Gnarled enamel is a description of
enamel seen in
histologic
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...
sections of a
tooth
A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, t ...
underneath a
cusp
A cusp is the most pointed end of a curve. It often refers to cusp (anatomy), a pointed structure on a tooth.
Cusp or CUSP may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Cusp (singularity), a singular point of a curve
* Cusp catastrophe, a branch of bifurc ...
. This is optical appearance of enamel. The enamel appears different and very complex under the cusp, but this is not due to a different arrangement of dental tissues. Instead, the enamel still has the same arrangement of
enamel rod
An enamel prism, or enamel rod, is the basic unit of tooth enamel. Measuring 3-6 μm in diameter, enamel prism are tightly packed hydroxyapatite crystals structures. The hydroxyapatite crystals are hexagonal in shape, providing rigidity to the pri ...
s. The strange appearance results from the lines of enamel rods directed vertically under a cusp and from their orientation in a small circumference.
Gnarled enamel can sometimes be a problem for dentists; although experienced dentists have no problem identifying gnarled enamel and making the correct preparations, some inexperienced dentists face problems when performing a standard filling or root canal. The gnarled enamel can cause the drill problems and in some cases the dentist must replace the drill burr. The toughness of gnarled enamel varies from patient to patient and usually is nothing to be concerned about.
References
*Cate, A.R. Ten. Oral Histology: development, structure, and function. 5th ed. 1998. .
Dental enamel
{{dentistry-stub