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| A Look Inside Your Mouth |
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Before our first birthday, most of us have already begun using our teeth to cut, mash and process the food we eat. But what do you really know about the small white objects that give us the power to eat corn-on-the-cob, saltwater taffy, peanuts, steak and loads of other sticky, chewy, delicious food? Without them, we would be sentenced to a life of mashed potatoes and milk shakes. And while that’s not all bad, even ice cream gets boring after a while.
To understand why your teeth make it easy for you to process food, it’s important to know how teeth develop and what jobs they perform.
Our First Set of Teeth
Most infants cut their first teeth when they are around six months old. By the time they are three, they have 20 primary or baby teeth that will fall out during the course of the next decade. Baby teeth are important to the growth and development of the mouth because:
- they help children maintain good nutrition by ensuring food is chewed properly;
- they allow proper pronunciation and speech habits;
- they boost self-esteem because children feel good about the way they look; and
- they are a placeholder on the jaw for permanent teeth.
Before they start losing their primary teeth, the inside of a child’s mouth looks something like this --
Moving into Adulthood With a New Set of teeth.
Between the ages of six and eight, most children start to shed their primary teeth and permanent teeth start to grow in. By the time we are 21, most adults have a full set of 32 teeth. Barring any missing teeth, most adult mouths looks something like this --
Teeth play special roles when it comes to processing food. The eight incisors in the front of the mouth are specialized for biting and slicing food. The pointy cuspids tear food, and the molars and bicuspids mash, squash and grind food. Often times, wisdom teeth are removed because the size of the mouth causes them to come in crooked or to force other teeth to shift.
The Anatomy of a Tooth
A tooth is made up of two basic parts: the crown, which is above the gum line, and the root, which is below the gum line. The root makes up about two-thirds of each tooth.
A normal tooth consists of enamel, dentin, cementum and pulp. Enamel is the durable, white covering that protects teeth from the wear and tear of chewing. Dentin, a yellow bone-like material, supports the enamel and carries some of the nerve fibers. The pulp is in the center of the tooth and contains blood, lymph vessels and nerves. Cementum is a hard tissue that covers the tooth root.
Taking Care of Your Pearly Whites
Now that you know where they are located and what they’re made of, it’s important to take care of them. In addition to proper brushing and flossing and regular dental office exams and cleanings, you should visit an orthodontist or cosmetic dentist if you have questions about the position or appearance of your teeth.
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