Why Are Teeth Not Considered Bones?
Teeth and bones are both hard, white and heavy with calcium, but that doesn't make them one and the same. From the way they look to how they heal, teeth are quite different from the body's bones.
Transcript
00:00 Why are teeth not considered bones?
00:04 Picture a skull.
00:05 It has teeth, doesn't it?
00:07 So why are teeth not considered bones?
00:11 Teeth and bones are both hard, white, and packed with calcium.
00:15 But that doesn't make them one and the same.
00:17 For one, teeth are mostly made of minerals.
00:20 Bones on the other hand, do have many minerals, but mainly consist of a protein called collagen.
00:27 Collagen is a living, growing tissue that makes bones strong and flexible.
00:32 But it doesn't make them as strong as teeth.
00:34 Teeth are the hardest part of the human body, thanks to a calcified tissue called dentine.
00:40 Dentine is covered with another material called enamel, which gives teeth their hard, shiny
00:45 surface, your pearly whites.
00:48 Still, bones have at least one advantage over teeth, even if they are weaker.
00:53 They can regenerate.
00:54 That means that if you break a bone, it can heal.
00:57 But crack or chip a tooth and you're in for some dental work.
01:01 Another difference between teeth and bones?
01:03 Bone marrow.
01:05 This spongy concoction inside your bones is responsible for producing blood cells, something
01:11 the inside of your teeth definitely cannot do.
01:15 And even though the inside of a tooth may look like marrow, it actually contains something
01:19 called dental pulp.
01:21 This living portion of each tooth contains nerves and blood vessels.
01:26 It's those nerves that are responsible for the pain of a toothache or cavity.
01:31 Teeth and bones.
01:32 Just another one of life's little mysteries.