Teeth are tough structures found in the mouth that cut, knead and grind food.. no teeth, wow food it should be based on products with a pasty or liquid consistency, as we would not be able to reduce the size of what was ingested and, consequently, we would be more prone to suffocation.
We have two different dentitions during our life: temporary or milk and permanent. The temporary one is born when we complete about six months of age, being replaced between six and 12 years old by permanent teeth. A child has 20 temporary teeth, and an adult has 32 permanent teeth.
When we look at a person's mouth, we see only a portion of the tooth, the other part being inserted into the bone. The visible part of this structure is called the crown, and the part that is inside the bone is called source. The region of junction of the root and the crown is called the lap.
The crown differs from one tooth to another. While some have a sharper surface, others are flatter. This feature helps us to classify teeth into some types:
→ Incisors: They are the front teeth of our mouth. Their shape allows them to be used to cut food. When we are going to eat an apple, for example, we use this group of teeth first. In the mouth of an adult person, eight incisors are found: four upper and four lower.
→ Canines: They have a crown with sharp points, which are used to cut and tear food. This type of tooth is highly developed in carnivorous animals. Each adult person has four canines.
→ Premolars: They have two ends and help to crush the food. In the mouth of an adult person, there are eight premolars.
→ Molars: They have a crown with a surface that has several points and are responsible for crushing the food. The adult human being has 12 molars.
Look at the basic parts of a tooth
Despite the morphological differences of the teeth, they all have a basic structure in common, that is, enamel, dentin and pulp. The outermost layer of the tooth is called the enamel and works as a protective covering. This part, which is translucent, is considered the hardest substance in our body and is made up of calcium phosphate. After the nail polish, there is the dentine, a region rich in small tubules that connect this part with the innermost region called pulp. In the tooth pulp are the nerves and blood vessels.
When a person does not take care of the health of their teeth, the caries. This problem is triggered by the production of acids by bacteria that grow in the mouth. These acids destroy the enamel until they reach the dentin and pulp, where they cause a lot of pain.
Read too: Watch your teeth.
By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos
