COMPRESSION OF TEETH UNDER THE LOAD OF CHEWING

¹ Dept. of Dental Research, Faculty of Dentistry and Dept. of Physiology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, N. Y.

The teeth are measureably shortened under loads exerted in the normal act of chewing. This shortening under a given pressure takes place regardless of the compressibility of the underlying structures, and depends on what load is ultimately being transmitted through the tooth. Many physical, biochemical, and biologic effects are known to occur solely under the influence of pressure. As the tooth is compressible under the ordinary load of chewing, the fundamental enamel structure cannot remain unchanged by intermittent compression, i.e., molecular relocation and rotation must take place under the stress. The factor of pressure cannot be overlooked as influencing molecular orientation, diffusion processes, and maturation of the teeth.

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