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A seven part series exploring the fantastic world of science.
   S  u  p  p  o  r   t  e   d    b  y
 
Wisdom
These are the 4 molarsthat appear in your lateteens – early twenties.These teeth are not veryuseful and adults oftenhave them removed.
Milk Teeth
 As a child you have
20 milk teeth
. Your
first tooth
appears when you are between
6 – 7 months old
. By
3 years
of age youhave a
full set of milk teeth
. Between theages of
5 – 6 years
your milk teeth beginto fall out and are replaced by
adult teeth
.
 Adult Teeth
 Adults
have a total of
32 teeth
:
8 incisors,4 canines, 8 premolars and 12 molars
.You will have the majority of your
adult teeth
by the age of
14
. Your adult teeth grow inthe same place in your mouth as your milkteeth and are similar in appearance. The maindifference between adult and milk teeth isthat
adult teeth have roots
.
Find out about the different types of teeth in your mouth.
Incisors
 You have 8 incisors, 4 in thetop of your mouth and 4 in thebottom. Incisors are flat teethwith sharp ends, which areused to cut and chop foodinto bite-size pieces.
Canines
 You have 4 canines, 2 in thetop of your mouth and 2 inthe bottom. Canines are thesharpest teeth in your mouthand you use them to tear food.
Premolars
 You have 8 premolars, 4 in thetop and 4 in the bottom. Premolarsare strong, flat teeth with ridges. You use these teeth for crushingand grinding.
Molars
 You have 8 molars, 4 in thetop of your mouth and 4 inthe bottom. Your molars arewider and stronger than yourpremolars and they have moreridges. Your molars are usedto grind and chew your foodand help with the first stageof digestion.
Tongue
 After your teeth have chewed your food,your tongue helps you to swallow your food.
Did you know?Did you know?
Giraffes have 32 teeth
, just like humans.
Elephantsgo through 6 sets of teeth
in their lifetime, unlikehumans that just havetwo sets of teeth.
Have a go!
Learn more about your teeth bycompleting the
‘What’s in yourmouth?’
activity sheet.
Did you know?Did you know?
Sharks lose their teeth everyweek
. However these teethare replaced. This means thata shark can have over
20,000teeth
during its life.
 
Find out about the different parts that make up a tooth.
Teeth and Digestion
 Your teeth are involved in the first stage of digestion. Teethchop, grind and chew food that is then mixed with saliva.Saliva contains enzymes that begin to break down food.
Crown
The crown is the part ofthe tooth that you can seeabove the gum. The crownof the tooth is coveredin enamel.
Root
The root is the part of yourtooth that you cannot seebecause it is hidden underyour gum. The dentin andpulp stretches from thecrown of a tooth downto the root.
Dentin
Dentin is found underneaththe enamel and makesup the largest part of thetooth. It helps to protectthe soft tissue parts of thetooth, such as the pulp.
Pulp
The pulp of your tooth con-tains nerve endings andblood vessels, which keepthe tooth alive and healthy.
If your teeth hurt whenyou drink something hotor eat something reallycold, it is the
pulp
partof your tooth that feelsthe pain.
Enamel
is the hardest substance in thebody. It coats the outside of each toothand protects the inner parts of the tooth.
Did you know?Did you know?
Enamel
Did you know?Did you know?
Put your teeth and saliva to the testwith the cream cracker challenge.
How many cream crackers you caneat in one minute?
Have a go!
 You will produce
20,000 litres
of saliva in your lifetime. Thismeans that you produce 3times your bodyweight of sali-va every year!
Did you know?Did you know?
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