At first glance, teeth look a lot like bones. Both are hard, white, and rich in calcium. So why aren’t teeth considered part of the skeletal system? Although teeth and bones have some basic similarities, they are actually quite different.
The main similarity between teeth and bones is what teeth and bones are made of: hard tissue made up of minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, fluoride, and magnesium. At the molecular level, these minerals form solid crystal structures that make both teeth and bones much harder than everything else in the body.
you may like
Function of teeth and bones
One reason teeth are not considered part of the skeletal system is because they serve a completely different function than bones, Hewlett said. The primary role of teeth is to break down food as it enters the digestive tract, but they are also important for producing speech. Due to its main function, the pearly whites are considered to be part of the digestive system.
Bones have various functions. They provide structure and support to the body and create attachment points for the muscular system. It also protects vital organs that house important body parts such as the heart and lungs. Bones, in turn, act as factories for producing red and white blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body and play important roles in the immune system.
However, there is a small overlap in the functions of teeth and bones. The jawbone helps support the teeth and is important for chewing, for example.
“They work together, but they’re separate,” Hewlett said.
tooth and bone structure
Bones and teeth have different functions and therefore have different structures. The outer structure of the tooth is called enamel, a thin layer of mineralized tissue. Enamel is the hardest substance in the body and derives its properties from crystals packed with calcium and phosphate compounds.
Beneath the enamel is dentin, a type of mineralized tissue that is slightly softer than enamel but still hard. Dentin makes up the majority of the tooth’s structure and contains small canals that hold blood vessels and nerve endings. The center of the tooth is made of a jelly-like substance called the dental pulp, which contains many blood vessels that supply nutrients to the tooth and nerves that control the sensation of the tooth.
On the other hand, the structure of bones is completely different from that of teeth.
you may like
Bones are covered by a very thin, tough outer layer called the periosteum, which houses both blood vessels and nerves that are essential for tissue growth and healing. The next layer consists of durable, dense bone tissue. The interior of bones contains cancellous tissue, a spongy substance with small holes that contains bone marrow, where new blood cells are made.
living and dead tissue
You may have noticed that unlike teeth, bones have nerves and blood vessels running through them both inside and out. That’s because bones are living tissue, whereas teeth are not, and this is one of the most important differences between the two.
Teeth are formed during fetal development and early childhood from specialized cells called ameloblasts and odontoblasts, which form layers of enamel and dentin that harden over time. Once this process is complete, the cells that form enamel die. This means that if a tooth is chipped or broken, the lost tissue cannot be regenerated. The pulp inside the tooth is made up of living tissue, but it does not help regenerate the outer layers of dentin and enamel.
In contrast, bones are dynamic structures that constantly remodel themselves. They contain networks of blood vessels, nerves, and living cells called osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which form new bone and destroy old tissue, respectively. This constant turnover allows bones to heal after a fracture and adapt to changes in the body, such as changes in personal stress or activity levels. In fact, most adult skeletons are completely renewed approximately every 10 years.
“Bones are more of a living part of the body,” Hewlett says. “But please take care of your teeth. They will never grow back.”
Source link
