# Temp. to burn teeth **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2000, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303 "2000-03-28T17:54:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Steve-o](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@Steve-o](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve-o)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303/1 "2000-03-28T17:54:00Z")
Does anyone know at what minimum temperature teeth will burn? * * * Things are random only insofar as we don’t understand them. ---
**Author:** ![quadell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/b9bd4f/32.png) [@quadell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quadell)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303/2 "2000-03-29T06:06:00Z")
Worried about that amazing habañero hot sauce you picked up last week? ---
**Author:** ![Chrome\_Toaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Chrome\_Toaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chrome_Toaster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303/3 "2000-03-29T06:09:00Z")
Woah, are great minds thinking alike? I’ve been wondering about this for a few days, too… I hope someone can answer this. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303/4 "2000-03-29T06:19:00Z")
Human cremation requires a temperature of 1400 - 1800 degrees F. Even that temperature does not reduce all bone to ash. I cCan’t give you a more precise number than that. Come to think of it, if you need a more precise number, you’re probably up to no good anyway. * * * Sig! Sig a Sog! Sig it loud! Sig it Strog! – Karen Carpenter with a head cold ---
**Author:** ![Ursa\_Major](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303/5 "2000-03-28T19:16:00Z")
Teeth (and bones) are mostly calcium. The melting point of calcium in 1540 degrees F (838 degrees C). ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303/6 "2000-03-28T20:27:00Z")
That may well be the melting point of calcium. Our teeth and bones are, however, not, thankfully, made of calcium. It’s a rather reactive metal. The teeth, at least the enamel, is, IIRC, made from calcium phosphate, of which their are several types. I don’t know which is or are the main constituent(s) of enamel, but calcium _ortho_phosphate has a melting point of 1670 C. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303/8 "2017-01-24T06:41:18Z")
Zombie spam reported. ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303/9 "2017-01-24T10:57:43Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Zombie spam reported. Doesn’t strike me as spam, unless you think Barbara here is a shameless shill for Big Baking Soda. That website, although somewhat odd, doesn’t seem to be selling any particular product. Anyway, yes, baking soda does work as a toothpaste and it does whiten teeth. It’s abrasive and does a good job of scouring. I believe I’ve read somewhere that use over time of pure baking soda can erode the enamel and cause damage to teeth. Some commercially available toothpastes have baking soda in them as a whitening agent. I know nothing about the temperature at which teeth melt. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303/10 "2017-01-24T11:01:48Z")
16 years on I would add that you cannot burn human bones to ash. It’s actually not so easy to get rid of a body. Nowadays, after cremating the bones they place the fragments into a kind of blender which makes the ashes we know. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303/11 "2017-01-24T14:02:10Z")
Remember, teeth can survive a wood chipper. So plan ahead. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-to-burn-teeth/9303/12 "2017-01-24T15:00:09Z")
Bumped by a spammer. Closed.