The Anatomy of Your Teeth

The Anatomy of Your Teeth

Have you ever wondered about your teeth? How they work and why they look the way they do? Your teeth are an important part of your body. They aid in the digestive process and they make it possible to speak clearly. But how much do you really know about your teeth? Let’s learn more about the anatomy of our teeth.

Types of teeth

32 Teeth. This is how many teeth an adult typically has, including their wisdom teeth. Of these 32 teeth, in order from front to back, 8 are incisors, 4 are canines, 8 are premolars, and 12 are molars.

Incisors: Incisors are the teeth that are in the front of your mouth. The tips of these teeth are flat. They help you cut up food.

Canines: These are the pointy teeth. These are good for tearing and holding food.

Premolars: Premolars have 2 bumps. They are great for tearing food and crushing it.

Molars: Molars are the teeth in the back. These have multiple bumps at the tips and are used for grinding and chewing your food.

Parts of a tooth

There are three main parts of a tooth: the crown, the neck, and the root. Each of these parts has even more small pieces that make them up.

Crown: The crown is the part of the tooth that sticks out of the gums and can be seen. The crown has three parts: the anatomical crown, enamel, and dentin. The anatomical crown is the part of the tooth that you see and is covered by the enamel. The enamel is considered part of the anatomical crown and is the hardest part of the tooth. It protects the crown from bacteria. Dentin is the material that protects your teeth from extreme temperatures. It is in the crown, neck, and root.

Neck: The neck is the part of the tooth that is in between the crown and root. The parts of the neck are the gums, pulp, and pulp cavity. The gums are soft tissue that surrounds your teeth, connecting to the neck. The pulp is in the center of the tooth. It is soft tissue that holds nerves and blood vessels. The pulp cavity is where the pulp is stored.

Root: The root is the base of the tooth that holds the teeth in your gums and keeps your teeth connected to your tooth sockets. The root is made up of the root canal, cementum, periodontal ligament, nerves, blood vessels, and the jawbone. The root canal is where the pulp cavity extends into the root. Cementum is the hard tissue that covers the root. Connected to the cementum is the periodontal ligament. The periodontal ligament connects the tooth to the tooth socket. It also contains nerves and blood vessels.

Nerves help you process information that your body is sending you. In your teeth this might mean helping you feel pain to control how hard you chew. Blood vessels deliver nutrients to your teeth. The roots of your teeth are surrounded by the tooth sockets that are found in your jawbone.

Understanding the anatomy of your teeth can help you the next time you visit the dentist. You can use this information to explain things you have noticed in your own mouth to your dentist. This information will also help you understand what the dentist has to say about your teeth.