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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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Could you provide evidence that this is frequent or invariable? I can think of an explanation, but I'm unsure if this is common. – CHM Apr 3 '12 at 3:00
it probably wouldn't happen if they brushed their teeth more. Its hard to imagine human teeth are that different... :) – shigeta May 26 '12 at 6:21
Yeah. I think it has something to do with REDOX. – tech Nov 17 '12 at 11:09
As far as I know, oxygen and other oxidizing agents make the teeth whiter by bleaching it (Potassium permanganate and hydrogen peroxide solutions are used to bleach teeth). Anyways, your question isnt addressable as long as you dont support this with some more evidence. [More biological replicates!!! <Just like a sadistic reviewer> :P ] – WYSIWYG Apr 8 at 13:04

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