Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-03-26
TEETH AS THEY GROW
The Way Nature Forms and Fixes
Them In the Gums.
THEY ARE NOT MADE OF BONE.
Teeth Are Really Skin Structures In
Respect to Their Mode of Origin.
The Variety of Form Which Adapts
Them For Varying Uses.


Them For Varying Uses.
Familiar to everybody as are the
teeth, few persons, save those who
have dipped into their history viewed
from the scientific side, can form an
adequate idea regarding their true ma
ture. If the man In the street were
asked to construct classified list of
his bodily belongings he would almost
certainly place teeth In the section
which included the bones. There ap-
pears reason for his choice. Teeth are
hard and bonelike in structure, and
would seem on the face Of things to
justify the inclusion Of the teeth In
the list Of skeletal structures. This
view of the teeth, however, is readily
proved to be incorrect We have only
to appeal to natures way of making
tooth-in other words, to study its de-
velopment-to assure ourselves that
teeth are not bones at all, but struc-
lures Of a very different kind.
The first indication Of tooth forma-
ton begins In very early life with the
formation of a groove in the gum, or
mucous membrane lining the mouth.
This furrow Is the birthplace Of the
teeth. From the groove arise as many
little projections of the gum as there
are to be teeth Each projection we
call papilla.
Now, this little body contains plen-
tiful supply of blood vessels, destined
to bring to it the raw material-blood
out Of which not teeth alone, but all
other organs, tissues and secretions,
are manufactured. The papflla, be-
sides, is composed of and particularly
invested with living cells Of special
kind. These cells are to be regarded
as the workmen which fabricate the
tooth. The material specially required
for tooth formation consists Of COM
pounds of lime associated with other
substances.
Around the papilla and upon it. as
on mold, the hard material Of the
tooth is deposited. 1t is elaborated
| into a substance which,. under the
microscope, shows special structure
Of its own, differing widely from that
| which is represented In bone. The
great bulk of tooth consists Of ivory
OF dentine, as 1t is also called. This
is a dense, hard substance which
| shows a texture composed Of an In.
finite variety Of microscopic tubules.
| But at the crown Of the tooth es
pecially we meet with layer OF OFF
ferent kind and Of still harder con
sistence This Is the enamel. which
ranks as the hardest substance in thu
body. It's position on the crown o.
the tooth bears relation to the resist
ance to wear and tear the tooth is In
tended to exhibit, the softer ivory be
ing thus protected from the obvious
results Of the process Of attrition
Thus on the papilla, as on a uvini
mold, the tooth is formed, its sub
stance coming to cover, as In an en-
velope, the little projection itself.
Long before the tooth, however, 1
completed the groove in the gum ha
become partitioned off into a series o
sacs or compartments. The furrov
itself becomes converted into tub
by the upward growth and union o
its edges in the middle line. The
succeeds division into sacs, in each o
which papilla is present and in eac
of which a developing tooth Is cor
tanned.
J If the hard materials Of the tooth
found around the papilla we discove
thus that the tooth is a hollow and nc
| f1x ms
every tooth, a substance richly SUI
piled with nerves and blood vessel
really represents the papilla Of III
early stages. The tooth's nourishmeI
is thus duly provided for, since pro-
esses of the pulp pass into the minul
dubules of the ivory and SO contribuI
to the maintenance of the vitality {
/ the organ.
: When the tooth Is completed with
its sac. all that remains is for 1t to a.
3 pear In the jaw, In which provisio
has been made for It's 1xation.
tooth "cuts" the gum when throug
/. upward pressure on the sac it burs
through its investment and takes Il
D place nature has mapped out for 1t
| the VI lhC AhOoAhs
( Now, in all this history there Is I
! hint given us Of any connection b
: tween bone formation and tooth devs
= opment save indeed for the connecti(
9 between the two structures In Il
!, jaw The gum is the present tissue
' the teeth and the gum is simply Il
a skin layer Of the fody folded inwal
Q at the mouth to form the lining mel
: brane Of that cavity, while 1t is CO
q tinued onward, with variations In
{ organiza ton, to form the lining OF q
digestive tubes as well. Teeth a
!. therefore truly skin structures In
y spect of their mode Of origin, whic
after all, is the surest and indeed Il
only test of the nature of any livil
t. tissue OF part.
= By all odds the very longest tooth
the world is that Of the marvin
which grows into a twisted ivory pc
,e often exceeding six feet In length
4 Wilson In Illustrated London New
!, Is Why Papa Was Still.
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