The Useless Digest A Free Weekly dose of Facts, Quotes, History and more - direct to your inbox. Teeth have to be very hard to withstand all the chewing and crunching of food. The hard material of the tooth is composed of calcium, phosphorus, and other mineral salts. The material in the majority of the tooth is called dentine. The hard, shiny layer that you brush is called the enamel.
Teeth have two basic parts, a root to anchor the tooth to the jaw and a crown above the gum line.
The root is covered with a hard material called cementum. At the center of each tooth is an area with nerves, arteries and veins called the dental pulp. Most animals have more specialized teeth.