Tooth Pain is older than the tooth itself, the study revealed. Tooth pain could be traced back 465 million years in a fish’s armored skin.
A scientific study revealed that the feeling of a toothache is older than humanity itself. Our teeth have an insensitive outer shell, but the inner layer, dentine, is responsible for transmitting pain signals and feeling textures. These sensitive tissues may have originated as sensory structures on the external armor of ancient fish around 465 million years ago.
For a long time, it was believed that teeth were a result of evolution, primarily for feeding. However, this research challenges this perspective.
It was achieved by utilizing advanced imaging techniques like high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scanning on ancient fossil specimens. Scientists have been able to examine the microscopic internal structures of these early “tooth-like” formations. This has revealed striking similarities between the tubules found in the dentine of early fish and the sensory organs found on the shells of modern arthropods like crabs.
These early forms of dentine, filled with vascularized tubules connected to nerve systems, would have allowed these creatures to detect pressure, temperature, and potentially even pain. Therefore, the extreme sensitivity we experience in our teeth today might not be a mere byproduct of chewing.
This redefines our understanding of tooth evolution. What initially developed in the body armor was later repurposed and refined for the specialized function of oral teeth.