Scientists have been looking at the way mussels use to attach themselves to rocks, and have decided to try a similar method in recovering people’s outer layer of enamel. Dr. Quan-Li Li and ChungHung Chu have developed a substance that rebuilds enamel and dentin, they they build a sticky substance like the mussels use. They reasoned that it could help to keep minerals in contact with dentin long enough for rebuilding to occur. They would bath teeth with worn away enamel in a liquid containing the substance, and the teeth that were bathed would begin to reform lost enamel.The gooey substance “may be a simple universal technique to induce enamel and dentin remineralization simultaneously,” they concluded.

Enamel is lost when acids slowly dissolve the tooth enamel. This typically comes from sugars raising the acidic levels in the mouth, and from soft drinks. The sugar feeds the bacteria, and the bi-product of the bacteria lowers the pH of the mouth, which causes the crystals of enamel to demineralize. The most important bacterium involved with tooth decay is Streptococcus mutans, but the number and type of bacteria varies with the progress of tooth destruction. This is what causes teeth to get sensitive to hot, cold, and other triggers. By rebuilding the enamel, we will be able to help keep cavities and sensitivities away.

This research comes from people noticing that shark teeth are just as strong as our teeth. Even shark teeth that are incredibly old. The similarities between shark teeth and human teeth caused them to look to other naturally occurring creatures to figure out methods of helping humanity’s teeth.