In the Tooth

Our tooth enamel survives a lifetime of gnashing and nibbling – its secret may lie in this scan of its microscopic crystal pattern. In this human enamel, we see decussation bands – stripes where bundles of crystals known as rods (blue), meet and cross each other. The rod bundles may look a little chaotic, running downwards (on the left), outwards (in the middle) or at an angle (on the right). But using these scans to build computer models of human enamel, researchers found that differences in the direction, or orientation, help our enamel stay tough – a crack might run deeper in aligned crystals, like a split down a seam of rock, while a little randomness protects against damage – insight that may one day influence the design of dental implants.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from work by Elia Beniash and Cayla A. Stifler, and colleagues
• Department of Physics, UW-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
• Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Published in Nature Communications, September 2019