New study looks to determine Why Teeth Crack

Human teeth must last our entire lifetime despite being subjected to significant straining forces. The high resistance properties of dentin in teeth, however, is not fully understood. Now, researchers found that when the tiny collagen fibers shrink in the dentin, the attached mineral particles become increasingly compressed. Dr. Paul Zaslansky from Julius Wolff-Institute of Charite Berlin explains:”The compressed state helps to prevents cracks from developing and we found that compression takes place in such a way that cracks cannot easily reach the tooth inner parts, which could damage the sensitive pulp. In this manner, compression stress helps to prevent cracks from rushing through the tooth.” The research team also analysed what happens if the tight, mineral-protein link is damaged by heating. In this case, the dentin in teeth becomes weaker. Therefore, it’s crucial for the stress between the mineral particles and the collagen protein to be balanced to ensure the long-term survival of the teeth. This also shows why artificial tooth replacements may work well but they’re still not the same as regular teeth.