enamel tuft

The origin of enamel tufts is not fully understood.

Enamel tufts also self-heal through a process of being filled with protein rich fluids.

Enamel tufts should also not be confused with the similar enamel spindles.

During this process, enamelins and tuftelin are left in the enamel (responsible for enamel tufts).

Enamel tufts do not normally lead to enamel failure, due to these defects stabilizing potential fractures.

Enamel tufts are particularly common on low-crowned, blunt-cusped molars used in crushing; these are called "bunodonts".

Enamel spindles are often confused with two other entities: enamel lamellae and enamel tufts.

Biomechanically, enamel tufts are "closed cracks" or defects which, in their manner of propagating, act to prevent enamel fractures.

While a common feature of animal dentition, enamel tufts are particularly found in animals that crush hard materials with their teeth such as nuts and mollusc shells.

Enamel spindles are also linear defects, similar to lamellae, but they too can be found only at the dentinoenamel junction, similar to enamel tufts.

Enamel tufts are "small, branching defects that are found only at the DEJ, protruding into the enamel towards the enamel surface.

This resistance is due in part to the microstructure of enamel which contains processes, enamel tufts, that stabilize the growth of such fractures at the dentinoenamel junction.

Enamel tufts are small, branching defects that are found only at the DEJ, and so differ from lamellae which can be facing either direction and are strictly linear.

Enamel tufts are hypomineralized ribbon-like structures that run longitudinally to the tooth axis and extend from the dentinoenamel junction (DEJ) one fifth to a third into the enamel.

Enamel tufts are most common in the enamel of molars of animals that crush hard food objects, such as nuts (crushed by apes) and shellfish (crushed by sea otters).

It appears that, although enamel easily starts to form the fracture defects of enamel tufts, they then enable enamel to resist the further progress of these fractures, ultimately preventing mechanical failure.