By Sara Thompson
Image credit is David Shankbone, obtained from Wikimedia Commons.
Special to The Enterprise
Throughout their lives, humans will have two sets of teeth. Around six months old, the primary teeth, or “baby teeth”, begin to erupt through the gums. Throughout childhood, the primary teeth are lost, and permanent teeth take their place. Adults have between 28-32 teeth depending on if their third molars have been removed or not.
We have four types of teeth: the incisors, canines, premolars, and molars; and all have different purposes. The incisors are the front teeth and have a bladed shape. They are used for cutting food that enters the mouth. The canine teeth are pointed, and cone shaped, are used for tearing food. Your premolars have different shapes on the top and bottom of the mouth. The molars are rounded and flat, and both premolars and molars are used for crushing and grinding food.
The outside of our tooth is made up of a hard substance called enamel. Enamel is formed while the tooth is developing in our jaw, once it erupts into the mouth it is no longer connected to blood vessels, so it is unable to be repaired naturally. This is why it is so important to protect the enamel of your teeth. Under the enamel is the dentin tissue, which protects the interior dental pulp chamber, which is where the tooth tissues, nerves, and blood vessels are located. Under the gums, the root of the tooth is covered in a structure called cementum, which also protects the sensitive tissues inside the roots.
Our teeth are very specialized tooths to help us break down food before it enters the rest of our digestive system. Enamel cannot naturally be repaired and must be protected or medically repaired if damaged. Halloween has just passed and some of those treats can harm our teeth, but there are some steps we can take to keep our teeth safe. It is recommended to rinse your mouth with water and brush your teeth well after eating sugar treats, as sugar is one of the substances that can wear away enamel the quickest. Sticky candies also can get stuck between teeth and be harder to reach when brushing, so take extra care with flossing to get all of those little pieces. But it is good to brush your teeth multiple times a day and floss regularly at all times of year, not just after holidays.
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