Wisdom Tooth

I was a very late bloomer as far as wisdom teeth. They showed up when J was born and a couple had to be extracted right away because of their unfortunate placement in my mouth. I used to wonder if my one shot at wisdom went away when I most needed. It was great that I could have the other two - better some wisdom than none at all. Reading this story reminded me of the very long and painful extraction process that made it hard for me to return to a dentist even for routine cleaning for several years. Getting a biological insurance for my troubles would have great: 

Banking one’s own dental stem cells eliminates immune‑rejection worries, and can shave months off treatment timelines that would otherwise require donor matching.

Extraction logistics are straightforward: the oral surgeon places each tooth into a sterile vial, couriers rush the package to a lab, and technicians thaw, isolate, and freeze the pulp cells in under 24 hours.

The upfront fee rivals that of cord‑blood banking, yet the potential payoff spans decades because adult stem‑cell lines can be expanded repeatedly for multiple therapies.

The research looks promising - dental pulp stem cells can help treat neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s by replacing lost neurons and protecting brain tissue, as well as aid in bone, cartilage, and heart tissue repair. If all of this checks and the human trials are successful, wisdom tooth banking could become a routine part of dental care.