Tertiary dentin (including reparative dentin or sclerotic dentin) forms as a reaction to stimulation, including

caries Tooth decay, also known as cavities or caries, is the breakdown of teeth due to acids produced by bacteria. The cavities may be a number of different colors from yellow to black. Symptoms may include pain and difficulty with eating. Complicatio ...

wear Wear is the damaging, gradual removal or deformation of material at solid surfaces. Causes of wear can be mechanical (e.g., erosion) or chemical (e.g., corrosion). The study of wear and related processes is referred to as tribology. Wear in m ...

and

fractures Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...

. Tertiary dentin is therefore a mechanism for a tooth to ‘heal’, with new material formation protecting the

pulp chamber The pulp is the connective tissue, nerves, blood vessels, and odontoblasts that comprise the innermost layer of a tooth. The pulp's activity and signalling processes regulate its behaviour. Anatomy The pulp is the neurovascular bundle cent ...

and ultimately therefore protects the tooth and individual against abscesses and infection. This form of dentine can be easily distinguished on the surface of a tooth, and is much darker in appearance compared to primary dentine. Tertiary dentine will often not be visible on the surface of a tooth, but because it is more dense it can be viewed on a Micro-CT scan of the tooth.

Wear on the surface of a tooth can lead to the exposure of the underlying dentine. When wear is severe tertiary dentine may form to help protect the pulp chamber. Frequency of tertiary dentin in different species of primate suggests teeth 'heal' at different rates in different species.

Gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

s have a high rate of tertiary dentin formation, with over 90% of worn teeth showing tertiary dentine.

Hominins The Hominini form a taxonomic tribe of the subfamily Homininae ("hominines"). Hominini includes the extant genera ''Homo'' (humans) and '' Pan'' (chimpanzees and bonobos) and in standard usage excludes the genus ''Gorilla'' (gorillas). The t ...

have a much lower rate of tertiary dentin formation, with around 15% of teeth that have dentin exposed through wear showing tertiary dentin formation.

Chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...

s have rates in between gorillas and

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

s, with 47% of worn teeth showing ‘healing’. Clinical studies have researched the properties of tertiary dentine formation, including anatomy in both humans and animal models, usually from an oral health perspective. Genetic changes in animal models can increase tertiary dentine production. This suggests certain species may have evolved to produce tertiary dentin in response to dietary changes. For example, gorillas may have evolved high rates of tertiary dentin as protection against severe wear, since they consume a lot of tough vegetation.

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