Teeth and bones are both hard, white and heavy with calcium, but that doesn't make them one and the same. From the way they look to how they heal, teeth are quite different from the body's bones.
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00:00Why are teeth not considered bones?
00:04Picture a skull.
00:05It has teeth, doesn't it?
00:07So why are teeth not considered bones?
00:11Teeth and bones are both hard, white, and packed with calcium.
00:15But that doesn't make them one and the same.
00:17For one, teeth are mostly made of minerals.
00:20Bones on the other hand, do have many minerals, but mainly consist of a protein called collagen.
00:27Collagen is a living, growing tissue that makes bones strong and flexible.
00:32But it doesn't make them as strong as teeth.
00:34Teeth are the hardest part of the human body, thanks to a calcified tissue called dentine.
00:40Dentine is covered with another material called enamel, which gives teeth their hard, shiny
00:45surface, your pearly whites.
00:48Still, bones have at least one advantage over teeth, even if they are weaker.
00:53They can regenerate.
00:54That means that if you break a bone, it can heal.
00:57But crack or chip a tooth and you're in for some dental work.
01:01Another difference between teeth and bones?
01:03Bone marrow.
01:05This spongy concoction inside your bones is responsible for producing blood cells, something
01:11the inside of your teeth definitely cannot do.
01:15And even though the inside of a tooth may look like marrow, it actually contains something
01:19called dental pulp.
01:21This living portion of each tooth contains nerves and blood vessels.
01:26It's those nerves that are responsible for the pain of a toothache or cavity.
01:31Teeth and bones.
01:32Just another one of life's little mysteries.