why is it that only teeth can have cavitys and not any other body part
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Because we don’t have teeth anywhere else in your body. Teeth are different than bone, and exposed to things (food, air, bacteria) that no other hard tissue in your body is
Teeth solidify soon after growth and don’t renew themselves to any significant degree after an injury. Being comprised of a rock, hydroxy apatite, teeth are reactive with acids. The remainder of the body is coated with living tissue skin and mucous membrane with blood circulation. Those slowly regenerate all the time, heal, to insulate the internal parts of the body from infection and damage. Barring a major injury, bones inside the body are shielded from the environment. Without adequate input of minerals and vitamins in the diet, bones can slowly slowly lose material, becoming hollow and brittle.
It’s not that any other parts of the bodies can’t have cavities… abscesses are pretty similar to cavities in other parts of the body and bones can have osteomyelitis.
They just happen less often since bone isn’t commonly infected due to the immune system and skin covering it. Abscesses can happen, but are also less common because of the immune system response.
Teeth are notably not fully covered by flesh. They’d not work well as teeth then. They’re exposed to things like food as part of their job, and bacteria can grow from that. The bacteria cause the cavities.
Heh, I have an exam on tooth decay tomorrow.
So, cavities form after your teeth surfaces are demineralized. (Sugar is eaten by bad bacteria and broken down into acid. The acid is what causes your teeth surface to be etched away)
Once your protective layer (enamel-hardest substance in the human body) is etched away given enough time, that’s when decays take their toll, and cause cavities if not taken care of.
So to really answer your question:
teeth are exposed in your mouth. bones are not. Cavities form from sugars being broken down. Only teeth are exposed to sugars externally, so that’s why only teeth are susceptible. That’s why sealants on your teeth prevent decay. It covers the teeth surface so it’s not exposed to outside environment.
Tips: try and brush your teeth after meals, as soon as you can. Basically just remove any food debris before it can be broken down. Especially true if you snack frequently. After each meal and no brushing, the food is broken down and small amount of demineralization occurs, before being balanced out. But the more you frequently eat, the more time your teeth are being etched away.
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