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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?

Mark Rogers
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CBredlow
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    Related: http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/14252/why-are-wolverines-teeth-not-adamantium-coated – Pants Jun 21 '16 at 21:20
  • 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 Hackers Jun 22 '16 at 11:37
  • 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. – kaay Jun 22 '16 at 12:15

1 Answers1

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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.

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Thaddeus Howze
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    I 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. – Pre101 Jun 22 '16 at 00:06
  • You're assuming Wolverine's regenerative powers are limited by normal regeneration, but I don't think it is. Getting Adamantium ripped off his skeleton and then regenerating from that is not within the normal bounds of anyone's regenerative abilities, so I think his regeneration can easily replace his teeth. Also having toxic metal covering his bones for years and staying alive is pretty impressive too. – Nelson Jun 22 '16 at 00:21
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    The 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. – Thaddeus Howze Jun 22 '16 at 00:55
  • Just because they say it cannot does not mean it is beyong physics itself. For all we know, his teeth sink into his gums once a month, repair themselves, and then reemerge. Or maybe his powers of regeneration go beyond simple biological methods and the enamel and whatnot is simply grown directly to the teeth in the same manner as say, a psychic metahuman throws something through the air. The enamel might just be moved onto the surface of the tooth or teleported, or in a worst case scenario of damage, the tooth falls out. – user64742 Jun 22 '16 at 03:05
  • @Pre101 Real people have remineralized their teeth. Although there's no study that proves this, there's plenty of believable anecdotes about it on various blogs and alternative health firms. – Justin Goldberg Jun 22 '16 at 06:37
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    @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. – Damon Jun 22 '16 at 12:23
  • @JustinGoldberg Yeah... The thing about alternative medicine anecdotes though... – Misha R Jun 22 '16 at 12:30
  • @Pre101 we also can't regenerate neurons, or eye tissue.... But Wolverine did both on occasions. Pretty sure his regen doesn't ressemble normal human regeneration – Patrice Jun 22 '16 at 12:43
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    Counterpoint, his skeleton is shown as having metal teeth in canon:http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/f/f7/Wolverine_Vol_3_48_Textless.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090602233423 – Murphy Jun 22 '16 at 15:04
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    @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. – apscience Jun 23 '16 at 04:25