It is in what we eat. Certain things we eat destroy the enamel that protects the fleshy part of our teeth (pulp). Namely cane sugar.
Once the enamel is compromised, it is easy for the pulp to rot.
Animals are not completely immune to this. Dogs, for instance, develop issues with tartar and plaque buildup that can lead to rotting teeth. In the animal world, the tooth will eventually just fall out/break/rot to nothing. It just happens that most animals (especially the carnivores that require sharp teeth to eat) only eat things that could never cause tooth decay.
Most animals have the exact same issue with their teeth as we do. Most animal have a short lifespan just like human had for thousands of year, it’s just recently that medical advancement allowed us to live longer on average. Our teeth don’t become a problem until we are old, and in most of human history very few people survive until then. It’s the same with most animal, they die before they teeth become an issues.
Comes down to sugar content. Same reason why skulls of ancient peoples tend to have – generally speaking – better teeth. The majority of modern processed foods have ridiculous amounts of sugars, whether its actual sugar or corn syrup or other sweeteners. These give the bacteria in your mouth super food to grow and multiply and eat your teeth. Back then there was no corn starch or fructose whatever that didn’t occur naturally.
Animals can still get teeth problems, but same thing; they’re not eating a lot of processed foods with added forms of sugar.
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