What Are The Functions Of The Different Types Of Teeth?
Jul 11, 2021
Your teeth are often taken for granted. However, these oral components play a crucial role in the digestive process. A damaged or diseased set could lead to significant, potentially permanent systemic and oral health problems.
You might not realize that not all of your teeth are the same.
In actuality, a practice offering general dental care in Scottsdale AZ wants current and future patients to understand that there are four major categories including:
These components are located on each side of the mouth’s lower and upper incisors. The four total canines, which some dental professionals call cuspids, properly cut foods. Without them, you would experience difficulties breaking down food into digestible forms.
Additionally, the cuspids help keep your remaining pearly whites aligned. This action comes into play when the upper and lower jaw meet.
This grouping of dental features are situated at your mouth’s frontal region. There are eight incisors total, four on top and another four on the bottom. Unlike the sharper and more pointed canines, incisors are thin and straight and play several key functions.
First, said components perform the initial biting action you experience during food consumption. Moreover, incisors enable you to speak and pronounce words clearly. Finally, the dental features support your lips.
Also known to oral care providers as bicuspids, these choppers possess a flat-topped design and execute certain notable functions.
These eight components located below the canines in the mouth’s upper and lower regions, execute certain notable functions. Regarding digestion, said features chew the foods you eat. Another crucial action premolars perform is maintaining your face’s height.
Molars are a collection of 12 wide, flat dental units situated in the upper and lower jaw. A special grouping of molars are known as wisdom teeth. These features typically formulate during your late teens and are the four components comprising the rear of your upper and lower jaw.
Akin to their premolar cousins, said features chew food and support your face’s height. One interesting fact about molars is that the lower units possess two roots while the upper features are supported by three.
Furthermore, wisdom teeth carry the potential to cause significant oral health issues. Therefore, they are typically removed before such maladies arise or during their earliest stages.
In addition, there are two special categories of choppers that are not always seen in everyone. Such categories include:
Natal or fetal components sometimes develop in a growing fetus and might be present in a newborn’s lower gums. When visible, these units often fall out with ease because they are supported by weak roots and, in certain instances, no roots at all.
In light of this fact, oral care providers maintain that said features could pose certain dangers. Newborns have been known to swallow said items. Moreover, infants with these features could bite and injure their tongues or harm their nursing mothers.
Typically, adults possess 32 dental components. However, extra parts occasionally develop. Oral health professionals label these features supernumerary. The most common examples of such units is either an additional incisor or molar.
One commonality shared by all categories of teeth is the need to be properly maintained. Poor oral health has been linked to serious issues, such as nutritional deficiencies, infections, diminished individual aesthetics, and a host of systemic illnesses.
Fortunately, you might avoid such maladies by executing oral care maintenance tips like:
Naturally, achieving optimal dental well-being necessitates you to engage in basic established cleansing practices, such as brushing twice per day, flossing after meals and snacks, and augmenting brushing sessions using mouthwash.
Brushing Properly
Everyone brushes their teeth. However, far fewer individuals execute the most befitting brushing techniques. Oral health providers suggest this task is best performed using less forceful circular motions.
Consume Large Quantities Of Water
Dental care providers tout the benefits of water consumption.
Drinking this vital resource aids in the digestive process. Moreover, food particles, pathogens like bacteria, and perilous substances like tartar and plaque are more readily rinsed away when increased concentrations of water are ingested.
Smart Dietary Choices
Naturally, your dietary practices also play into your general oral health.
Dental professionals strongly recommend limiting your intake of notorious oral health-limiting chemicals like sugar. Moreover, heavily acidic foods could damage tooth enamel leaving you susceptible to cavities and possibly even tooth loss.
That said, many of these same experts maintain that your diet should contain plentiful amounts of calcium-rife foods like dairy products, in addition to produce. Crunchy fruits and vegetables strengthen your jaw and dental modules.
Obtain Routine Professional Care
Routine professional dental care proves crucial to keeping your mouth and associated components clean and healthy. Furthermore, seeing your family dentist at least twice per year plays a vital role in preventing and identifying problems before they cause significant concerns.
If you seek a family dentist in Scottsdale AZ, please contact us. We believe in providing the best care in a comfortable, state-of-the-art environment and can boast a long list of happy and consistent patients.