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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- It's worth about a buck under a pillow, but it could be priceless in the future.

Health officials have found that your teeth hold valuable stem cells that, if properly stored, could hold the cure to a number of diseases like Parkinson's, diabetes, even cancer, and help heal a number of injuries.

For years it was a controversial topic: harvesting embryonic stem cells.

Known for their healing capabilities, researchers considered them extremely valuable, but a lot of people felt the cost of destroying an embryo was too high.

Today there is a much less controversial option.

Hidden in those pearly whites are stem cells capable of re-growing into any type of cell throughout the body.

As modern medicine advances, researchers are learning how to control stem cells which could mean major breakthroughs in the future for diseases that currently seem impossible to cure.

"It's new technology, but it's very exciting, especially for patients who have history of Parkinson's disease, any congenital heart defects, diseases like diabetes where they need to maybe have those cells that produce insulin," Dr. Julie Lesnick, an oral surgeon, said. "They can produce a lot of different tissues from these stem cells."

Up until now stem cells were hard to get to and required surgery or the destruction of an embryo.

Today's biggest challenge is beating the tooth fairy.

"These need to be viable teeth, either baby teeth with intact pulp, or wisdom teeth, they can also be adult teeth," Lesnick said.

Lesnick said a baby tooth that falls out on its own could not be used because the pulp is where stem cells are stored.

Health officials said the stem cells hidden in your teeth are the same stem cells found in bone marrow and umbilical cord blood.

Companies like StemSave are now offering parents a way to preserve their children's teeth containing those stem cells in case they are needed in the future.

"Certainly a lot of it is for in the future because there still is a lot of research for regeneration of tissues that is going on now that they're doing," Lesnick said.

Lesnick said a handful of her patients have already chosen to have teeth preserved.

"Most of the patients that have done it are patients who have had that history," Lesnick said. "I think one was a heart defect, and Parkinson's, and I think another was diabetes in their family."

To preserve stem cells, it costs about $600, and then an additional $100 a year for storage.

So is it worth the cost?

Brenda Cumming, a mom who had her son's wisdom teeth preserved with StemSave, said yes.

"When it comes to your child, you know, how can you put a price on that?" Cumming said. "There's already studies being done with cancer research, and I just think it's a relatively small investment."

But the research is new, and at this point the FDA hasn't approved any stem cell treatments.

"That research is there, and I think we're gonna get a lot of positive outcomes from it here in the future, and I think if we can harvest it now we'll just be ahead of the game," Lesnick said.

Cumming said she thinks the future is bright.

"If they can do something 20 years from now for my sons to help them if they're ill, it's worth it," Cumming said.

Health officials will admit that right now it's a gamble because there is no guarantee that any breakthroughs using stem cells will happen, but it's not stopping some parents from taking the risk.

"It's a gamble I'm willing to take," Cumming said.

Lesnick said she plans on having her children's teeth preserved in the near future.

"I didn't have the opportunity to do anything with core blood, so I'd definitely like to take this opportunity and use it myself with my children," Lesnick said. "I think if something comes on and I didn't do it now I'd be kicking myself."

Adults aren't completely out of luck. Lesnick said wisdom teeth and other adult teeth are an option but added that stem cells age with the person so the sooner the better.