{"id":11842,"date":"2024-05-23T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=11842"},"modified":"2024-05-17T05:31:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T05:31:01","slug":"healthy-teeth-are-wondrous-and-priceless-a-dentist-explains-why-and-how-best-to-protect-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/healthy-teeth-are-wondrous-and-priceless-a-dentist-explains-why-and-how-best-to-protect-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthy teeth are wondrous and priceless \u2013 a dentist explains why and how best to protect them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Healthy teeth are truly priceless.\n Moncherie\/E+ via Getty Images<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n Samer Zaky<\/a>, University of Pittsburgh<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

At an auction in England in 2011, one of John Lennon\u2019s teeth sold for just over US$31,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

How much are your teeth worth?<\/p>\n\n

Teeth are amazing little miracles. They light up our smiles<\/a>, we use them to speak<\/a> and we chew with them more than 600 times at every meal<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Yet, in a society where 1 out of 5 Americans ages 75 and up live without their teeth<\/a>, many people may not realize that teeth are designed to stay with us for a lifetime. <\/p>\n\n

I\u2019m a dentist and an assistant professor<\/a> spanning clinical dentistry and craniofacial regeneration<\/a> research. Researchers like me are still deepening our understanding of tooth development, with the ultimate goal of serving patients with on-demand regrown ones<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

In the process, I have developed reverence for natural teeth and for the complex beauty of these biological and mechanical masterpieces.<\/p>\n\n

Designed for lifelong function<\/h2>\n\n

The secret of teeth longevity lies in their durability as well as in how they are anchored to the jaw \u2013 picture a hammer and its hand grip. For each tooth, durability and anchorage are functions of the complex interface between six different tissues; each alone is a biological marvel. <\/p>\n\n

For anchorage, the cementum<\/a>, ligament<\/a> and bone<\/a> grip the tooth at its root portion that is buried under the gum. The ligament, a soft tissue that is about 0.2 millimeters wide (about the diameter of four hairs), attaches the cementum of the root on one end to the bone of the jaw on the other end. It serves to anchor the tooth as well as to cushion its movement during chewing. <\/p>\n\n

For durability, however, the secret lies in the enamel, dentin and pulp \u2013 our focus in this discussion.<\/p>\n\n

\n \"An<\/a>\n
\n Dentin and pulp are the body and heart of the tooth.<\/span>\n Anna Koroleva\/iStock via Getty Images<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

Enamel \u2013 the shield<\/h2>\n\n

The enamel is the protective shell that covers the visible part of the tooth above the gum. Thanks to its high mineral content, enamel is the hardest tissue in the body<\/a>. It needs to be, since it acts as a shield against the constant impact of chewing.<\/p>\n\n

Enamel does not contain cells, blood vessels or nerves, so it is nonliving and nonsensitive. Enamel is also non-regenerating. Once destroyed by decay or broken by misuse<\/a> such as ice chewing, nail biting or bottle opening \u2013 or touched by the dental drill \u2013 that part of our priceless enamel is gone for good. <\/p>\n\n

Because it interfaces with a germ-laden world, the enamel is also where decay starts. When acid-generating bacteria accumulate on unbrushed or poorly brushed teeth, they readily dissolve the minerals in the enamel.<\/p>\n\n

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