Beneath the Surface: What are Teeth Made Of?

You brush twice a day and floss once. You rinse with fluoride and avoid foods that perpetuate bacterial growth. All to protect and keep your teeth healthy. Other than their needs and proper care what do you know about teeth? If you’ve ever wondered here’s a quick run through of what materials teeth are made up of and their different parts.

Parts Of The Tooth

A tooth is made up of four main parts. Each part plays a different role in the tooth’s function.

• Enamel is the hard, mineralized, protective layer of the tooth. 96% of enamel is mineral with the other 4% being water.

• Dentin is the yellow, porous material after the enamel. Dentin is softer than enamel and decays at a faster rate. Dentin is made up of mineralized connective tissue.

• Cementum is the bone like substance that covers the root of the tooth. It, like dentin, is yellow in hue and softer than both dentin and enamel. It provides the tooth with stability.

• Pulp is located in the central part of the tooth and is made up entirely of soft connective tissues. Blood vessels and nerves are contained in the pulp. The pulp can be thought of as the tooth’s nerve.

So what does all this mean for the composition of teeth? What are teeth really made of? The answer is layers. And several different materials. It’s a common mistake to believe that teeth are made of bone straight through. While cementum is similar to bone material it is still fundamentally different!

Have all four of your teeth’s layers looked at! Call Dr. Arzegar of the Lifetime Smiles today and schedule a free consultation.