Spinosaurus Tooth - Is it real?

[PaulUK1]

Hi all,

 

First time fossil buyer. Purchased what appears to be a Spinosaurus tooth. This is a birthday present for my little boy who’s dinosaur mad. Wondered if anybody could shed some light on if they think this is real or not. The website notes it’s from Morocco and advised proof of authenticity will accompany the tooth.

 

 

[Kane]

Topic moved to “Is it Real,” seller and price information removed.

[carch_23]

Hi, tooth looks pretty okay to me. Though enamel is pretty weathered and lacks that goldish, reddish brown colour. Unfortunately, I think its safe to say here that unlike diamonds with GIA certificates, fossils dont really have reliable organisations that grades/ authenticates them. And so when a fossil is offered a certificate, it usually is pretty much just a piece of paper from the seller which may or may not be accurate. So best would probably be to ask here where years of knowledge can help you out.

That's such a sick present for your boy by the way! 

[Runner64]

1 hour ago, carch_23 said:

Hi, tooth looks pretty okay to me. Though enamel is pretty weathered and lacks that goldish, reddish brown colour.

I think there’s just matrix covering it. If prepped, it could clean up nice.

[carch_23]

45 minutes ago, Runner64 said:

I think there’s just matrix covering it. If prepped, it could clean up nice.

Yea true. Not the best at deciphering moroccan material lol especially with matrix presence being either a "cover up" or the specimen requiring further prepping.

 

But yea, this tooth may actually just require a bit more prep work. 

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by carch_23

[PaulUK1]

Any ideas of if it’s been extended. Does the profile shot of the root give any indication of if it’s been extended or messed with?

 

How would I go about cleaning this without damaging the tooth or root (if it has one)

[PaulUK1]

The tooth arrived today.

 

just thought I’d share a few more photos. Unsure if the tooth has/had a split right down the middle or this was just the a natural ridge of the tooth that’s been wore away. 

[Troodon]

Not sure about this tooth and have concerns.  These areas show matrix that has been added which is a red flag.  Either to fill a void or to reattach a broken piece or composited.  The crack you show is also a concern and may reflect a broken tooth lengthwise covered by matrix but its difficult to say with these photos, try cleaning it.

 

Tooth is from the Kem Kem Group of Morocco 

 

 

 

[PaulUK1]

Anyone else care to give an opinion. Some people have issues some don’t. Whether it’s been damaged or repaired is one thing but now questioning is it actually a tooth?

[FB003]

I don't think anyone is questioning whether or not its a tooth.  Just the extent of what is natural vs potentially built up.  Hard to tell without cleaning it is all they are saying.  Just very honest opinions from people who have been collecting or working in this field for many years. Very helpful prior to buying any fossil to vet them here.

Edited December 14, 2021 by FB003

[PaulUK1]

What’s the best way to clean it. Worried it could get damaged. Are there people/companies who can do this professionally. I’m based in Manchester UK so would happily pay for an expert to give it a once over.

[FB003]

That, I do not know anything about unfortunately.  I'm sure someone will chime in. I think professional work can get pricey though but not sure.

[Kikokuryu]

6 hours ago, PaulUK1 said:

What’s the best way to clean it. Worried it could get damaged. Are there people/companies who can do this professionally. I’m based in Manchester UK so would happily pay for an expert to give it a once over.

If it's natural matrix (which it probably isn't), then you can slowly and carefully remove the matrix/sand off of the tooth with a dental pick. It won't damage the enamel portion of the tooth since the enamel is harder than the pick (otherwise your dentist would be grinding your teeth to dust). I use a little bit of 100% acetone you can get at any hardware store using a cotton swab to see where the sand is and to loosen the sand.

 

It probably depends on what was used, but for the Moroccan glue/sand concoction, you'd have to be more aggressive with the acetone + swab and slowly and carefully remove sections of the glue which will become a gross mucus-like globs of glue. You can kind of roll the glue around into a ball with some nitrile gloves. It's usually an absolute pain to get rid of if you are taking your time to rub away specific sections of the tooth to try and maintain that "complete" looking shape. Once you get the good parts (the enamel, parts of the root) exposed, just use the acetone to smooth out the glue, and give it a cleaning.

 

Personally, I dunk most of my Moroccan teeth fully in acetone until it all turns to goop. However, this tooth does not appear to be a good candidate of surviving a acetone bath intact. My gut feeling is that it's not going to look pretty if you do that. So I wouldn't recommend dunking it if you want to avoid potentially ruining the tooth or making it less aesthetically pleasing. Fully soaking Moroccan teeth can sometimes turn into a big mushy mess that you then have to extract the tooth, or potentially tooth pieces out and reattach them, or throw out stuff that clearly doesn't go together. As well as restabilize them, preferable with something that is reversible (Paraloid, Butvar, etc) in case a mistake is made. If there are big gaps, then the tooth will only be held together by slivers of tooth sections connecting each piece which isn't very durable or stable if you are handling it often.

[Troodon]

Not worth sending it out to be checked out/cleaned. Cost would be more than a new tooth.  I like using a xacto knife #2 blade/cotton swab with acetone and slowly work sections.   Where there is a concentration of matrix keep applying acetone till it's softens then softly scraping.  You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly. 

Have you considered just returning the tooth?  There are lots available on the market.