own stem cells. I had only known about getting the stem cells at birth, but now stem cells can be extracted from teeth. Furthermore those stem cells need to be collected from you when you are young.
Why you Really Shouldn’t Give Teeth to the Tooth Fairy
Therefore it makes sense to safeguard for the future by extracting the stem cells from milk teeth. This is why you really shouldn’t give teeth to the Tooth fairy. Instead collect those baby teeth and have them stored away by a company like Bioeden. It is non invasive (the teeth fall out naturally) and can protect your child in the future.
The process is simple and if it can possibly help Erin in the future it is worth the money. Basically you pay for a retrieval kit and then when a tooth falls out you preserve it and send it off. The lab stores the tooth and you pay a regular £12.95 storage fee.
My husband is a science teacher and I asked him what he thought about this and like me he agreed that a non invasive method that offers hope for the future is worth the fee. It is believed that stem cells will be used to treat conditions such as heart disease and Alzheimer’s, for example. The stem cells are the only totally compatible match, there is no risk of rejection, no waiting or searching for a match.
The Future
We have been through the heartache of surgeries with all three children. Stem Cell retrieval seems the ideal solution to safeguarding their future. There is no pain involved, no invasive treatment and therefore it makes sense to me to harvest these teeth that otherwise sit in a secret little pot I have. That now seems such a waste when I consider just how valuable they are. It is like saving your best jewelry for special occasions and then deciding it is outdated and never wearing it!
So don’t let the toothfairy fly off with that tooth- instead use it for good.
We don’t know what our future health needs are. But wouldn’t it be nice to know that you have some security?
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3 Responses
I had heard about stem cells but never really digged deep in to it. Preserving milk teeth is certainly a great idea. The pace at which Medicine is advancing, stem cells will become even more valuable for individuals.
I think it’s a fab idea. My friend does this for all four of her children as her eldest had leukaemia when she was only 2 and I believe that even if you don’t ever need your stem cells, it’s great to have this up your sleeve for any emergencies or peace of mind.
Wow isn’t science amazing?
I’d never heard about this being extracted from teeth before, what a wonderful concept, like you say, totally non-invasive.
It will be really interesting to see how this develops in the future.