The science and health care of human teeth

The mammalian teeth

Since am talking about human beings, I will call then human teeth. The teeth are bony structures located in the buccal cavity. Buccal cavity is the mouth cavity. I wish to invite you take a drive through the lesson about your teeth today!

The first teeth that form in the young children are called the milk teeth. The milk teeth are composed of the incisors and canine. They are weak teeth but are very helpful.

The milk teeth are replaced by the permanent teeth. The permanent teeth have four sets. The first are the Incisors, the second are the canines, the third are the premolars and the forth are the molars.

The incisors are chiseled shaped; because of this shape they are used for cutting/ biting food into smaller bits. Incisors occupy the front part of the mouth. The canines are pointed in shape; they are used to tear food and they are more developed in flesh eating animals. The premolars have a rough surface with cusps and ridges; grinding and chewing of food starts here. The molars also have cusps and ridges providing a large surface area for crushing/ chewing and grinding food into finer particles.

 Are the teeth living?

Though bony, the teeth are living; they grow using the food nutrients derived from the food we eat. They have living cells in them but they harden when minerals get deposited into them. The most important minerals that strengthen our teeth are calcium and phosphate ions.

The food requirements of our teeth are carried to them by blood capillaries and the wastes are also carried away.The teeth are fixed into the jaw bones by cement and held firm by a fleshy tissue called gum.

Color of our teeth:

Generally our teeth have a whitish color. However, this color has been lost in some people. Why? Because; 1) some of us have failed to brush them properly. 2) Type of foods eaten, 3) type of water consumed. 4) Practices like smoking darken them.

Importance of teeth:

Our teeth are very important to us. A) We use them to cut, bite, tear, chew, crush and grind food; when they do this, food is broken into fine particles that can be digested by enzymes. B) The teeth are useful in aiding speech; when you have teeth; you speak well than those who have lost them. C) Teeth add beauty to our good looking. D) The teeth maintain the shape of our cheeks; our cheeks fall in more so at old age when the muscle loosen up.

Teeth diseases:

Our teeth suffer different diseases such as Bleeding, dental curries and hardened plaque. Bleeding is commonly of the gum; it can bleed when pierced, damaged by brushing materials, or lack of vitamin C.

Plaque forms when we neglect teeth brushing or do not brush well. In the end, layers of food stick on the teeth. This changes teeth color also and damage our general outlook.

Dental curries; are the holes that form in our teeth. They are formed by the acids that are produced when bacteria decompose the food that remains in the teeth. The acids react with metal ions of calcium in enamel and dissolve them away. This creates holes in the teeth which widen slowly and deepen up to the inner part. When food gets there, there comes too much pain and formation of black stuffs in the teeth.

Care for your teeth

Since teeth are very important to us, we need to care about them. 1) Brushing them properly and regularly; brush after a meal but not before eating. 2) Visiting a dentist regularly to detect any problems and work on them so that you do not lose them. 3) Using teeth for right purposes (not to open bottle tops with our teeth). 4) Eat right foods which contain the minerals which strengthen your teeth; greens / roughage have the minerals. 5). Avoid consuming sugary foods such as sweets, biscuits etc because they are very much liked by the bacteria; in young children such foods have caused teeth decay.

Note: when you brush your teeth, be careful not to damage your gums. Do not be rushing but slowly. Remove all the food that settles in between the teeth gaps.The tongue should be brushed slowly to be clean. Let the smell of your mouth be acceptable by those around you. If you find a problem with your teeth, run to a dentist for advice. Problems are better solved before they grow bigger.