Tyrannosaur teeth decision

[dinosaur man]

Hi I have a question would a whole tooth be better then a whole bunch of pieces of a tooth? I found some Tyrannosaur teeth and there was a whole tooth for a more expensive price and there was a whole bunch of tooth pieces for a lot cheaper then the full tooth. Which would be better for research purposes? Thank you!!

[caldigger]

I think it would depend on how much is on those pieces that will give you diagnostic information you need for the research. Can you get proper width, slant curvature, serration shapes and counts on them, etc., etc.

[Praefectus]

Does the whole tooth have any repair or restoration? Restored teeth may not be useful for research purposes.

[dinosaur man]

15 minutes ago, caldigger said:

I think it would depend on how much is on those pieces that will give you diagnostic information you need for the research. Can you get proper width, slant curvature, serration shapes and counts on them, etc., etc.

 The whole tooth has everything, and half the teeth pieces have good diagnostic information, and the other half not so much.

8 minutes ago, Praefectus said:

Does the whole tooth have any repair or restoration? Restored teeth may not be useful for research purposes.

Both the whole tooth and pieces don’t have restoration.

[caldigger]

What type of research are you doing?

It's difficult to do comparative type research on a single subject.

[Praefectus]

Make the decision based on your personal preference. If they are both in decent condition, go with the one you like more. If you post pictures, we can comment on them further. Are you doing the research yourself?

[dinosaur man]

3 minutes ago, Praefectus said:

Make the decision based on your personal preference. If they are both in decent condition, go with the one you like more. If you post pictures, we can comment on them further. Are you doing the research yourself?

Here’s some photos, here’s the whole tooth.

[dinosaur man]

Here’s the fragments

[dinosaur man]

 

[dinosaur man]

5 minutes ago, Praefectus said:

Make the decision based on your personal preference. If they are both in decent condition, go with the one you like more. If you post pictures, we can comment on them further. Are you doing the research yourself?

 

8 minutes ago, caldigger said:

What type of research are you doing?

It's difficult to do comparative type research on a single subject.

Yes I’m doing the research, just a personal project.

[Praefectus]

I think the whole tooth looks better. 

[dinosaur man]

Just now, Praefectus said:

I think the whole tooth looks better. 

Thank you a lot!!

[Huntonia]

Agreed I'd go with the whole one for sure!

[connorp]

Looking at one of your posts, you quote Troodon as saying "The most critical part in using this process is knowing where the tooth sits in the jaw - Premaxillary, Mesial or Lateral." I wouldn't think such information could be gleaned from such fragmentary partial teeth, and thus they would have little to no value for your research.

[jpc]

If you are doing research on anything involving the insides of the teeth, the bits and pieces are much more valuable.  Things like crystal structure and/or enamel structure.  

[dinosaur man]

Thank you everyone!!

[Praefectus]

12 hours ago, jpc said:

If you are doing research on anything involving the insides of the teeth, the bits and pieces are much more valuable.  Things like crystal structure and/or enamel structure.  

He could break the whole tooth in half to research its insides 

[Huntonia]

Just now, Praefectus said:

He could break the whole tooth in half to research its insides 

[caldigger]

Also look at this angle. 

Once you are done with the research, what would you like to have for you collection the most, a nice looking whole tooth or a handful of almost unrecognizable shards?

I'm not sure what information you would be able to glean from the shards except how badly these teeth can break. 

[dinosaur man]

11 minutes ago, Praefectus said:

He could break the whole tooth in half to research its insides 

[Troodon]

Well like its been asked, all depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your personal research project.   How can we make a call without knowing the overall objective since both have merit if it fits you end goals.

[dinosaur man]

2 hours ago, Troodon said:

Well like its been asked, all depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your personal research project.   How can we make a call without knowing the overall objective since both have merit if it fits you end goals.

I’m trying to learn more about the animal it was once apart of.

[Troodon]

That's pretty general but would lean towards the complete tooth.  You can study the denticles and shape that allows it to cut into flesh and bone.

[dinosaur man]

2 minutes ago, Troodon said:

That's pretty general but would lean towards the complete tooth.  You can study the denticles and shape that allows it to cut into flesh and bone.

Thank you @Troodon!!