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.
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