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We used to treat wisdom teeth like trash, now they're being used to regrow spinal nerves

"Who knew your teeth could help someone walk again?"

stem cells, clinical study, teeth pulp, spinal chord, regrow nerves, spinal injuries, money

Great smile and x-ray of a spinal chord

Image via Canva - Photos by Lifestock and mr.suphachai praserdumrongchai
Mark Wales
By Mark WalesJul 03, 2025
Mark Wales
See Full Bio

The advancements of science over the past decade are pretty mind blowing. One fascinating area is the study of stem cells. Recent research into extracting the stem cells from the pulp of wisdom teeth is showing results that are extremely promising.

You probably know about the enamel of your tooth. Every toothpaste commercial talks about it. Beneath the enamel, at the center core of every tooth, is a pulp of loosely connected tissues. This paste of biological ingredients holds cells capable of behaving like neurons. Scientists have found this pulp fires off electrical signals that could be used to regrow spinal nerves and help patients to walk again.

 

 x-ray, mouth, dentist, extractions, lab, United States, sterile, patient Dentist shows x-ray to patient.Image via Canva - Phot by Polina Zimmerman

According to a study at the University of the Basque Country led by Dr. Gaskon Ibarretxe, taking the pulp from wisdom teeth created, "...neuronal-like cells that display functional excitability and thus evidence the potential of these easily accessible human stem cells for nerve tissue engineering." Two important things to pull from that statement: stem cells can work and getting them is easy.

There are over 10 million wisdom teeth extractions performed every year in the United States. Once the teeth are extracted, they can be placed in a sterile vial, rushed to a lab, and have the pulp cells extracted and frozen within 24 hours. Studies are showing that the dental cells are some of the most adaptable and successfully explored of stem cells. With more research, they could play a major clinical role in spinal cord repair and beyond. Thus, being both readily attainable and usable, dental pulp stem cells make for a promising combination toward future advancements.

Thoughts from Redditors

A reddit thread talking about the "medical gold" to be found from extracting stem cells from teeth resulted in some interesting comments:

"Sounds like dentists should be paying us thousands for our wisdom teeth"

"Too bad I don't have my wisdom teeth anymore"

"Why are we not funding this?"

"I have four! Still in my mouth..."

"Sooo... Can I sell them...?"

"They are literally wisdom teeth!"

"This is why the fairy pays good money for them. The business case was always a solid one."

biology, human cells, animation, science, experiments, bio, studiesAnimated cells replicate.

 

 Giphy 

Other stem cell advancements

Research and studies on different disorders are also having success. In a study published through Passage Asia, the top five breakthroughs of 2024 are shared, with projected advancements for 2025. These breakthroughs include:

  • Cells used to treat epilepsy are having a positive impact on patients who were regularly having daily seizures. After treatment, the frequency of their seizures fell to about once a week.
  • People suffering Type 1 diabetes have had cells injected to begin the natural regulation of blood sugar levels. Some participants were able to stop insulin injections entirely.
  • There are cells implanted to repair the delicate tissues of the eye. Patients with severe age-related macular degeneration had improved vision after successful research into stem cell-derived retinal patches.

In other news, one clinical trial into stem cell treatment for heart disease, demonstrated that patients receiving injections after a heart attack experienced significant improvements to their over all heart function.

South Korea had a successful trial to repair severe cartilage damage. Patients with osteoarthritis showed significant improvement to joint function, overall pain reduction, and an increase of mobility after their injections.

A final study, according to The Guardian, might have found a cure for people suffering from sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder affecting the function and shape of red blood cells. This gene therapy takes the faulty genes in a patient's own stem cells and edits them. The new blood cells are round and flexible, giving the person a better chance to live a longer, healthier life.

With so many advancements coming from the unlikeliest places, the future seems bright. And if you haven't had your wisdom teeth pulled, the procedure may just change someone's life one day.

researchsciencespinal cordspinal nervesteethteeth pulpwisdom teethneuronsdentistbioexperimentstissuediseasestem cells

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