Biology – All About THE TEETH

THE TEETH

Contents:

The Teeth

Structure of the Teeth

Daily care of the Tooth

Causes of Tooth decay

A. THE TEETH

A tooth is made up of many parts. A tooth is a small, calcified, whitish structure found in the jaws of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of the teeth are covered by gums. The outer part of the tooth is called “the Enamel” and it is dentine. A set of clean, strong and healthy teeth can make you look attractive. The teeth are useful for chewing most of the food we eat, there by aiding digestion. They function in mechanically breaking down items of food by cutting and crushing them in preparation for swallowing and digestion.

Dentin supports the enamel on your teeth. It’s a yellow bone-like material that’s softer than enamel and carries some of the nerve fibres that tell you when something is going wrong inside your tooth. The Pulp is the centre of the tooth. It’s a soft tissue that contains blood and lymph vessels, and nerves.

Human beings grow two sets of teeth namely:

1. The first set is the milk teeth during childhood, it can also be called Temporary Teeth. These are 24 in number.
2. The second set is called “The Permanent Teeth” and are usually 32 in number.

TYPES OF TEETH

The types of teeth can be sub-divide into four groups, namely:

1. The Incisors: These are in the center of the front of the jaw. The sharp, chisel-shaped front teeth (four upper, four lower). They are used for cutting off lumps of food.
   
2. The Canines: These are pointed and used for tearing food. They are sometimes called cuspids, these teeth are shaped like points (cusps) and are used for tearing and grasping food.
   
3. Pre-molars: These are next to canine. Each has one or more points for cutting. They usually have flat surfaces for grinding food.These teeth have two pointed cusps on their biting surface and are sometimes referred to as bicuspids. The premolars are for crushing and tearing food.
   
4. Molars: These are behind the pre-molars. They are similar to the pre-molars. They are only present in the permanent dentition. They are used for grinding and chewing food, these teeth have several cusps on the biting surface to help in this process.
   

B. STRUCTURE OF THE TOOTH

1. The Crown: The part of the tooth projecting above the gum. The crown is what you see when you smile or open your mouth. It’s the part that sits above your gumline.
   
2. The Root: The part buried in the jaw-bone. The root is below the gumline. It makes up about 2/3rds of the tooth’s total length.
   
3. The Neck: The space between the crown on the root
4. The Dentine: The tough center of the which surround and protect the pulp cavity. Dentin supports the enamel on your teeth. It’s a yellow bone-like material that’s softer than enamel and carries some of the nerve fibres that tell you when something is going wrong inside your tooth.
   
5. The Pulp cavity: Contains blood vessels and nerve. The Pulp is the centre of the tooth. It’s a soft tissue that contains blood and lymph vessels, and nerves. The pulp is how the tooth receives nourishment and transmits signals to your brain.
   
6. The Enamel: A very hard substance which covers the crown of the teeth. The enamel is the durable, white covering. Enamel protects the tooth from the wear and tear of chewing.
7. The Cementum – Cementum is what covers most of the root of the tooth. It helps to attach the tooth to the bones in your jaw. A cushioning layer called the Periodontal Ligament sits between the cementum and the jawbone. It helps to connect the two.
8. The Gumline – where the tooth and the gums meet. Without proper brushing and flossing, plaque and tartar can build up at the gumline, leading to gingivitis and gum disease.
   

 CHOICE AND USE OF TOOTH CLEANING MATERIALS

These include chewing sticks, tooth brush and tooth pastes

1. Choose only smooth and clean sticks
2. Wash the chewing stick thoroughly with clean water before use
3. Clean the teeth using up and down movement
4. Wash after use and store properly, preferably in a cell phone paper

C. DAILY CARE OF THE TOOTH

Small piece of food left in the mouth after meal can cause tooth problem. It is therefore important that you clean the teeth and mouth everyday and after meals. The following are important when taking care of our teeth/mouth.

1. Clean your teeth every morning and at bed time with either a clean chewing stick or tooth brush with paste
2. Rinse your mouth properly after each meal, especially after eating sweet foods
3. Do not pick your teeth with sharp instruments such as pins, brooms, needles e.t.c
4. Eat balanced diet for strong healthy teeth, some important foods are milk, fruit, fish, meat and other sources of calcium
5. Exercise your teeth by eating fairly hard foods like maize, carrots, coconut e.t.c

How to Clean Your Teeth and Gums

There is a right way to brush and floss your teeth. Every day:

• Gently brush your teeth on all sides with a soft-bristle brush and fluoride toothpaste.
• Use small circular motions and short back-and-forth strokes.
• Brush carefully and gently along your gum line.
• Lightly brush your tongue to help keep your mouth clean.
• Clean around your teeth with dental floss. Careful flossing removes plaque and leftover food that a toothbrush can’t reach.
• Brush the biting surfaces of your teeth.
• Rinse after you floss.

D. CAUSES OF TOOTH AND GUM INFECTIONS

1. Sugar, sweets and starchy foods can bring about tooth decay
2. Lack of care of the teeth
3. Putting dirty object or finger in the teeth
4. Habit of picking teeth with sharp pointed articles like pins e.t.c

E. PREVENTION OF TOOTH DECAY

1. Keep your tooth brush or stick clean
2. Do not use another person’s tooth brush or chewing stick
3. Clean the teeth regularly at least twice daily (morning and night) and properly with fluoride toothpaste.
   
4. Visit the dentist whenever you have a tooth problem e.t.c
5. Floss once daily in order to remove plaque from between your teeth and under your gumline, before it can harden into tartar
6. Eat a well-balanced diet.