Why and How to Preserve Baby Teeth

Parents love to keep certain mementoes from their child’s early years. Some may save the first footprints while some may keep locks of hair of their child. Similarly, some parents may even prefer preserving their child’s milk teeth. And many scientists of today encourage parents to store their kid’s ‘baby teeth’ for stem cell preservation for future use and as a gift of life to their child. However, you must know how to carefully preserve your baby’s milk teeth once they fall. After careful cleaning, you can either place them in a small container or stick them in a memory book as souvenirs.

Why Should You Preserve Your Baby’s Teeth?

Teething is an important milestone. Babies can actually start teething as early as around two to three months of age, but their first tooth usually erupts by six months of age. And keeping track of your baby’s teeth, i.e., when each baby tooth will erupt has never been easier, thanks to the Baby Teething Tool, you can do with a click! Give it a try to figure out when your little one will start teething and what you can do to help him through the process. When you see your baby’s first tooth, you’ll definitely be excited and will want to preserve it once it falls. Well, taking good care of your baby’s tooth (when it’s still in the mouth!) will ensure that it will be in decent condition to be preserved. And don’t worry, apart from losing some of its lustre over the years, there won’t be any other significant problem when it comes to preserving your baby’s tooth.

Doctors recommend parents to save their child’s baby teeth as they prove beneficial and are preserved as as ‘Stem Cell Banking’. Milk teeth/baby teeth contain stem cells have remarkable regenerative potential. Stem cells can renew themselves and convert into more specialised cells with the ability to repair specific tissues and organs. Most doctors suggest keeping a child’s baby teeth, as the stem cells in their teeth can be harvested and later utilised for treating the child, if he suffers from any fatal disease, like cancer or spinal cord injury. These stem cells can also be used for replacement tissue or cell therapy in case of burns and macular degeneration. Therefore, preserving baby teeth for stem cells can save a child’s life.

In case you are keen to donate your child’s early teeth for stem cell research, consult a paediatric dentist for appropriate information and guidance.

Ways to Preserve Your Baby’s Teeth

Before you go about preserving your baby’s teeth, you must know how to preserve it the right way. Here is how you can store baby teeth for stem cells at home:

1. Clean the Teeth

To protect your baby’s teeth, first, clean them properly with soap and water.

2. Disinfect

It is also important to disinfect the teeth. You can easily do this by brushing the teeth surfaces with rubbing alcohol.

3. Dry

Completely drying the teeth is also vital. In case the teeth are not properly dried it can lead to the development of bacteria on the tooth surface. You can use a cotton towel to dry the teeth. Air drying or drying in the sunlight for some time may also prove useful.

By preserving your baby’s teeth or even his first tooth, you can hold on to the memories of his childhood. The practise of keeping your baby’s milk teeth can also save his life in the future by forming the basis of various treatment for life-threatening illnesses.

Also Read: How to Clean Baby Teeth