Just got out of a dental appointment and I was wondering this about Wolverine: Can he get cavities? Does his teeth regenerate? If they're part of his skeletal system, why aren't they covered in Adamantium?
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4Related: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/14252/…– PantsJun 21, 2016 at 21:20
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He's old and he gets into a lot of fights. If he doesn't have the ability to completely regrow teeth then... Maybe false teeth?– Brent HackersJun 22, 2016 at 11:37
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I recall him spitting out teeth in some comic, possibly the old origin story - before getting adamantium. He wasn't more concerned than over the loss of an earlobe, so, depending on the writer, I think a tooth would regenerate in an average of a few minutes to an hour.– kaayJun 22, 2016 at 12:15
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1 Answer
No. Wolverine cannot get cavities. His regenerative powers protect him from getting any kind of general diseases including tooth decay.
- For the record, teeth are not technically bones, so they would have been immune to the process used to cover his skeleton with adamantium.
- Tooth enamel is one of the four major tissues that make up the tooth in humans and many other animals, including some species of fish. It makes up the normally visible part of the tooth, covering the crown. The other major tissues are dentin, cementum, and dental pulp. It is a very hard, white to off white, highly mineralised substance that acts as a barrier to protect the tooth but can become susceptible to degradation, especially by acids from food and drink.
His teeth are not covered in adamantium for the same reason your teeth are not covered in bone. Teeth are covered with a specialized mineral covering called tooth enamel. Only his skeletal structure was prepared to receive the Adamantium treatment.
Most metahumans with any form of low grade regeneration will likely never suffer from tooth decay due to their body's natural enhanced regenerative state.
answered Jun 21, 2016 at 21:23
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8I do not believe this is accurate. I am not a dentist but all links about human tooth growth indicate that enamel is not able to be regenerated. Unless his physiology changed to something like that of a beaver, it is entirely likely that tooth damage would be permanent.– Pre101Jun 22, 2016 at 0:06
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5The operative word here is ENHANCED regenerative state. Let's assume teeth are for some reason unable to be regenerated directly thorough whatever process passes for regeneration in Wolverine. Then his body would most likely simply replace the teeth in some as yet undisclosed manner. Comic injuries to his teeth seem to never be permanent and he always has new teeth either by regenerating them or replacing them outright as NEWLY grown teeth. Jun 22, 2016 at 0:55
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1@JustinGoldberg: There is no need for studies. The very purpose of the minerals contained in saliva which lead to dental calculus are the ones that do that. Every day, in every human.– DamonJun 22, 2016 at 12:23
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2Counterpoint, his skeleton is shown as having metal teeth in canon:vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/f/f7/…– MurphyJun 22, 2016 at 15:04
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1@Pre101 Enamel absolutely can be regenerated, and it is by saliva every day. This is well-detailed in every dental textbook. It's just that this process is extremely slow, and oral bacteria actively works against this regeneration so the net effect usually is negative. Jun 23, 2016 at 4:25
