Pigs are omnivorous animals that eat a wide variety of foods. However, their diet generally consists of roots, fruits, vegetables, worms, insects, fish, eggs and even small vertebrates. But one thing pigs don’t eat is teeth.
In this comprehensive article, we’ll explore the reasons why pigs don’t eat teeth.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: Pigs don’t eat teeth because they can’t digest them properly. Teeth are made of enamel and dentin which are too hard for a pig to chew and break down.
Pigs are Omnivores With Specialized Diets
Pigs are opportunistic omnivores
Pigs are opportunistic omnivores, meaning they can consume both plant and animal matter. In the wild, pigs enjoy eating a varied diet consisting of grasses, roots, fruits, flowers, worms, insects, small vertebrates, carrion and garbage.
Domestic pigs retain this omnivorous flexibility and will eat just about anything edible offered to them. When living on a farm or as pets, the pig’s diet generally consists of specially formulated feed, vegetable scraps and the occasional meat product like eggs or table scraps.
Pigs have a simple stomach designed for plant-based diets
The pig has a simple monogastric digestive system suited to plant-based foods. They have a stomach with one main compartment designed to ferment high-fiber vegetation.
Many other omnivores and carnivores have more complex multi-chambered stomachs needed to digest meat. The pig’s digestive tract is therefore geared more towards properly breaking down fibrous plant matter rather than animal proteins.
Pigs lack the enzymes to digest teeth
Pigs can eat a wide variety of food thanks to having versatile omnivorous digestive enzymes. However, their enzyme profile does not allow them to properly break down harder animal products like bones, hooves, feathers or teeth.
Dental enamel is the hardest substance in the mammalian body. Pigs lack the specialized enzymes needed to adequately digest substances this tough. Therefore, while an opportunistic pig might give them a try, teeth would likely just pass undigested through their digestive tract.
The Anatomy and Composition of Teeth
Teeth are complex structures made up of different tissues that work together to help us chew and digest food. Let’s take a closer look at what teeth are made of:
Teeth consist of enamel, dentin and pulp
Teeth have three main parts – enamel, dentin and pulp. Enamel is the hard, white outer layer that covers and protects the tooth. Dentin is the yellowish layer under the enamel that makes up the bulk of the tooth. At the center of the tooth is the pulp, which contains nerves and blood vessels.
Enamel is the hardest substance in the body
Enamel is composed almost entirely of minerals like calcium and phosphate. This mineralized composition makes enamel the hardest substance in the human body. Enamel is so hard and durable that it can withstand a lifetime of wear and tear from chewing and biting.
The enamel protects the sensitive dentin and pulp underneath.
Here’s an amazing enamel fact – enamel is even harder than bones! The mineral hydroxyapatite makes up over 95% of enamel and gives it its renowned strength. Enamel doesn’t have any nerves or blood vessels either, so it can’t detect pain.
Dentin and pulp are difficult to digest
Under the enamel is dentin, a yellowish porous tissue that makes up the bulk of each tooth. Dentin contains less mineral content than enamel due to its organic matrix. This organic component contains collagen fibers that make dentin more flexible than super-hard enamel.
Dentin surrounds the soft pulp chamber at the center of the tooth.
The pulp contains nerves, lymphatic vessels, connective tissue, and blood vessels that nourish the tooth. Unlike enamel, the dentin and pulp contain living cells and are sensitive to stimuli like hot, cold, or pressure.
However, the dentin and pulp would be difficult for animals like pigs to digest due to their tough composition.
Mechanical Digestion of Teeth is Impossible for Pigs
Pigs lack molars for grinding up hard materials
Pigs are omnivores and can eat a wide variety of foods, but their digestive system is not well-suited for chewing and digesting hard materials like teeth. The pig has a total of 44 teeth, with incisors for cutting, canines for grabbing and tearing, and premolars and molars for grinding.
However, their molars are relatively small and blunt compared to herbivores like cows that regularly chew tough, fibrous plant matter. Pigs lack the broad flattened molars that would allow them to effectively crush up and pulverize hard items like bones or teeth.
The pig’s digestive system is designed for softer foods
In addition to their teeth, the pig gastrointestinal tract is adapted for digesting relatively soft, high calorie foods. Pigs have a simple stomach designed for storing large volumes of food and their small intestine is long and coiled to allow maximum breakdown of carbohydrates, fats and proteins from plant materials and small prey items.
Their digestive enzymes are not designed to break down the calcified enamel coating on teeth. The hard crystalline structure of teeth would likely pass through a pig’s digestive system largely intact.
Swallowing whole teeth can cause choking or intestinal blockages
While pigs may nibble or chew on teeth because of curiosity or boredom, attempting to actually eat and swallow a whole tooth would be dangerous. Pig farmers and pet owners are cautioned not to allow access to bones, rocks or other hard objects that could obstruct the esophagus when swallowed.
Teeth have smooth enamel coatings and lack sharp edges, but their large size and irregular shape can still pose a choking hazard or lead to life-threatening gastrointestinal obstructions. Cases of fatal intestinal impaction and perforation have been reported in pigs that have swallowed foreign objects.
Conclusion
In summary, pigs don’t eat teeth because their bodies lack the necessary adaptations to properly digest them. Teeth consist of enamel, dentin and pulp which are too hard and indigestible for a pig’s simple stomach and omnivorous digestive system.
Pigs also don’t have grinding molars required to mechanically break down something as hard as a tooth. While pigs can eat a wide variety of foods, teeth are simply too hard and offer no nutritional value to make them worthwhile for pigs to eat.
