This document discusses different aspects of teeth. It begins by describing a child losing their first baby tooth and explains that teeth have many parts like enamel, dentin, and pulp. It then discusses the different types of primary and permanent teeth, including incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. The document also explains how teeth are used for chewing as well as talking. It emphasizes the importance of proper dental hygiene like brushing and flossing teeth to keep them healthy.

1. Your Teeth
You bite into an apple and then try to start talking to your friend about yesterday's math homework.
Suddenly something feels funny — one of your baby teeth has fallen out! It's been loose forever, and
now there it is, right in your hand. And you have an empty space in your mouth big enough to poke a
drinking straw through.
Before you put that tooth under your pillow, did you know that there is much more to that tooth than
meets the eye? A single tooth has many different parts that make it work. And teeth play an
important role in your daily life. They not only let you eat stuff like apples, they also help you talk. So
let's talk teeth!
Tiny Teeth
Unlike your heart or brain, your teeth weren't ready to work from the day you were born. Although
babies have the beginnings of their first teeth even before they are born, teeth don't become visible
until babies are about 6 to 12 months old.
After that first tooth breaks through, more and more teeth begin to appear. Most kids have their first
set of teeth by the time they are 3 years old. These are called the primary teeth, baby teeth, or milk
teeth and there are 20 in all. When a child gets to age 5 or 6, these teeth start falling out, one by
one.
A primary tooth falls out because it is being pushed out of the way by the permanent tooth that is
behind it. Slowly, the permanent teeth grow in and take the place of the primary teeth. By about age
12 or 13, most kids have lost all of their baby teeth and have a full set of permanent teeth.
There are 32 permanent teeth in all — 12 more than the original set of baby teeth. Most people have
four teeth (called wisdom teeth) grow in at the back of the mouth when they're between 17 and 25
years old. These complete the adult set of 32 teeth.
Tooth Tour
Let's take a tour of your teeth. Look in the mirror at your own teeth or check out a friend's smile. The
part of the tooth you can see, which is not covered by the gum (your gums are the pink, fleshy part),
is called the crown. The crown of each tooth is covered with enamel (say: ih-NAM-ul), which is very

2. hard and often shiny. Enamel is a very tough substance and it acts as a tooth's personal bodyguard.
Enamel works as a barrier, protecting the inside parts of the tooth.
If you were able to peel away the enamel, you would
find dentin (say: DEN-tin). Dentin makes up the largest part of the tooth. Although it is not as tough
as enamel, it is also very hard.
Dentin protects the innermost part of the tooth, called the pulp. The pulp is where each tooth's nerve
endings and blood supply are found. When you eat hot soup, bite into a super-cold scoop of ice
cream, fall and hurt a tooth, or get a cavity, it's your pulp that hurts. The nerve endings inside the
pulp send messages to the brain about what's going on ("That ice cream is too cold!"). The pulp also
contains the tooth's blood vessels, which feed the tooth and keep it alive and healthy.
The pulp goes all the way down into the root of the tooth, which is under the gum.Cementum (say:
sih-MEN-tum) makes up the root of the tooth, which is anchored to the jawbone.
Tooth Types
You've probably noticed that you have different types of permanent teeth in your mouth. Each one
has its own function.
Your two front teeth and the teeth on either side of them are incisors (say: in-SY-zurs). There are
four on the top and four on bottom.

3. Incisors are shaped like tiny chisels, with flat ends that are
somewhat sharp. These teeth are used for cutting and chopping food. Think back to that apple you
ate: You used your incisors to crunch into the skin of the apple.
The pointy teeth beside your incisors are called canine (say: KAY-nine) teeth. There are four of
them, two on top and two on bottom. Because these teeth are pointy and also sharp, they help tear
food.
Next to your canine teeth are your premolars(say: PREE-mo-lurs), which are also called bicuspid
teeth. You have eight premolars in all, four on top and four on the bottom. You'll need to open a bit
wider to see these teeth, but when you do, you'll notice that their shape is completely different from
both incisors and canines. Premolars are bigger, stronger, and have ridges, which make them
perfect for crushing and grinding food.
If you open your mouth really wide, you'll see your molars (say: MO-lurs). You have eight of these,
four on the top and four on the bottom. Sometimes these are called your 6-year molars and your 12-
year molars because that is around the time when they come in.
Molars are the toughest of the bunch. They are even wider and stronger than premolars, and they
have more ridges. Molars work closely with your tongue to help you swallow food. How? The tongue
sweeps chewed-up food to the back of your mouth, where the molars grind it until it's mashed up
and ready to be swallowed.
As we mentioned earlier, the last teeth a person gets are wisdom teeth. These are also called third
molars. They are all the way in the back of the mouth, one in each corner.
Wisdom teeth may have to be removed because they can cause problems in a person's mouth.
Some people believe that wisdom teeth may have been used by people millions of years ago when

4. humans had larger jaws and ate food that needed a lot of chewing. It's believed that they're called
wisdom teeth because they come in later in life, when a young person is becoming older and wiser.
Tooth Talk
Your teeth are great for chewing, but you also need them to talk. Different teeth work with your
tongue and lips to help you form sounds. Try saying the word "tooth" slowly and notice how your
tongue first hits the inside of your incisors to produce the hard "t" sound and then goes in between
your upper and lower teeth to make the "th" sound.
And if you love to sing "la la la la la," you can thank those teeth every time you sing a song. Pay
attention to what happens to your teeth and tongue every time you make the "l" sound.
Treating Teeth Kindly
Brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste is your best bet when it comes to keeping your teeth in
tip-top shape. Try to brush after eating or at least twice a day. It's especially important to brush
before bedtime.
The best way to brush your teeth is in little circles — go around and around until you have covered
every surface of every tooth. Brush up and down, rather than side to side. You'll also want to clean
between your teeth with dental floss (a special string for cleaning your teeth) at least once a day.
That removes food and plaque (sticky stuff that can cause cavities or gum disease) that get stuck in
between your teeth. You can also brush your tongue to help keep your breath fresh! Your dentist
may suggest that you use an alcohol-free mouth rinse.
It's also important to visit your favorite tooth experts — your dentist and dental hygienist. During your
appointment, they'll look out for any problems and clean and polish your teeth. Sometimes the
dentist will take X-rays to get a better picture of what is going on in your mouth. You also might get
a fluoride treatment while you're there.
In between dentist visits, you can prevent problems by eating fewer sugary snacks and sugary
drinks, such as soda. Sugar can hurt your teeth and cause tooth decay, or cavities. But if you take
care of your teeth now, you'll be chewing like a champ for the rest of your life!