Eli5: why is when a bone shatters it can rebuild itself but when a tooth gets a hole in it it just keeps eating away at it
In: Biology
Your teeth are on the outside of your body, so they are exposed to external bacteria, acids that you eat, dirt, etc. They also aren’t made of “teeth cells” so basically they are almost inert (not alive really). Your bone however is safe and sound on the inside of your body, surrounded by all the good nutrients, andtibodies, blood supply etc that bones need to stay healthy. Bones also are made of cells, so they are alive and can repair themselves
Like a natural stone vs concrete. One will erode, the other will crack and degrade, but can be easily repaired.
TLDR AT THE BOTTOM
Teeth are composed of calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals(mostly minerals). Bones contain calcium, phosphorus, sodium and other minerals, but mostly consist of the protein collagen. Collagen is a living, growing tissue that gives bones their a flexible framework that allows them to withstand pressure. Calcium fills in the space around that framework and makes the bone strong enough to support the body’s weight.
But bones are still not as strong as teeth. The hardest part of the human body , teeth mostly consist of a calcified tissue called dentine. The tooth’s dentine tissue is covered in enamel, that hard, shiny layer that you brush.
The exterior of bones consists of periosteum, a dense, smooth, slippery membrane that lines the outer surface of most bones , except at the joints of long bones, which instead consist of slimy hyaline cartilage. Periosteum contains osteoblasts, or cells that can manufacture new bone growth and repair.
Tooth enamel, unfortunately, doesn’t have the same regenerative powers. Unlike bones, teeth cannot heal themselves or grow back together if they are broken.
TlDR: Basically there arent any pathways or cells in your body designated to regrow the damaged enamel or dentine, unlike your bones which have multiple pathways to deliver cells and various cells in the body to regrow or fuse bones, despite both being made of very similar base components they are still very different structurally.
(Not a dentist just Googled it)
Skeletal bones are like a huge urban city that’s filled with all manner of busybodies. When something goes wrong, someone (cells) is there to fix things and they have a good supply of building material (nutrition and minerals) to do it. Teeth are like a bunch of small villages at the outermost edge of the country. Sure, people live there. But they aren’t as well populated and supplied as their inner city friends. They can’t do a lot and get by with what little they have.
*Tried to simplify things as much as possible based on my rudimentary understanding.
Because teeth and bones aren’t the same. Teeth have no system within them to bring in nutrients like bones do.
The cells that make tooth enamel die after making the tooth. Plus, there’s no good blood supply to the surface of your teeth to feed any.
Lots of good answers: in very simple terms, teeth are dead, bones are alive. there are no cells in your enamel – it’s no more living than a plastic set of halloween teeth.
the tooth doesn’t eat itself away.
the reason you get cavities is bacteria and sugary food.
your mouth is full of bacteria. when you eat very sugary food the bacteria starts to eat the sugar in your mouth and the result of the sugar breakdown is acidic. This acid attacks your tooth surface until it makes a hole in the hard outer layer, and after that the acid keeps eating the softer inside layer.
if you eat less sugary stuff and/or brush and floss your teeth regularly you will not get any cavities (or will get a lot less- some people are more predisposed to cavities than others, genetics and the shape/spacing of your teeth also plays a role. if your teeth are tightly packed together then it’s very hard to clean between the teeth and bacteria accumulate there. if your teeth are spaced apart more than it’s easier to clean between them and you have a lower chance of getting cavities between your molars)
Teeth are essentially rocks in your mouth, bones are calcified tissue, they’re very much alive.
Cavities are literally tooth rot. Gotta cut it out. If bone develops rot, you’d have to cut it out too
I wonder why humans never evolved tooth regeneration. We get two sets and that’s it. Some animals get new set periodically.
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