Dissecting
a Tooth
Did you know that the tooth is the hardest substance
of the body? Yap! harder than bone fellas! The tooth has
a covering of the crown called the enamel which consist of 96% inorganic
material (which makes it so hard) and the remaining 4%, organic substance
and water. Beneath the enamel is the Dentin which is 65% inorganic and
the remaining 35%, organic substance and water. Dentin made up the bulk
of the tooth, and has approximately the same hardness with bone. Cemetum
is the covering of the root of the tooth. It is composed of 45-50% inorganic
material and 50-55% organic material and water. |
Now, you might wonder, how
come the tooth, with its covering which is the hardest substance of the
body, be attacked by caries. Studying the initiation of caries in the hardest
substance of the body alone will take a whole chapter for a discussion.
In the world of Dentistry, there are a couple of Theories that has been
laid out by our "forefathers". Although one of it is highly accepted, and
we will mention it alone here for a very brief discussion. First let us
remember that enamel is 4% organic. Quite a minute percentage, yet a significant
presence for bacterial attack. The organic component is made up of fractions
of several proteins. Now, here it is: food particles clings
to |
But just what is inorganic
material which makes the tooth hard? Inorganic material is composed of
apatite crystals
packed so tightly together.
Inside the tooth is the pulp which is divided into the coronal pulp
(located at the crown portion) and the radicular pulp (root portion). The
pulp is the source of nourishment for the tooth. Inside goes the blood
vessels and nerves which the sensory function of the tooth. The pulp is
the target of every Root Canal Treatment procedure. |
crevices of the tooth. Bacteria inside the mouth
are acid producing bacteria, and when they act upon the minute food particle,
especially when they are derived from food with high sucrose
content, produces dental plaque which are acidic and clings tenaciously
to surfaces of the teeth. The high acidic state will cause degradation
of the tooth structure and after that, the protein residues are acid softened
and eventually be degraded. Introducing the Acidogenic
Theory of Caries. |