Doctors are now urging parents to preserve their child’s baby teeth — a small but potentially lifesaving treasure if a serious illness strikes later in life.
In 2016, 7-year-old Jenson Wright faced a terrifying reality: leukemia had overtaken 65% of his tiny body. This was his second cancer battle — at age four, he had already survived lymphoma and leukemia. After two rounds of chemotherapy failed, his family feared the unthinkable.
But hope arrived in an unexpected form. A mother in Texas had stored her baby’s umbilical cord at birth, rich with stem cells. These cells became the miracle that saved Jenson’s life. Only five days after the transplant, the healthy stem cells began targeting the disease, giving him a second chance. By 2019, Jenson was officially cancer-free. Today, he’s a thriving 16-year-old high schooler.
Baby Teeth: A Biological Insurance Policy
Inspired by breakthroughs like Jenson’s, researchers are now turning their attention to another source of stem cells: baby teeth.
Dental pulp stem cell banking allows parents to store stem cells from their child’s naturally lost teeth. These mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can regenerate tissues, repair organs, and potentially treat diseases — all without the invasive procedures required for bone marrow collection.
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