Tusks are specialized teeth made mostly of a hard material called dentin, commonly known as ivory, with a small inner core of living tissue (pulp).

What tusks are made of

  • The main bulk of a tusk is dentin , a tough, bone‑like tissue.
  • In elephants and many other mammals, this dentin is what we usually call ivory.
  • The very inside contains a pulp cavity with nerves, blood vessels, and soft tissue that keep the tusk alive and growing.
  • The exposed outer surface may have a thin layer of enamel near the base in some species, but most of what you see is solid dentin.

Chemically, dentin/ivory is a composite of collagen (a structural protein) and mineral crystals of hydroxyapatite, plus small amounts of other minerals like calcium carbonate and magnesium phosphate.

Are tusks just big teeth?

Yes—tusks are essentially overgrown teeth that keep growing throughout the animal’s life.

  • In elephants, tusks are elongated upper incisor teeth.
  • In other mammals with tusks (like walruses or wild boar), they are also modified teeth, adapted for digging, fighting, display, or handling food.

So when you ask “what are tusks made of,” the short, everyday answer is: they’re made of ivory, which is mostly dentin—basically the same stuff as the hard part of your teeth, but in a giant, ever‑growing form.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.