FN and TM: aided in manuscript writing and editing. MS: collected and analyzed the data and created the figures. TI: designed the project and wrote the manuscript. The morphological variations of dentin make it a difficult substrate to manage in clinical dentistry. When the enamel on the teeth has worn down or has not properly developed, it will cause the teeth to become sensitive or see-through. Tooth fracture is a major problem in dentistry and a common cause of tooth loss. Symptoms of root fractures are dull pain, gingival swelling, and sinus tracts that lead to deep localized periodontal pockets and vertical bone defects. 1 Thus, transparent dentin is more fragile and susceptible to cracks, 2 which cause root fractures. Transparent dentin is brittle in comparison with healthy dentin it is also weaker. The dentin tubule lumens had become filled with mineral (yellow arrows), decreasing the amount of light that scattered off the lumens (Figure 1B). In this case, the transparent dentin was observed using a scanning electron microscope. However, it is difficult for practitioners to determine the presence of this anomaly without extracting the tooth. Dentin transparency is a commonly observed physiological process in aged teeth that starts at the apical end of the root and often extends into the coronal dentin (Figure 1A). The tooth tissue, particularly the optical properties of root dentin, changes as aging progresses. B, Scanning electron microscope image of the transparent dentinĪ 60-year-old patient underwent extraction of the mandibular second premolar because of tooth mobility and severe attachment loss due to periodontal disease. A, Section image of the whole tooth (mandibular second premolar).

Severe translucent teeth