What are the parts of teeth?
Image: PHB Salud Bucal
One of the most important parts of the human body is, without a doubt, the teeth. The teeth help us to eat, drink and speak, and that is why it is important to know the different parts that make it possible to carry out all these actions. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to discover you what are the parts of the teeth so that you better know how our body is formed. We begin this lesson!
Before knowing the parts of the teeth, one must take into consideration what these organs are. Teeth are hard anatomical organs made up of mineralized tissues (calcium, magnesium and phosphorus).
In addition, they have 4 functions mainly, which are the chewing, phonetics, aesthetics and facial expression. For this we can see that it has more functions than we usually attribute to them.
We can differentiate two types of developments of teeth depending on age.
- The first is the temporary one, made up of 20 teeth, which appear after 6 months and their replacement can last up to 12 years. This first temporary stage is popularly known as the milk denture.
- The other type is the permanent, the one that appears after the temporary. It starts from the age of 6, changing the baby teeth for permanent ones little by little. There are 32 permanent teeth, to which 4 can be added, the so-called wisdom teeth, which can appear from the age of 16.
Image: Park Dental
exist 4 different types of teethEach of these groups have specific functions, all being different from each other and emerging at different stages of life each.
- The incisors There are 8 anterior teeth with a sharp chisel-shaped edge. There are 4 upper and 4 lower, the upper ones being larger than the lower ones. Its main function is to cut food.
- The canines They are 4 pointed teeth, they are similar to the fangs of other animals. Its position is next to the incisors, and its function is, like that of the tusks of animals, to tear food.
- The premolars They are 8, and they have two pointed cusps at their chewing base. Its function is to crush and tear, that is, to facilitate the grinding of food as much as possible.
- The last class of teeth are the molars. They are the most numerous, being up to 12 teeth. They are the largest teeth and their function is to grind food, and help the premolars when chewing.
In this section we are going to talk about the different parts of the teeth, analyzing them from the outside in.
- The first part is the crown. It is the most visible part of the piece, and the most representative when we talk about the teeth. The shape of the crown determines the function of the teeth, being different as we have seen in the previous section when talking about the types of teeth. It is the part that is always exposed.
- The second part is the enamel. It is the outer layer of the tooth, it is the most mineralized and hard tissue in the body, although it can deteriorate if it does not receive the necessary care for its maintenance. It is also insensitive to pain, since there are no nerve endings in it.
- Dentin is the next part. It is the layer of the tooth that is under the enamel. It is the part responsible for the color of the teeth. It is the one that connects the enamel with the dental pulp.
- The dental pulp It is a tissue found inside the tooth, located behind the dentin. Its function is to be a base, being the central part of the teeth. There are two kinds of this pulp, on the one hand the coronal and on the other the radicular.
- Then there is the dental cement. A strong bone-like tissue that covers the dentin. Behind it is the Root, which is the internal part, which is embedded in the gum bone. The root is what holds the tooth in place. and their number depends on the kind of tooth it is.
- Finally we can talk about periodontium, which supports the tooth and is also connected to the gum. They are tissues that surround the tooth and support it so that the tooth can continue to perform its functions. Its parts are: the periodontal ligament, the root cement and the alveolar bone.
Image: ABC Color
