If our skin is cut or a bone is fractured, the body is usually able to repair the damage because human tissues have strong healing abilities.
Tooth enamel, in contrast, cannot regrow, and the mouth creates a challenging environment.
With every meal, enamel experiences significant pressure and also faces rapid shifts in temperature and acidity.
Even with these challenges, the enamel that forms during childhood generally remains with us for life.
Scientists have long been curious about how enamel continues functioning and staying intact over many years.
As one researcher from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Prof. Pupa Gilbert, explains, “How does it avoid catastrophic failure?”
