Few structures in nature are more durable than teeth or seashells. The secret of these materials lies in their unique fine structure: They are composed of different layers in which numerous micro-platelets are joined together, aligned in identical orientation.
Now scientists have combined old and new technologies to construct artificial teeth that mimic the complex structure of natural teeth.
A natural tooth in a gypsum mold (left), a newly created artificial tooth (middle), and an artificial tooth that has been fired and polymerized (right). The latter is embedded in a "puck" to enable polishing. Tobias Niebel/ETH Zurich
