My dentist says that dental enamel is never replenished and we have to make do with the adult set of teeth throughout our grown-up lives. I can't believe that after some 80 years of chomping and grinding, my teeth are still the same shape, without apparent signs of wear. Is he right? If so, why am I generally still toothily intact? Despite the best efforts of your dentist, there is no regenerating lost enamel. By the time a tooth erupts through the gum, its enamel formation has ceased and it will have no further contact with the cells capable of repairing or remodelling it. So it is fortunate that the tooth's outer enamel layer is, in fact, the hardest tissue in the body. It is 96 per cent hydroxyapatite crystals by weight, the remainder being organic material and water.
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