How Teeth Age: A Look Inside

Teeth aren't just for chewing. They have a living part inside called pulp. As people get older, this pulp changes. It's not as lively as it used to be. There are fewer cells and blood vessels. This makes it harder for teeth to heal when they get damaged. The pulp also gets tougher. It makes more collagen and a substance called secondary dentin. This fills up the pulp chamber, leaving less room for the pulp to do its job. A study looked at teeth from young and old people. They wanted to see how aging affects the pulp. First, they cleaned the teeth and put them in a preservative. Then, they made the teeth soft enough to cut into thin slices. They stained these slices to see the details under a microscope. The young teeth had lots of cells. There were many fibroblasts and odontoblasts. These are the cells that help teeth grow and repair. But the older teeth were different. They had fewer cells. The odontoblasts were harder to find. The fibroblasts looked worn out. This shows that aging really changes the pulp. It's not as strong or active as it used to be. These changes matter. They can affect how teeth heal. They can also make teeth more likely to get hurt or infected. So, taking care of teeth is important at any age. But it's especially important as people get older.