Saving Extracted Teeth for Dental School

[dent_student]

I have some questions about saving extracted teeth for dental school:

How old can they be? I have some really old teeth that have not been in any kind of solution. Will they work?

Is there anywhere you can buy teeth in case I don't have enough?

Thanks

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[howui3]

I have some questions about saving extracted teeth for dental school:

How old can they be? I have some really old teeth that have not been in any kind of solution. Will they work?

Is there anywhere you can buy teeth in case I don't have enough?

Thanks

any relation to dat_student? 🙂

 

[Nephi]

I have some questions about saving extracted teeth for dental school:

How old can they be? I have some really old teeth that have not been in any kind of solution. Will they work?

Is there anywhere you can buy teeth in case I don't have enough?

Thanks

The teeth need to be in solution, if you let them dry out, they can't be used for your practice preps. Store them in a 1 part bleach to 9 parts water (1:10) solution. The more teeth the better off you are. Your school will send you requirements as to how many teeth they want you to show up with.
Good luck,
Nephi

 

[tuftsdent]

I have some questions about saving extracted teeth for dental school:

How old can they be? I have some really old teeth that have not been in any kind of solution. Will they work?

Is there anywhere you can buy teeth in case I don't have enough?

Thanks

You should ask a dentist or an oral surgeon if your looking for some extracted teeth. I think your suppose to put the teeth in a solution (chlorine solution) atleast that was required for tufts.

 

[dexadental]

I just began my tooth collecting mission the other day and a few of the general dentist's offices I went to told me to just store them in Listerine. I was told to store them in 1:10 diluted bleach solution, but the dentists said that would make them very brittle. Not sure what to do, so they're going in Listerine for now. 😉
A few places looked at me as kind of weird that I was collecting teeth...until I spoke to the dentist...note to self, hire a decent staff when in private practice.

 

[WildcatDMD]

Our endo prof gave us the following instructions:

"Protocol for preserving the extracted teeth: (better follow the protocol if you do not want the teeth to crack during the procedure)

1. To disinfect the teeth, dilute household bleach in 1:5 (1 part bleach + 4 parts water) and soak for 2-3 days.

2. Keep the teeth in a mixture of following solution: 2 parts of bleach + 3 parts of glycerin (from cvs or Walgreen) + 5 parts of water."

I modified this a bit and used about 1/3 bleach solution and kept the extracted teeth in that for a while (some of them over a month), until I got around to transfering them to the bleach/glycerin solution. I bought the glycerine at the drug store, it was in the facial products area--apparently used as a skin softener. It keeps the teeth from becoming brittle. It worked well and I had no problems with brittle teeth, but heard of others' teeth fracturing and chipping.

 

[jabeck74]

I am just going by what my school said and doing 1:10, bleach to water. I hope that preserves them ok.

I got some weird looks too from the staff and people in the waiting room.

 

[HillsNayyr]

I used formalin solution to store mine.

 

[Ukee]

I'm storing mine in .01% Thymol 🙂

 

[lemoncurry]

our school has a protocol for sterilizing them, but they recommend storing in a 1:10 bleach solution prior to turning them into sterilization.

 

[peg lateral]

We were always told to store in 1:10 bleach dilution until we could sterilize them properly with 10% formalin for two weeks, then keep them in tap water.

 

[lemoncurry]

I wouldn't store them in tap water, too hypotonic.

 

[CJS]

1:10 bleach:water.

To the OP: you can probably still use the dried teeth for endo. If you are getting teeth for practice preps/composites, you should use teeth that have been extracted and preserved

 

[toothfairyqueen]

Using a jar containing formalin with a biohazard sticker, both of which the school I go to provides. Using 1:10 bleach still makes it brittle, that what we are told...