You may be continuously pondering over the fact teeth are similar to bones because bones and teeth are made of the hardest materials of our body and they both appear colorless. In case if you are thinking this, then you are not completely right. Teeth of the oral cavity surprisingly have their own classification and category in which they fall under.
Although both bones and teeth contain calcium deposits which determine their hardness and ability to resist traumas but unlike teeth bones are considered living tissues. Being a living tissue, a bone can undergo a natural repair all by itself it is distorted by anything physically.
If we talk about teeth, they, unfortunately, don’t have the ability to repair or heal themselves on their own. This key difference is very much signification. As when you have a crooked tooth/chipped tooth, it becomes necessary for you to pay a visit to the dentist, however in the case of bone fracture, an orthopedic isn’t required necessarily as the bone, being a living tissue, has the ability to heal by its own. This is also a major difference between teeth and bones.
Acknowledgement of these basic features is very crucial for the better understanding of the teeth and bones. As for now, one should keep in mind that teeth can’t repair themselves so they require keen and thorough attention throughout the life time.
What are teeth made of?
Although our teeth appear as white (colorless) structures but in reality they are composed of certain different types of components or minerals enabling us to differentiate between bones and teeth. The outermost hardest and non-living part of the human tooth is referred to as “Enamel.” The enamel, itself, is made up of calcium phosphate.
Below the enamel, there is a sensitive and soft structure called “Dentin”. The basic purpose of the enamel is to provide protection to the dentin. The protection of dentin is the topmost priority as it contain contains specific type of microscopic vessels that attach to the innermost layer, also known by pulp. This is also a difference between teeth and bones.
The pulp is considered a living tissue as it is considered as the house of nerves and tubes for each particular tooth. It acts as a precursor for the cells that give rise to the new dentin. This also differs bones and teeth from each other.
Then last but not the least is the layer called cementum whose primary function is to assist the attachement of the tooth to the jawbone. This spectacular combination of different type of living and non-living, hard and soft tissues allows your teeth to be exceptionally strong for the purpose of chewing and grinding food. These factors help in preventing teeth and bone loss.
Structure of teeth and bones:
Although, even if we consider that bones and teeth contain the same building molecule yet we also have to take it into consideration that both of them diverse set of function and structure.
If we talk about the basic structure of the teeth and bones, then we come to know that a tooth is composed of three layers. The outermost, hardest and non-living layer called “Enamel” whose primary job is to protect the crown of the tooth from every sort of wear and tear. The major portion of the tooth is formed by dentin which is present under the hardest covering of the tooth called “Enamel”. After dentin, there is the outermost pulp which is basically a central house for all the nerves and sensory impulses that produce different sensations when the tooth is stimulated. At last, there is cementum which anchors the tooth to the jawbone.
Talking about a simple bone, it is basically a living tissue. Being a living tissue, bone has the ability to undergo self-repair in case if it faces any distortion due to some physical trauma. A typical bone is composed of two layers. The outermost layer of hard tissues called “Compact or Cortical Bone” and the innermost part composed of soft tissues called “Spongy or Cancellous Bone”. The spongy part of the bone acts as a shock absorber at times when severe pressure is applied.
In a nutshell, both bones and teeth are made of almost the same chemical composition, however, unlike bones, teeth don’t have the ability to undergo self-repair.
Function of teeth and bones:
Both bones and teeth although have the same basic chemical composition yet they differ from each other in a lot of aspects which have already been discussed above in detail.
If we discuss about the function of teeth first, then we should know that teeth are of four types, basically. Incisors, which are set of two teeth (both in the upper and lower jaw and their basic purpose to assist in biting the food. Canine, which are one set of teeth (present in both upper and lower jaw) and their purpose is tearing the food. Then come premolars and molars (including the wisdom teeth) which adds up to the remaining twenty teeth. Their job is to grind and mix the food properly. This is the difference between teeth and bones.
On the other hand, bones form the structural framework of the body, assisting not only in locomotion but provide support to the body as well. They also provide the best protection to the complex organ systems of the body and store minerals like calcium which are necessary for the healthy and proper functioning of the body.
