Can you name every type of tooth in your mouth? Do you know how many of each tooth you have or what your teeth do?
Generally, every mouth has four types of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Children typically have twenty primary teeth while adults usually have thirty-two. As you probably know, each type of tooth serves different functions. As you’ve probably guessed, each of your teeth serve a different function to help you eat efficiently. Your cuspids—which you may know as canines—grasp and tear food, while incisors cut foods. Similarly, premolars are used to tear and crush. Finally, molars are meant to chew and grind.
While this information could be useful, it’s important to know that if you don’t care for your smile well, you could damage your teeth. If you wear your teeth down or crack your smile, your teeth won’t function as well as they could, you could experience pain in your jaw, or be more prone to tooth decay.
Similarly, it can be important to understand a tooth’s structure. Consisting of three portions, the crown is the visible part of the tooth and the root is the portion that moves through your gums and into the bone. Between the two is a tooth’s neck. If the center of your crown is injured, you could have to deal with tooth discoloration or need root canal therapy.
If you would like to learn more about how you can care for your pearly white, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 703-241-0666. Dr. Ronald Hauptman, Bahar Rowhani, and our team look forward to meeting you.