Teeth

[From the mouth of Zoe Laughlin, lost/extracted between the ages of 6 and 12]

The structure of a tooth is such that it can be divided into three areas; the outer coating of enamel which caps the tooth above the gum-line; the dentine that forms the main body of the tooth; and then the inner pulp of the tooth. Enamel is the hardest substance in the human body and is made up primarily of calcium and phosphorus crystals. These elements give teeth an iridescent quality and cause them to fluoresce blue under ultraviolet light. Once the enamel has formed, the individual level at which one's teeth fluoresce has been set. If one has a replacement false tooth, there will nearly always be a distinguishable difference between the new tooth and one's own teeth, as the fake tooth will fluoresce differently -if at all. Dentine also fluoresces but in a different colour to enamel. The fluorescence of dentine is green and is visible in areas where cavities in the enamel reveal the dentine underneath, or in the root of the tooth where enamel never forms.