It’s a common misconception that teeth are bones. It makes sense: both are white, hard, and contain calcium. If you think that teeth are bones, it’s no wonder why you’d be confused about why teeth can’t heal themselves the same way that bones can. However, similar as they may be, there are key differences between teeth and bones. 

Why Aren’t Teeth Bones?

Both teeth and bones have calcium and are the hardest substances in your body. However, as similar as they appear to be, teeth and bones are actually made of different substances. While bones can regenerate and heal themselves, teeth can’t, which is why you can need fillings, root canals, crowns, and more. 

What Are Bones Made Of?

Bones are made out of living tissue, with protein collagen and calcium phosphate. They also have marrow, which produces blood cells. Since bones are living tissue, this means that they’re constantly being regenerated and remodeled, similar to how your skin regenerates itself every 28 days. When old tissue is broken down, new tissue replaces it. This is why when you break a bone, it can heal itself. 

What Are Teeth Made Of?

While bones are constantly remaking themselves, teeth can’t do this. This is because teeth aren’t made of living tissue. Rather, they’re made of enamel, dentin, cementum, and pulp. While teeth can undergo a process called remineralization, they can’t heal naturally. This is why if you have tooth decay, cracked teeth, or other types of tooth damage, it needs fillings and other types of dental treatments. 

Why Don’t Teeth Regenerate?

Teeth and bones aren’t the same, however… There are animals that can indeed regenerate their teeth, similar to how bones can be regenerated. 

Geckos regrow all of their teeth every 3-4 months, so they are constantly getting new sets of teeth. Sharks can have as many as 3000 teeth and lose about 100 a day. Horses don’t regrow their teeth, but their teeth are constantly growing, which is why horse owners need to have their horses floated every year or so (floating is when the teeth are ground down to a good length).   

So, if in some animals, both teeth and bones can regrow or remodel themselves, why isn’t this the case in humans? Why do humans only get two sets of teeth in their lifetime, while the human skeleton completely remodels itself every 10 years? 

Why Human Teeth Don’t Regenerate

You can thank evolution for the fact that humans only get two sets of teeth in their lifetime. The fact that teeth and bones are different and that our teeth don’t regenerate is actually something that was evolutionarily advantageous. 

In short, it comes down to diet. The reason why creatures like geckos are constantly regrowing their teeth is because they need to. In order to catch and hold onto prey, their teeth need to be the same shape and size. In order to prevent wear and tear, their teeth just replace themselves. 

Mammals have teeth adapted to their diets. For instance, horses are grazers. They’re constantly eating. Their teeth can naturally get ground down, so that’s why their teeth are constantly growing. 

Humans have a diverse diet as omnivores. We need to be able to bite, cut, and grind with our teeth. In order to do this efficiently, your teeth need to match up. This is why dental problems like overbites and crossbites need correction. It is theorized that the reason why we only get our baby teeth and our adult teeth is to prevent the possibility of misalignment with regrown teeth. 

Could Teeth Be Regrown In The Future?

If you’ve wished teeth and bones were more similar in how they can be regrown, this could be an option in the future. Scientists have used stem cells in order to help rats and mice regrow tooth tissue in damaged teeth. No human tests have been done yet, but in the future, there is the possibility that stem cells could be used to help restore damaged teeth tissue. 

However, this is just a potential for the future. Since teeth and bones are different, if you have dental problems, you’ll need to see a dentist in order to have them fixed, lest you end up losing your tooth and needing to replace it with an implant. Teeth cannot heal naturally the way that bones can.

Do You Need Endodontic Treatment?

David G. Johnson, DDS, provides endodontic services for everything from root canals to dental trauma. If you need endodontic treatment, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.

Dental technology continues to improve, just like the rest of the world. One such improvement is the emergence of 3D Imaging, also known as CBCT (Cone Beam Computed Tomography). If your dentist is ever trying to see what’s going on in your tooth structure and a traditional dental x-ray won’t cut it, they can then use a CBCT machine to get a clearer picture. 

Given that 3D Imaging is a new technology, many people may not fully understand how they work or how they compare to traditional dental x-rays. Fortunately, this article has got you covered. Here, we’ll go over how traditional dental x-rays differ from CBCT machines, when dentists would use a traditional dental x-ray versus 3D Imaging, and how it improves your treatment. Let’s get into it!

What’s The Difference Between 3D Imaging And A Dental X-Ray?

In order to better understand how 3D Imaging compares to traditional dental x-rays, it’s helpful to know what the differences between the two machines even are.

Traditional 2D X-Rays

There are a few different types of 2D x-rays. These are used to show details in your mouth. Depending on the type of x-ray that you have done, they may capture images of your teeth, your jaw, and more. 

The different types of dental x-rays include:

• Intraoral.

These involve placing a film inside your mouth. There are a few different intraoral x-rays: bitewind, periapical, and occlusal. These all show details of your teeth to different degrees. These are used in order to track developing teeth and to diagnose oral health issues, such as cavities.

• Bitewings show your upper and lower teeth in a specific area.
• Periapicals show an entire tooth from where it attaches to your jaw all the way to the crown.
• Occlusals show an entire arc of teeth in your jaw.

• Extraoral.

These use different machines in order to locate any dental issues in your jaw and skill. A CBCT machine is a type of extraoral x-ray. Some other types of extraoral x-rays include:

• Digital imaging
• Panoramic
• Sialogram
• CBCT
• And more

3D Imaging

Instead of using traditional photographic film, 3D imaging uses digital x-ray sensors to create a 3D image of your tooth. These use small amounts of radiation in conjunction with electronic sensors from computors in order to form an image of your teeth on a computer screen. 

