Doctors are urging all parents to hold on to their kid's baby teeth after the tooth fairy comes to visit -- and not for sentimental reasons.

According to a recent study, baby teeth contain an abundance of stem cells, a very special type of cell that can potentially grow replacement tissue in the body and cure a number of diseases.

"Stem cells have this fancy term," Dr. Schmidt, a microbiology professor at Medical University of South Carolina, told WCIV. "They are called pluripotent which is code for they just make more. And when you add the right chemical combination to those stem cells you can expand them, you can grow as many as you need."

RELATED: 5 Effects of Not Brushing Your Teeth

6 PHOTOS

5 Effects of Not Brushing Your Teeth

See Gallery

Stress and bad oral hygiene go hand in hand. The cause and effect is unclear, but stress is often tied to cavities or inflammation.

Getty

Bacteria in your mouth is a favorite place for pathogens. They contribute to plaque buildup in your arteries and can boost your chances of suffering a heart attack or a stroke.

Getty

Dry mouth and high bacteria levels can worsen conditions like diabetes for people living with them. If you have diabetes, try keeping floss or sugar-free gum handy to rid your mouth of molecules that could make it harder to regulate your blood sugar.

Getty

Speaking of bacteria, Cosmo also points to studies suggesting poor oral hygiene can lead to inflammation of the body and gum disease, which in turn increases your risk of developing cognitive problems like Alzheimers as you age.

Getty

Osteoporosis and oral health issues also seem to be linked. Thats because bacteria not only weakens the immune system, but it can wear away the tissues in your mouth keeping your teeth in place.

Getty

HIDE CAPTION

SHOW CAPTION

If collected and properly stored, baby teeth could be used to potentially treat and cure a life-threatening illness a child or a close family member could develop years down the road.

"That day is not too far in the future," Schmidt said. "We will probably see it with our lifetimes where we will be able to dial a gene and figure out how we can fix what's wrong with us."

The option is reportedly appealing for many parents who missed their chance at having stem cells from their child's umbilical cord stored at birth, a growing trend for parents in the past few decades.

"Baby teeth just happen to be that one extra place that we can recover them," Schmidt continued. "Cord blood is great, but if you can get them from baby teeth so much the better because you don't have to bank them at the day you are born. You can actually wait until the teeth grow out."

SEE ALSO: Parents warned after baby girl suffocates from wearing big bow headband

Landon Sears, a dental student at the Medical University of South Carolina, told WCIV that the easiest way for parents to store stem cells from dental DNA is to be proactive in scheduling an appointment with the child's dentist when the tooth is close to falling out.

"The most common way is there are a number of labs that will send the dentist or patient a kit with preserving liquid to keep the tissue alive," Sears said. "They just send it to a lab and eventually they store the teeth for you."

"It may not seem like a big deal losing a baby tooth," Sears added. "But if you need a regenerative tissue procedure way down the road for an organ replacement or some type of surgery it could literally make the difference in a person's life."

More from AOL.com: Miracle boy born with 'no brain' astounds doctors three years after scans Drug shortage in 2011 tied to increased deaths Two thirds of cancers caused by random genetic mistakes, US study finds

The rest is here:
Doctors say that keeping your kid's baby teeth could save their lives one day - AOL