Teeth

• 4 different types of teeth

  • Incisors
  • Premolars
  • Canines
  • Molars
• Function of teeth


  • To aid mechanical digestion
  • Bite, Rip, Chew in order to break it down into smaller peices
• Incisors


  • You have 8 incisors in your mouth
  • 4 the bottom and 4 at the top
  • Chisel shape with a flat cutting edge
  • Used to bite into food
• Canines


  • You have 4 canines in your mouth
  • Found next to the incisors
  • 2 at the bottom 2 at the top
  • Pointy shape
  • Pierce and rip food
  • Much smaller in humans than in carnivorous animals
• Premolars


  • 8 premolars
  • Found in the back of your mouth
  • 4 on top 4 on bottom
  • Flat
  • Used for crushing food
• Molars


  • Found at the very back of your mouth
  • 6 on top 6 on bottom
  • Used to grind food
  • Flat surface
  • Herbivores have large molars to grind up plant material
• What are the final 4 molars called?

  • Wisdom teeth
  • Don't grow until you're and adult (21) and in some people they don't grow at all
• How many teeth does an adult have?

  • 32 including wisdom teeth
• Tooth lay out

  • Crown - covered in a tough outer layer of enamel
  • Dentine - Softer than the enamel. What the tusks of elephants are made of
  • Pulp - Contains nerve tissue
  • Cement/root - What holds the tooth in place
• What does brushing remove?

  The build up of plaque
• What is plaque?

  • A coating of food and bacteria on the teeth
  • The bacteria uses the sugar you eat for respiration and makes acid as a waste product
  • The acid attacks the enamel and dentine leading to holes in the teeth (cavities)
• What are fillings and why are they important?

  • Replacements of damaged teeth or cavities
  • Amalgam or a coloured resin is used
  • Section is removed, the area is filled with the product
  • If the cavity continues to grow it can reach the pulp
  • This can cause severe tooth pain/complications because this is where the nerves lie