This type of x-ray requires additional training in order to fully understand how to use it, however, many dentists prefer it, as it shows more details about what is going on in your mouth.

When You Would Get A Traditional Vs Digital X-Ray

Since CBCT machines provide a more detailed, comprehensive look into what’s going on in your mouth, many dentists prefer to use them for diagnosing many different dental conditions. 

Typically, they’re more commonly used in complex cases, such as if you have pain and the dentist can’t see why from a traditional x-ray. 3D imaging can also be used in place of a traditional x-ray if you have someone who struggles with traditional x-rays, either because gag reflexes or impatient children or what have you. 

Even if a dentist has a CBCT machine, they may still prefer to use traditional x-rays in order to look at cavities and other common oral health problems. But when it comes to looking at your roots and other, more complicated issues, dentists usually prefer to use CBCT machines in order to get a more accurate look. 

This allows them to improve their treatment process and provide you with optimal care. 

How CBCT Machines Improve Your Treatment

There are quite a few benefits to using CBCT machines! We’ve gone over the benefits of 3D Imaging for your treatment more in detail in our previous blog post, The Benefits Of 3D Imaging For Your Teeth. That said, we’ll provide you with a quick overview so you can get a general idea of how this machine benefits you.

Some of the ways that CBCT machines improve your treatment include:

• Increased comfort
• Increased convenience
• Less time
• Environmentally safe
• Better suited for diagnosing issues
• Better suited for patient learning
• Non-invasive
• Improved treatment
• Improved accuracy
• Safer than traditional x-rays

Here at David G. Johnson, DDS, we care about providing each and every one of our patients with the best endodontic care possible. That’s why we use CBCT machines in order to diagnose your oral health problems and get a clear picture of what’s going on. To schedule an appointment, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!

If you have problems with your teeth, you may be wondering whether you should see an endodontist or a dentist, or what even the difference between endodontists and dentists is. Both endodontists and dentists take care of your oral health and can perform procedures in order to treat oral health concerns, however, they have different specialties. Here is what you need to know about the difference between endodontists and dentists.

What Is A Dentist?

A dentist is essentially like your primary care physician, but for your oral health. You see a dentist every year for a professional cleaning and dental exam. If you are experiencing any issues, such as toothaches or gum sensitivity, you can bring them up to your dentist so that they can determine the cause and the best course of action. 

Your dentist can identify oral health issues, as well as treat a number of different dental problems, such as filling in a cavity. If you have a more complex dental problem, such as a root canal, your dentist may refer you to a specialist, such as an endodontist, in order to ensure that you receive the necessary treatment. 

What Is An Endodontist?

An endodontist is a dental specialist who is focused on treating the interior of your tooth. All endodontists are dentists, but only about 3% of dentists are endodontists. This is because the difference between endodontists and dentists is that endodontists need additional specialty training after completing dental school in order to go from being a dentist to an endodontist.

Since endodontists specialize in the interior of your teeth, they are the best people to see if you have a condition such as a root canal. With their specialized training and equipment, they are able to minimize patient pain and increase the chances of saving your natural tooth. 

How Do You Know If You Should See An Endodontist Or A Dentist?

Since there is a difference between endodontists and dentists, you generally need to see one or the other. While endodontists are dentists, they’re specialists, which means that you wouldn’t go to an endodontist in order to have your teeth cleaned or for a routine dental exam. If you need standard dental care, you would see a general dentist. If your general dentist cannot help you with your dental concerns, they will refer you to a specialist who can.

Said specialist may be an endodontist if your problems are with the interior of your teeth. If you have problems with your gums, you may be referred to a periodontist, who specializes in gyms. If you have a root canal, a cracked tooth, or dental trauma, you’ll likely see an endodontist.

However, you do not always need to see a dentist before you can see an endodontist. There are times when you can go right to an endodontist. For instance, if you have suffered a dental trauma, such as having a tooth get knocked out, you can go right to an endodontist and they will do everything in their power to save your natural tooth. 

The Difference Between Endodontists And Dentists For Root Canals

Since both dentists and endodontists can provide root canal therapy, you may wonder if it is better to stick with your general dentist in order to obtain the necessary treatment or if you should go to a specialist. While dentists can perform root canals, and can do them quite well, they do not perform them anywhere near as often as endodontists do. While a dentist may do a root canal every now and then, endodontists do them every day. 

Thus, if you have a root canal, it is better to go to an endodontist, because they have much more experience with performing root canals and can better ensure your comfort and a higher success rate at saving your tooth. 

The Importance Of Both Endodontists And Dentists For Optimal Oral Health

Ultimately, in order to ensure optimal oral health, you want to see both a dentist and an endodontist, depending on your oral health concerns. A dentist can help keep you from needing to see an endodontist by filling cavities before they get the chance to turn into root canals. An endodontist can help save your natural tooth if you suffer from a root canal or a cracked tooth or some sort of dental trauma. While there is a difference between endodontists and dentists, both of them together can work to keep your mouth in good health and to preserve your natural teeth. 

Dr. David G. Johnson, DDS, provides exceptional endodontic services. If you need endodontic treatment, please do not hesitate to contact our office today. We’re here to help save your natural teeth and to help preserve your oral health.