Dentine is a hard substance, though not quite as hard as enamel. Dentine protects the inner part of the tooth, called the pulp. The pulp is where each tooth's blood supply and nerve endings are found. The blood supply is what keeps the teeth alive and healthy. The nerve endings send messages to the brain, such as whether you're eating something hot or cold, or if you have a decayed or damaged tooth.
The pulp goes all the way into the root of the tooth, which is hidden under your gum. Cementum covers the root of the tooth, and periodontal fibres connect the tooth to the jawbone.
Now, read about how to look after your teeth. Read the answers to the most common dental health problems. Page last reviewed: 31 August Next review due: 31 August Teeth facts and figures - Healthy body Secondary navigation Body Bones Food for healthy bones Keep bones healthy over 65 Are you at risk of falling?
Foot problems and the podiatrist Looking after your feet with diabetes How to stop smelly feet. Lower your cholesterol Keeping your kidneys healthy Top 10 healthy heart tips. The development of primary teeth begins while the baby is in the womb.
At about 5 weeks' gestation, the first buds of primary teeth appear in the baby's jaws. At birth, the baby has a full set of 20 primary teeth 10 in the upper jaw, 10 in the lower jaw hidden under the gums.
Primary teeth are also known as baby teeth, milk teeth or deciduous teeth. The names of the different types of teeth are:. In babies, tooth eruption is also called teething. The timing of tooth eruption differs from child to child.
For example, one child may cut their first tooth when only a few months old, while another may not start teething until they are 12 months old or more. The exact timing may be different from child to child but the order of tooth development is more consistent. Along with the tendency to put things in their mouths, this makes them more prone to illnesses. Symptoms of common childhood illnesses such as changes in sleep and eating patterns, fussiness, rash, drooling, runny nose and diarrhoea are often linked to teething when that might not be the cause.
Teething takes about 8 days, which includes 4 days before and 3 days after the tooth comes through the gum. You may see a blue-grey bubble on the gum where the tooth is about to appear. This is called an eruption cyst and will usually go away without treatment. During this time, it can be tough to keep children comfortable. Teething gels containing benzocaine are also not recommended for use in children.
Research also suggests that teething gels may not relieve teething pain, rather the act of massaging it into the gum is what helps. Some parents may feel that caring for baby primary teeth isn't as important as caring for adult permanent teeth, simply because baby teeth fall out. However, baby teeth are very important. They allow children to chew food and speak properly, and they reserve the spaces in the gums for future adult teeth.
Tooth decay is preventable. The risk of developing dental decay can be significantly reduced by good oral hygiene habits and a healthy diet from a young age. Decayed baby teeth need to be treated by a dental practitioner.
In some cases, specialist treatment in a hospital under a general anaesthetic is needed. If neglected, decayed baby teeth can lead to mouth pain, dental abscesses a boil or swelling resulting from infected teeth , and problems with the surrounding teeth.
Severe decay in baby teeth can affect eating and sleep, which can slow growth. If a baby molar is lost too early due to severe decay, adjacent baby teeth may drift into the gap and create spacing problems for the adult tooth when it comes through.
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 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.
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 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. 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. 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.
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