Restoring Cretaceous Period Cretoxyrhina shark teeth

[Rockin' Ric]

One of my favorite fossilized shark teeth to find is the Cretoxyrhina of the Cretaceous Period. One of the frustrating things about hunting them is finding a huge blade with no root/base... and that happens at least 90% ot the time! Although I have found several whole teeth, it's moreso the blade or the base. Not sure what is going on in the creek system that deteriorates the roots so badly?? Anyhoo, I took two of the blades found without the base and tried to duplicate and restore the teeth with putty, sanding with a Dremel then applying a color match with an art marker to its splendor granted I'm still practicing and learning. 

 

[Coco]

In my opinion, the root of the right tooth is not broken, but it was a tooth in formation.

 

When a shark tooth is formed, at the back of the mouth (in the last rows of teeth, lingual side), the enamel is built first, then the inside, and finally the root.

 

If that’s really the case, I think it’s a bad idea to want to rebuild it. Here you made a whole tooth of a tooth that was just forming. My 2 cents.

 

Coco

Edited January 21 by Coco

[Xiphactinus]

On 1/21/2024 at 8:01 AM, Coco said:

In my opinion, the root of the right tooth is not broken, but it was a tooth in formation.

 

When a shark tooth is formed, at the back of the mouth (in the last rows of teeth, lingual side), the enamel is built first, then the inside, and finally the root.

 

If that’s really the case, I think it’s a bad idea to want to rebuild it. Here you made a whole tooth of a tooth that was just forming. My 2 cents.

 

Coco

I agree. That tooth on the right is one that is earlier in its formation. It never had a root. We find those commonly in Kansas. The broken one on the left was probably a victim of freeze/thaw (or cows) and that was a very good restoration.