A Quiz on Tooth Structure from Your Vernon Hills Cosmetic Dentist

Understanding what a healthy set of teeth should be comprised of can be a good way to grasp what cosmetic dental work might be right for you. Your Vernon Hills cosmetic dentist, Dr. Brent A. Engelberg, would like to see how much you know about the structure of your teeth. Try your hand at the following quiz:

Questions

Q1. True or false – Natural teeth are comprised of four different types of tissue.

Q2. True or false – Tooth enamel begins white, but stains and dulls over time.

Q3. True or false – Dentin is a solid, nearly impenetrable material.

Q4. True or false – Dental bonding is the process of painting substitute tooth enamel onto dentin to keep cementum and dental pulp safe.

Answers

A1. TRUE – Teeth are comprised of the following: enamel, dentin, cementum, and dental pulp. The outside of your teeth is covered by translucent enamel that is the second hardest substance on earth, and definitely the hardest element in your body. Dentin is the hard structure that lies underneath the enamel, and covers the cementum and pulp that lie within. From a cosmetic dentistry standpoint, dentin and tooth enamel are the two most worked on parts of your teeth.

A2. FALSE – Tooth enamel is semi-translucent, with a color range from white and yellow to a greyish hue of white.  The most important element in tooth color is the underlying dentin layer. A good cosmetic dentist will understand the intricacies of the shading of natural tooth enamel and dentin when selecting the shade of composite resin material used in dental restorations such as fillings and crowns.

A3. FALSE – Dentin is actually porous and susceptible to allowing bacteria through to the roots of teeth, which is why keeping tooth enamel healthy through good oral hygiene is so important.

A4. FALSE – Dental bonding is a cosmetic dental procedure used to fix broken, chipped, partially decayed, discolored, or misshapen teeth. Tooth-colored composite material is sculpted into place, and shaped to match the structure of your natural teeth. Your cosmetic dentist uses a UV light or laser to harden the material.

Restore Damaged Teeth in Vernon Hills

To schedule an appointment for a consultation with Dr. Engelberg, call our 60061 dentist office at 847-259-8030. We are happy to serve patients in Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, Northwest Chicago Suburbs, and Northern Chicago Suburbs.