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What are The Different Types of Teeth?
Our teeth are one of the strongest parts
of our body.
They are made from proteins
such as collagen,
and minerals such as calcium.
In addition to helping us chew through
even the toughest foods,
they also help us speak clearly.
Most adults have 32 teeth
called permanent or secondary teeth;
8 incisors,
4 canines, also called cuspids,
8 premolars, also called bicuspids,
12 molars,
including 4 wisdom teeth
whereas children have 20 teeth.
All eight of our incisor teeth
are located in the front part of our mouth.
We have four of them in our upper jaw
and four in our lower jaw.
They have sharp edges
that help us bite into food.
Whenever we sink our teeth into something,
such as an apple,
we use our incisor teeth.
The very first teeth we grow are incisors,
appearing when we are around 6 months old.
Canines are four teeth
which sit next to the incisors.
We have two canines on the top of our mouth
and two on the bottom.
Canines have a sharp, pointy surface
for tearing food.
Canines are also called cuspids.
Premolars are eight in number
and sit next to your canines.
There are four premolars on top
and four on the bottom.
Premolars are bigger than canines and incisors.
They have a flat surface with ridges
for crushing and grinding food
into smaller pieces
to make it easier to swallow.
Baby molar teeth are replaced
by adult premolars.
Infants and young children do not have premolars
because these teeth do not start to come in
until around age 10.
Molars are 12 in number
and are our biggest and strongest teeth.
We have six on the top
and six on the bottom.
The large surface area of your molars
helps them grind up food.
When you eat,
your tongue pushes food
to the back of your mouth.
Then,
your molars break up the food
into pieces small enough
for you to swallow.
The molars include four wisdom teeth,
which are the last set of teeth to come in.
Wisdom teeth are also called third molars.
They usually come in
between the ages of 17 and 25.
Not everyone has enough room in their mouth
for this last group of teeth.
Sometimes, the wisdom teeth are impacted,
meaning they are stuck under the gums.
This means
they do not have enough space to grow.
If you do not have room for your wisdom teeth,
you'll likely have to have them removed.
Can you recall,
which type of teeth
are the first ones we grow?