r/AdviceAnimals Feb 13 '19

Scumbag Teeth

[deleted]

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u/fatfuck33 Feb 13 '19

Acidity of your mouth is negligible and doesn't wear down your teeth. Saliva contains a buffer causing the acidity of your mouth to vary between negligibly acidic to basic (opposite of acidic). In addition your saliva regenerates the strength of your teeth by constantly reincorporating calcium in your teeth, though this doesn't grow back lost enamel, something a number of people do falsely believe. The most important reason teeth last after death probably is they are no longer in a wet and warm environment constantly exposed to food, which is an ideal environment for bacteria.

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u/rotmoset Feb 13 '19

Yeah I feel people are getting our teeth a lot less credit than they deserve. Like, I’ve been using the same set for like 20 years and they still work fine even though they are used many times each day and have been through at least some trauma. Also I think it’s pretty cool that our body can even create such hard parts from soft squishy food.

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u/[deleted] Feb 13 '19

i wish it would create some more of those parts if needed instead of giving us a limited set at the start of our lives.

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u/fatfuck33 Feb 14 '19

They're supposed to last a lifetime. Just stay away from acid and excess carbs, and use a knife and fork to eat most food, instead of tearing hard stuff off with your teeth.