All About Your Choppers

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

07 Jul 2007 12:53 PM

What's your Tooth IQ? Let's see if you know the basics.

Every tooth has three parts: the crown, the neck, and the root. The crown is the visible part of the tooth -- what you see above the gum line. This is where the enamel is; enamel protects your crown. The neck is the part of the tooth between the crown and the root. The root is the part of the tooth that goes through the gums and down into the jawbone.

A child has twenty baby teeth, also known as temporary teeth, primary teeth, or deciduous teeth.

• Four first molars
• Four second molars
• Four cuspids (also known as eye teeth or canines)
• Four lateral incisors
• Four central incisors

The teeth are divided up symmetrically in the mouth -- two teeth of each type on the upper arch of the mouth and two on the lower arch.

The adult mouth has thirty-two permanent teeth. They're set up in fours, just like baby teeth -- there are just more of them.

Molars are for your serious chewing. Grinding, crushing, mashing, gnawing -- that's the molars' job. These are the teeth farthest back in the arch of the mouth.

• Four first molars (also known as your six year molars)
• Four second molars (also known as your twelve year molars)
• Four third molars (also known as wisdom teeth) -- not everyone gets to keep these if mouth space is limited.

Pre-molars (or bicuspids) also help out with the chewing. These are the teeth just in front of the molars.

• Four first bicuspids (first premolars)
• Four second bicuspids (second premolars)

Your four canine teeth (also known as cuspids or eye teeth) are used for tearing food. They're your "fangs" -- very easy to find in the mirror or with your tongue.

Biting and cutting is the job of your front teeth -- the incisors.

• Four central incisors
• Four lateral incisors

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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