Types of Teeth and How They Function
November 15, 2024
Your teeth and the structure of your mouth play important roles in your ability to eat, speak, and stay healthy.
Your teeth and the structure of your mouth play important roles in your ability to eat, speak, and stay healthy.
Each type of tooth has a slightly different shape and performs a different job.
Most of us take our teeth for granted — until something goes wrong. Not only do our teeth help us chew and digest food, they also play an important role in speech, and impact our health overall. By brushing up on your dental health knowledge, you’ll be taking the first step toward giving your teeth the attention they deserve.
Teeth and the structure of mouth play important roles in ability to eat, talk, and stay healthy.
Each sort of tooth has a somewhat unique shape and plays out a different job.
Most of us take our teeth for granted — until the point that something turns out badly. Not exclusively do our teeth enable us to bite and digest food, they likewise play an important role in speech, and effect our health overall. By brushing up on your dental health information, you'll be taking the first step toward giving your teeth the attention they deserve.
How much do you know about your pearly whites?
Development of Teeth
People have two sets of teeth: primary (or child) teeth and permanent (adult) teeth, which create in stages. Even though the timing is different, the development of each of these sets of teeth is similar. Here are a few certainties about how the teeth develop:
- According to Shantanu Lal, doctor of dental surgery and associate professor of dental medicine at Columbia University Medical Centre in New York City, teeth tend to erupt in a symmetrical manner, meaning that the top molar on your left side should grow in at about the same time as the top molar on the right.
- "Tooth development begins long before your first tooth becomes visible. For example, a baby’s first tooth appears at around six months, but development of those teeth begins during the early second trimester of pregnancy," says Dr. Lal.
- The crown of a tooth forms first, while the roots continue to develop even after the tooth has erupted.
- The 20 primary teeth are in place between ages 2 ½ and 3 and remain until around age 6. Between ages 6 and 12, these primary teeth begin to fall out to make way for the permanent set of teeth.
- Adult teeth start to grow in between ages 6 and 12. Most adults have 32 permanent teeth.
- The crown of a tooth frames to begin with, while the roots keep on developing even after the tooth has erupted.
- The 20 primary teeth are set up between ages 2 ½ and 3 and stay until around age 6. Between ages 6 and 12, these primary teeth start to drop out to clear a path for the permanent set of teeth.
- Adult teeth begin to develop in the middle of ages 6 and 12. Most adults have 32 permanent teeth.
Parts of the Tooth
A tooth is divided into two essential parts: the crown, which is the visible, white piece of the tooth, and the root, which you can't see. The root extends below the gum line and helps anchor the tooth into the bone. Your teeth contain four sorts of tissue, and each does a different job. These include:
Enamel:
This is the visible substance that covers the tooth crown. Harder than bone, enamel protects the vital tissues inside the tooth. Enamel is comprised of hydroxyapatite, phosphorous, and calcium.
Dentin:
Underneath the enamel you discover dentin, which is calcified and appears to be like bone. Dentin isn't exactly as hard as enamel, so it's at more risk for decay would be the enamel wear away.
Cementum:
This tissue covers the tooth root and helps anchor it into the bone. It's softer than enamel and dentin; the most ideal approach to shield this soft tissue from decay is by taking great care of your gums. Cementum has a light-yellow shading and is typically secured by the gums and bone. However, with inadequate dental care, the gums may diseased and shrink, exposing the cementum to harmful plaque and bacteria.
Pulp:
Pulp is found at the inside and centre of your tooth and contains the veins, nerves, and other soft tissues that deliver nutrients and signals to your teeth.
Types of Teeth and What They Do
Teeth enable you to bite/chew your food, making it easier to digest. Each kind of tooth has a marginally unique shape and plays out different job. Types of teeth include:
Incisors:
Incisors are the eight teeth in the front of your mouth (four on top and four on bottom). These are the teeth that you use to take bites of your food. Incisors are normally the first teeth to erupt — at around a half year for your child teeth, and between ages 6 and 8 for your adult set.
Canines:
Your four canines (fangs) are the next type of teeth to develop. These are your sharpest teeth and are used for ripping and tearing food apart. Primary canines generally appear between 16 and 20 months, with the upper canines coming in just ahead of the lower canines. In permanent teeth, the order is reversed, with lower canines erupting around age 9 and the uppers arriving between ages 11 and 12.
Your four canines (fangs) are the next type of teeth to develop. These are your sharpest teeth and are utilized for ripping and tearing good apart. Primary canines generally appear between 16-20 months, with the upper canines coming in only in front of the lower canines. In permanent teeth, the order is revised, with lower canines erupting around age 9 and the uppers arriving between ages 11 and 12.
Premolars:
Premolars, or bicuspids, are utilized for biting/chewing and grinding food. Adults have four premolars on each side of their mouths — two on the upper and two on the lower jaw. There are no primary premolars; the primary premolars show up around age 10, with the second premolars arriving about a year later. These take the places of the first and second primary molars.
Molars:
Molars are additionally utilized for biting and grinding. Primary molars, otherwise called deciduous molars, show up in the middle of 12 and 28 months, and are replaced by the first and second premolars (four upper and four lower) described above.
The permanent molars (likewise four upper and four lower) don't supplant any primary teeth, but come in behind every one of them, additionally back in the jaw. The first permanent molars erupt at around age 6 (preceding the primary molars drop out), while the second molars come in the middle of ages 11 and 13.
Third molars:
The third molars are normally known as wisdom teeth. These are the last teeth to develop and don't naturally erupt until age 18-20. Some people never develop third molars at all. For those who do, these molars may cause crowding and need to be removed. If they don't fully erupt they are said to be impacted, and are usually removed.
Your mouth is very important, so don’t take your teeth or oral health for granted. "For good dental health, brush and floss your teeth habitually, don't smoke, eat a well and healthy diet, and see your dentist repeatedly for dental cleanings and check-ups," advises Lal. A healthy mouth makes for a healthy body — and a pretty smile.
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