This article was published at timesofindia.com

Don't worry about your child's loss of teeth or if they have immature ones as doctors at AIIMS can regrow them using stem cell

"We at AIIMS are treating children with infected, immature teeth as a result of traumatic injuries, by using locally available indigenous stem cells," Dr Naseem Shah, Chief of the Centre for Dental Education and Research, AIIMS said.

She explained that the root forms the most important part of the tooth. It anchors the tooth within the bone and houses the pulp (tiny blood vessels and nerves) which extends to the underlying bone and helps to nourish and give feeling to the tooth.

Any trauma to the teeth may lead to infection and death of the pulp, infection in the bone and arrest of the root development. Such roots are very fragile and may fracture, ultimately leading to loss of tooth.

Conventional treatment for such teeth involves removal of dead pulp from root canal, followed by sealing of the canal with an inert material that occupies the space vacated by the removal of the pulp (known as root canal therapy).

However, in the new treatment, after the infection in root canals is controlled, bleeding is induced in the root canal by intentionally puncturing the tissues at the root end and a clot is allowed to be formed in the root canal.