Unlike Bones or Other Parts of the Body, Teeth are Incapable of Self-Repair
When it comes to the healing process, bones and teeth are quite different. When a bone is fractured, repair begins immediately and will go through five phases, if two or more parts of the broken bone remain as stationary as possible:
Haematoma formation - the break becomes surrounded by a solid blood clot (haematoma) since the break usually damages blood vessels.
Granulation tissue formation – shortly after the fracture, the haematoma begins to be reabsorbed by the body and it is simultaneously replaced by inflammatory cells.
Callus formation - the cells change to osteoblasts (which create new bone) and osteoclasts (which reabsorb the old bone). The resulting tissue is called a callus.
Consolidation - the bone created by the callus is now replaced by stronger bone (lamellar bone). This process can take several months.
Remodeling - the healed bone aligns in the direction of the forces acting on it. Extra bone bits are reabsorbed.
The whole process will generally take anywhere for 6 – 18 weeks, depending on several different factors. The biggest factor is age, with children healing much faster than adults. This means that our bones can essentially rebuild themselves if they are damaged.
What about teeth?
Teeth are able to repair themselves to a limited extent. However, they lack the “right kind of cells” in order to completely heal themselves. Cells are the structures that start healing and teeth consist of 90% minerals instead of cells and protein. While the base of the roots of teeth have the necessary cells for healing – the enamel at the top (crowns) do not.
The enamel layer of our teeth is formed be cells called ameloblasts, before our teeth erupt. This means that the major structure of most of our teeth is fully grown by the time we finish primary school.
But this doesn't mean that our teeth don't change over time. Our enamel is strongly impacted by our oral health, diet, and habits. Our enamel can be lost through decay, chips, wear, or erosion.
This is why fillings or crowns are necessary if tooth structure is lost through decay, chips, cracks, wear, or erosion. Many people have wished their teeth could regrow, but unfortunately this isn't possible.
Our teeth are affected by demineralisation and remineralisation.
Demineralisation occurs when the tooth’s enamel is dissolved by acids that are produced by the actions of dental plaque, or from dietary acid or reflux. Remineralisation occurs when calcium and phosphate from our saliva, tooth paste, or remineralising agent is integrated back into the tooth structure. This is the opposite process of demineralisation.
These processes are affected by our diet, along with the quality and mineral content of our saliva. This is the reason why we suggest limiting certain types of food such as those which are high in sugar or acid.
Remineralisation is a kind of repair
So strictly speaking, if there is damage caused to our enamel by demineralisation -- this can then be repaired by remineralisation. However these are both external processes, and the tooth itself is not responsible.
Internally, if there is a large decay or filling, there is a limited capacity for the cells in the tooth pulp to develop a mineral barrier as a protection. This can delay the impact of decay, but cannot stop or reverse it's impact. This is why traumatised teeth can turn yellow over time.
If necessary can repair the damage caused by tooth decay with different methods, depending on the situation. These include crowns and fillings. This is the main reason why it’s important to schedule regular appointments so we can remineralise early decay or prevent it all together.
If you would like to discuss your dental health book a consultation with Dr Kate Amos or Dr Sam Rosehill at Ethical Dental on 6652 3185 or book online.
