Could teeth hold potential cure?

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Your child's tooth could be the key that unlocks new treatments for serious diseases. It may be hard to believe, but research seems to back it up.

Colin's two front teeth look real - but they're actually porcelain crowns. His mother, Michelle Helfer, wants her son to have his very own two front teeth again - and she's banking on a medical breakthrough to make that possible.

"It's a gamble, nevertheless, but certainly an investment that will pay off in spades," said Michelle.

The Getzville mother is hoping that stem cells inside Colin's wisdom teeth will ensure his future health - and even re-grow his knocked out teeth.

"This gives a whole new meaning to the song, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." Eventually the hope and promise of stem cell therapy will give my son exactly that. His two front teeth, very own, yes," Michelle said.

For years, parents have been preserving umbilical cord blood for the stem cells, which could be used to treat a variety of serious illnesses. Now, more and more parents like Michelle are saving their children's baby and wisdom teeth.

Recent research shows that stem cells found in dental pulp might be able to, one day, treat Type 1 Diabetes, spinal cord injuries, heart defects, neurological disorders or maybe, just maybe, grow new organs and teeth.

Michelle argued, "What this is, is insurance. It's an investment in their future health, just as is storing cord blood."

She turned to a local oral surgery group that voluntarily works with the Massachusetts based company "Store-A-Tooth" to preserve her son's wisdom teeth.

"This little tiny container holds the promise of a future of good health," beamed Michelle.

Edward Boyczuk of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates of Western New York said, "There's a lot of hope and right now they are working on dental stem cell research being able to re-produce dental structures, to help with periodontal disease, to help with heart attack patients, cardiovascular diseases."

But local dentist Dr. Robert Yetto says right now, there's more hype than hope.

"For a normal healthy birth, with a family history that doesn't really have any great systemic disease potential, I don't yet think on a routine basis everybody should do this," stated Dr. Yetto.

Plus you'll have to pay a price to store those pearly whites. There's a $649 initial fee and then an annual storage fee of about $120. Michelle says the potential is worth the price.

"Nothing can ever put a price tag on your child's health," she said. "That's priceless and the potential of stem cell therapy is priceless as well."