Painful dental procedures might soon be a thing of the past if dentists can learn to use stem cells from your teeth to heal gum disease, regenerate jawbone, or grow new teeth. A research group from Brazil recently reviewed the literature on dental stem cells and showed that stem cells isolated from extracted teeth can be used to repair problems affecting the mouth and possibly also other tissues. In recent decades scientists have focused on finding new ways to use stem cells to heal and regenerate injured tissue. Stem cells are unique in their ability to self-renew and their capacity to morph or differentiate into a variety of other cell types. It's been shown in the lab that dental stem cells can differentiate into muscle, bone, or neural cells. Because of their unique features, interest in the use of dental stem cells for regenerative medicine and dentistry has increased. In un-injured teeth, stem cells lie in an inactive state in wait to help tissue heal. When damage occurs, they travel to the site of injury and begin regenerating the area that's been hurt. Animal experiments in rats, dogs, and rabbits have shown that transplanting human dental stem cells to sites of injury can help treat gum disease, repair bones in the face, and even grow new teeth. These studies show the great potential that may be hiding in your own mouth. If teeth really can be used to heal disease, then dentistry as we know it might completely change. So the next time you brush your teeth, keep in mind that you may be caring for the cells that might someday heal your body, and make your visits to the dentist a lot more pleasant.