What’s Going on in There? Mouth and Teeth Anatomy
Mouth-Body Connection
It is important to know the anatomy and development of your mouth and teeth. This will help you to maintain good oral health, and will give you the foundation of understanding diseases occurring in the oral cavity. By understanding the normal mouth development, you'll be able to recognize any sign of abnormalities and will you help detect early warning signs of oral health problems. Not recognizing dental problems like a cavity or cracked tooth can cause pain, especially when nerves in the teeth become infected.
The formation of the mouth and teeth occurs within the first 6-8 weeks of fetal development. By the time the baby is born, tooth buds are already present in the jawbone which will help teeth to develop and take their place. As soon as the first baby tooth erupts, it is very important to monitor the start of your child's tooth development and maintain good oral hygiene across the lifespan for optimal oral health. It is a common misconception that tooth loss is a normal part of the aging process, but part of our mission at Energetic Smile is to allow our patients to maintain healthy teeth for life!
Enamel and Dentin…What Are the Different Parts of a Tooth?
The teeth are the hardest substances in the human body.
They are important part of chewing, eating and speaking process.
A normal adult mouth has 32 teeth excluding wisdom teeth. Parts of the teeth include:
Crown
– This is the top part of the tooth that you can normally see. The shape of the crown determines the tooth's function. For example, front teeth are sharp and chisel-shaped that helps in cutting and breaking down food, while molars have flat surfaces that are used for grinding. More on this later!
Root
– This is the part of the tooth that is embedded into the jawbone. The root makes up about two-thirds of the tooth which holds the tooth in place.
Enamel
– This is the hardest, most mineralized and white outer part of the tooth. Enamel is mostly made of calcium, phosphate, and hydroxyapatite. It is very strong, but can be damaged by decay if not cared properly.
Gumline
– This is where the tooth and the gums meet. It can be inhabited by plaque and tartar if not properly flossed and brushed. This plaque and tartar can cause gingivitis and other gum diseases.
Dentin
– This is the tissue layer of the tooth under the enamel. Its composition is similar to enamel, but it is not as strong. It contains millions of microscopic tubules that lead to the pulp. When the enamel is damaged by decay, hot and cold sensation can go through the tubules down to the pulp.
Pulp
– This is the soft living inner tissue found in the center of all teeth. It is it composed of nerve tissue and blood vessels. When a cavity is so large that it reaches the pulp, or if a piece of the tooth breaks off and the pulp is exposed, the pulp signals pain to the brain.
Cementum
– This is a layer of hard tissue which covers the roots of the teeth. It is not as strong as enamel, but it is stronger than dentin. If there is gum recession and the cementum is exposed, there can be some sensitivity to hot and cold.
Periodontal Ligaments
– These are small ligaments connecting the tooth to the jawbone.
Canine Clubhouse! …and other teeth groups
Every tooth is designed for a specific job.
Some are for biting into foods, some are for grinding the food into small enough pieces to swallow.
The groups of teeth are below:
Incisors
– These are the middle four teeth on the upper and lower jaws. They are sharp, and chisel-shaped teeth that are used for cutting food and breaking down food.
Canines
– These also known as cuspids. These are the the pointed teeth next to the incisors. These teeth are shaped like points (cusps) and are used for tearing food.
Premolars
– These also known as bicuspids. The premolars are the teeth in between the canines and molars. They each usually have two pointed cusps on their biting surface. This makes them best used for crushing and tearing food.
Molars
– These are relatively flatter teeth in the posterior of the mouth, best used for grinding food. They usually have four have cusps on the biting surface, but they can have many more!
Resources:
- Colgate.co.in (11/15/2010) What Are The Different Parts Of A Tooth? Retrieved from https://www.colgate.com/en-in/oral-health/basics/mouth-and-teeth-anatomy/tooth-anatomy (Accessed June 29, 2018)
- Dental One Associates of Maryland. Tooth Anatomy. Retrieved from https://www.dentalone-md.com/dental-anatomy-and-development-of-the-mouth/ (Accessed June 29, 2018)
- STANFORD CHILDREN'S HEALTH (2018) Anatomy and Development of the Mouth and Teeth. Retrieved fromhttp://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=anatomy-and-development-of-the-mouth-and-teeth-90-P01872 (Accessed June 29, 2018)
- Hoffman, M. MD. (2015) The Teeth (Human Anatomy): Diagram, Names, Number, and Conditions. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/picture-of-the-teeth#2 (Accessed June 29, 2018)