Is Stem Cell Science On The Cusp of Creating Tooth Farms?

There has been a lot of buzz recently about stem cells. Scientists now have the ability to take cells and grow pieces of a human body. These lab grown, but identical to the real thing parts would be used for transplants, grafts, and anything else the medical community might have its sights on. This used to be the stuff of science fiction but this technology has been making massive strides and has even made its way into the dental field. That's right, soon you will be able to grow teeth in a lab from nothing but a few cells. 

Stem Cell Research May Encourage a Lazy Attitude Towards Oral Health

The ability to regrow new teeth may be just over the horizon. Unfortunately, the idea of growing new teeth is leading some people to believe that they don't need to take care of the teeth they have since they can simply, “get new ones”.

While the ability to simply re-grow a new set of teeth may soon be here, there are some serious misconceptions that should be addressed. No matter how much this technology advances, it will never as simple as trashing the teeth you have and painlessly replacing them.

The Downhill Journey

The only teeth that you would consider taking out of your mouth would be teeth that were broken, damaged, cavitated, and/or infected. By the time you had allowed any of these conditions to become so bad that the tooth needed to be removed, you would be in a severe amount of pain. Then there is the extraction itself which can also be painful and unpleasant.

Letting a healthy tooth go downhill to the point where it's so bad it needs to be pulled and then the process of growing and inserting a new tooth would be a long, painful, and expensive process. All of which can be avoided by participating in the good old, time-tested, practices of brushing and flossing.

Maintaining Healthy Teeth is as Simple as it's Always Been

Simply brush, floss, and stay away from sugars and most people will be just fine. Stem cells are and will continue to be, a ground-breaking way of treating things in the medical field. Just remember that stem cells are not the easy fix that some would like to think.