Question: Are the stem cells taken from wisdom teeth more ideal in their purpose as compared to stem cells taken from the bone marrow ?

Matthew Tomlinson answered on 11 Nov 2013:

Stem cells from wisdom teeth are really easy to get to, I think that is their major advantage. Most people have them and although it hurts to get them out you don’t need a general anaesthetic, which is one of the problems with bone marrow. They also grow really fast, which is handy because there aren’t many of them!

Both bone marrow and tooth stem cells make bone-like structures in the lab, but there are some differences, just like between teeth and bones in the body. There are also different types of bone in the body, like leg bones and jaw bone. I think stem cells from teeth are useful for healing fractures in things like broken jaws, but for leg fractures bone marrow stem cells are the best option. This is all because of the type of bone they make, so in some cases they are more ideal, in others less so. I hope that answers your question!