What are the functions of our teeth?
- Chewing food
- Helping in speech
- Important in shaping up face structure and appearance
What are different parts of a tooth?
The visible portion of the tooth is called the crown of the tooth. The rest of the tooth -about two-thirds of the total length of each tooth- is the root. Hidden by the gums, the root anchors each tooth in the jaw-bone.
The Enamel is the hard outer covering of the tooth’s crown. The hardest tissue in the body, the enamel protects the inner portion of the tooth from being worn away by chewing. Directly beneath the enamel is the Dentin- a bonelike tissue that makes up the bulk of the tooth. Within the dentin, at the centre of the crown and root is the Pulp, a soft tissue that contains nerves, blood vessels, and lymph vessels.
Why are our teeth shaped differently?
Teeth have different shapes because they perform different functions when you are eating. When you chew, the cusps the teeth in one jaw fit into the depressions of the teeth in the opposing jaw to bite, tear, crush or grind food.
Situated next to each other from the centre to the side to the back-end of the jaw, there are different types of teeth like Incisors (to cut the food), Canines (to tear the food), Premolars (to crush and tear the food) and Molars (to grind the food).
What are primary teeth and permanent teeth?
Human beings get two sets of teeth in their life. The first set is of 20 teeth, which are called Primary Teeth, which erupt from the age of 6 months to 3 years. These teeth are shed periodically from the age of 6 to 21 years to be replaced by the second set of 32 Permanent Teeth.
What are the timelines for eruption of Primary Teeth and Permanent Teeth?
Following images and charts will show the timelines for primary and permanent teeth eruption.
