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Article: Something to chew on: hard facts about tooth enamel.
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- May 14, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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If you're not sitting in the dentist's office reading this article, chances are that your tooth enamel is doing its job, at least for now. This protective ceramic-like veneer, thick as a dime, is the strongest material in the human body. It's your teeth's first line of defense against corrosive bacteria and the constant pounding and stresses that come with chewing.
Strong as it is, enamel is also brittle. What keeps it from shattering is an underlying protein-rich layer of dentin, a softer, more compliant substance that acts like a shock absorber. "If you had enamel sitting on a hard surface, every time you'd bite down on it, it would crack," says Arthur Veis, a ...