Here we propose a mechanistic model of cytokine-signaling network in the odontoblast layer (ODL) of human teeth in response to dental caries and the role of IL1R1 and ligands IL-1β and IL-1α in carrying the converged inflammatory signals to amplify innate immune responses including the production of antimicrobial peptides to protect the tooth and contain the battle against carious bacteria within dentin. Here, IL1B is linked to dental caries.