If we cut our skin or break a bone, these tissues will repair themselves; our bodies are excellent at recovering from injury.
Tooth enamel, however, cannot regenerate, and the oral cavity is a hostile environment.
Every mealtime, enamel is put under incredible stress; it also weathers extreme changes in both pH and temperature.
Despite this adversity, the tooth enamel that we develop as a child remains with us throughout our days.
Researchers have long been interested in how enamel manages to stay functional and intact for a lifetime.
As one of the authors of the latest study, Prof. Pupa Gilbert from the University of Wisconsin–Madison puts it, “How does it prevent catastrophic failure?”
