Stem-Cell Therapy

Your body produces stem cells throughout your life. These specialized cells have the unique capacity to repair and maintain tissue. They play an essential role in organ development and postnatal repair. They have also shown great potential in repairing dental and bone tissue.

Stem cells are non-specialized, meaning they can become whatever cell is needed to promote healing. When a concentration of stem cells is stimulated to migrate towards areas of inflammation, they secrete growth factors and help heal injury and inflammation.

The pulp inside your tooth contains two general types of beneficial stem cells. These include pluripotent stem cells, which can become any cell in the organism from which they are drawn, and multipotent stem cells, which transform into specific types of cells within that organism.

As a child, stem cells surround your developing teeth and direct their formation.  The crown of the tooth forms first, followed by the root. After the permanent tooth has erupted and is in position, the root continues to develop for about another two years until finally, the root is fully formed.  If, during the time the root is developing, you experience a deep cavity or trauma to the tooth, the nerve may die and root formation will come to a halt. That being said, the stem cells are still present, and under the right conditions, can be re-awakened.

In trials, both children and adults have benefited from endodontic stem cell protocol and subsequently experience an improvement in sensation in damaged teeth. They can regain feelings of hot and cold in areas that had lost these sensations, indicating that nerve cells have regenerated and the tooth has come back to life. 

There’s also evidence that those who have stem cell treatment experience healthier root development, increased blood flow, and thicker bony tissue (or dentin) under their tooth enamel.

In children and adults who have experienced cessation of root development due to trauma, or a deep cavity, and are not treated with stem cells, their course of healing can be less positive. They do not regain lost tissue from the injury and root development stops completely or proceeds abnormally, leading to a malformed or weakened tooth.

Stem cell therapy has a lot of potential for a number of dental procedures and systemic disease and is proving to be an effective dental specialist strategy.

Stem cell therapy is not front line treatment but may be recommended in cases where you have lost sensation due to trauma or a deep cavity when the root of the tooth was developing and no other interventions have worked. The team of dental specialists at WisNova carefully review each individual case to determine if you may be a candidate for this cutting-edge therapy.

If you want to find out more about stem cell therapy to restore tooth sensation, call our office or request appoint online.