Tuesday, 16 August 2011

zoology - Why do animal teeth get darker if exposed?

I was wondering why the teeth of cats (And dogs, as far as I know, plus possibly some other animals or even humans) get darker if they are exposed to air / light?



Example:



Animal tooth



(See the lower end of the tooth, which sticks out if the mouth is closed. No, the cat was not resisting, just slightly annoyed.)



So, my question is:



  • Why does this happen?

  • Would it happen to human teeth, if they would stick out of the mouth like the ones of cats do?

My guess is that it has something to do with the teeth reacting to air and corroding, but all my knowledge about biology comes from two years of biology in school, so I'm asking here.

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