To Keep Or Not To Keep: The Baby Teeth Dilemma

Baby teeth can be sentimental tokens for many parents. If you scan the Internet, you’ll find many instances of parents seeking advice on what exactly to do with these baby teeth floating around the house. To many, it seems a little cold to just toss the teeth in the garbage, but creepy to hang on to them for many years. So what should we be doing with all of our children’s baby teeth?

We did a little bit of research and discovered 4 of the most common answers people have had to this age-old question:

1. Jewelry – This is all the way on one end of the spectrum. Baby teeth jewelry has been picking up popularity over the last few years and we’re seeing more and more people opting for this unorthodox method of hanging on to their child’s baby teeth. The teeth are plated in sterling silver and hung on a chain for necklaces and bracelets, or mounted onto a ring or earrings. This is kind of a modern-day twist on bronzed baby shoes!
2. Stem Cell Banking – It’s been recently discovered that baby teeth are a great resource of stem cells for your child. Many people are now banking their child’s baby teeth for peace of mind. Stem cell therapies are rapidly advancing every single year and banking these dental stem cells will allow you to take advantage of the future possibilities. Dental stem cells will be harvested from the pulp of the baby tooth and then cryogenically frozen in case of future health problems.
3. Crafts – If you type “baby teeth” into Pinterest, you’d be astonished at the kinds of creative crafts that people have thought up! Tiny cloth tooth pockets to store each child’s baby teeth, a baby tooth album with a space for each tooth, and, most unique of all, a baby teeth doll. For a small fee, you can have your child’s baby teeth sewn into a little monster doll! But beware: they’re even scarier than they sound!
4. Throw Them Out – Lastly, there is no reason whatsoever for you to feel guilty about the decision to toss your child’s baby teeth. There’s really no reason for you to hang on to them, especially if you have multiple children and limited space to store tons of teeth!

No matter what you decide, the most important thing is your child’s dental health! To make an appointment for them to receive a cleaning and exam, please contact Firestone Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics!