All About Teeth

ARTICLE-A-DAY
All About Teeth

6 Articles
Check articles you have read:
A Healthy Smile
143 words
Missing a Tooth?
197 words
Smile! Show Off Those Pearly Whites

276 words
Chomp! Different Teeth Have Different Jobs

170 words
Is It Time For a New Toothbrush?

262 words
A Brush with History

203 words
© 2019 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Page 1 of 14
A Healthy Smile
A Healthy Smile
It is important to brush your teeth every day. Brushing helps keep your teeth
healthy. Keeping your teeth healthy is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
1. Brush Your Teeth

National Institute of Dental and
Brush your teeth twice a day. Brush all
Craniofacial Research
parts of your mouth and even your
Brush your teeth twice a day.
tongue. Brush with short, back-and-forth
motions. Don't forget to be gentle!
2. Floss Your Teeth

Floss your teeth once a day. Dental floss cleans between your teeth. Use it
to remove food you missed with a toothbrush.
3. Visit Your Dentist

Visit the dentist twice a year. Your dentist will check and clean your teeth,
take X-rays, and put fluoride on your teeth. Fluoride helps keep your teeth
strong.
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Page 2 of 14
A Healthy Smile
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Visit your dentist twice a year.
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Page 3 of 14
Missing a Tooth?
Missing a Tooth?
All About Teeth
Teeth help you eat, talk, and smile.
Anthony Smith/Shutterstock
Your tooth starts to wiggle. A few days later, it falls out! You have a space in your mouth where your tooth
once was. Don't worry, though-you are not alone! All kids lose their baby teeth to make room for their
adult teeth.
Baby Teeth
Your baby teeth probably grew in when you were about 6 to 10 months old. By age 3, most kids have a
total of 20 baby teeth. Those teeth are also called primary teeth. Primary means first.
Juan Silva/Getty Images
Baby teeth begin to fall out one at a time when kids are about 6 years old. Why? Adult teeth are growing
and pushing them out of the way.
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Page 4 of 14
Missing a Tooth?
Adult Teeth
Most kids have lost all their baby teeth by the time they are 12 or 13 years old. They now have adult teeth.
Those teeth are also called permanent teeth. Permanent means lasting.
Veer
When people are between 17 and 21 years old, four more teeth grow in. They are called wisdom teeth.
They are the last teeth in the back of the mouth. Adults have 32 teeth.
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Page 5 of 14

Like people, animals have different teeth with special jobs. Some animals
have sharp teeth, some have curved teeth, and some have round teeth.
Open wide, and look inside to learn about different ways teeth are helpful.
My, What Important Teeth You Have!

Teeth are important for many reasons. They help animals chew food. Many
animals need their teeth for survival.
A hippopotamus has 42 to 44 teeth. It likes to eat plants. A hippo has

round, flat back teeth to grind its food. When a hippo is angry, it opens its
mouth and shows its big teeth.
Photos.com
Gnawing on wood helps keep a beaver's teeth trimmed.
A beaver has about 20 teeth. It uses its four strong, curved front teeth for
gnawing trees and wood. It uses its back teeth for chewing food. A beaver's
front teeth never stop growing. Gnawing on wood helps keep its teeth
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Page 6 of 14
trimmed.
Some sharks have nearly 5,000 razor-sharp teeth. They lose thousands of
teeth during their lifetime and grow new sets of teeth every two weeks.
A lion has 30 teeth, which are not made for chewing. It has four large,
pointed teeth that are used to capture and hold its food. Once the lion
catches its food, it tears the meat and swallows it whole.
Photos.com
Teeth Tasks
Jeff Shake
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Page 7 of 14
You will have 32 teeth by the time you are an adult. There are four different
types of teeth. Each has a special job.
Brushing twice a day and flossing regularly will help keep your teeth healthy.
It is also important to visit a dentist twice a year. A dentist is a doctor who
cares for teeth.
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Page 8 of 14
Teeth help you eat food. They chew, crush, and cut food. You have three
kinds of teeth in your mouth: molars, incisors, and canines.
Molars are flat and wide. Incisors are sharp and long. Canines are pointed.
When you grow up, you will have 32 teeth in your mouth. Many animals
have teeth. Are their teeth like yours?
Cutting Teeth
Some animals eat just meat. They have teeth to cut apart their food. Those
teeth are incisors and canines. They are long and sharp. Do you have teeth
that are sharp?
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Page 9 of 14
Many Teeth
Some fish have many rows of teeth. If a shark loses a tooth, a new one
grows in its place. What happens when you lose a tooth?
Long Teeth
Some animals have teeth that never stop growing. In elephants, those teeth
are called tusks. Do your teeth ever stop growing?
Crushing Teeth
Some animals eat just plants. They have teeth to crush or grind their food.
Those teeth are molars. Do you have teeth like these teeth?
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Page 10 of 14
Your toothbrush may be too old.

Dentists say you should get a new
toothbrush every three months.
Find out why!
Brush, Brush, Brush

A new toothbrush can mean a healthier you.
Did you know that old toothbrushes can be harmful? Germs can build up on
old toothbrushes. If you have been sick, germs can hide in your toothbrush
and be passed back to you. Dentists say you should get a new toothbrush
every three months. They also say a new toothbrush will help you get your
teeth cleaner.
How Should You Brush?

Dentists say you should brush for two to three minutes at least two times a
day.
1. Put a pea-sized bit of toothpaste on your toothbrush. Place your brush

near your gum.
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Page 11 of 14
2. Gently move your brush in small circles over one tooth at a time.
3. Move your brush across the tops of your teeth. Be sure to get into the
grooves.
4. Brush your tongue lightly. Then rinse your mouth with water.
5. Floss your teeth. Slide the floss between teeth slowly. If you need
help, ask a grown-up.
Keep Your Toothbrush In Good Shape
John Klein
Is it time for a new toothbrush?
· After you use your toothbrush, rinse it well and shake out the water.
· Stand your toothbrush up so it can dry. Be sure it does not touch other
toothbrushes. Germs can pass from one toothbrush to another.
· Get a new toothbrush. Replace it at the beginning of winter, spring,
summer, and fall. Is it time for you to get a new toothbrush?
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Page 12 of 14

by Linda Ruggieri
You know it is important to brush your teeth with a toothbrush to keep them
healthy. But how did people clean their choppers before toothbrushes were
invented?
The first tooth cleaners were thin twigs called chew sticks. The sticks were
fuzzy at one end. A person rubbed the chew stick against his or her teeth to
keep them clean.
About two hundred years ago, William Addis invented something closer to
today's toothbrush. He collected thick animal hairs called bristles. He
attached the hairs to a handle made from animal bone. Addis found that lots
of customers wanted his invention.
People still wanted to improve the tooth cleaner, however. Animal hairs did
not feel great against human teeth! Finally, man-made bristles were created.
They were made out of nylon. Then plastic was used for handles. Now
toothbrushes could be made quickly and cheaply. Millions were sold.
ReadWorks.org · © 2014 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 13 of 14
About fifty years ago, the electric toothbrush was invented. It does a great
job of cleaning teeth. Today, we have toothbrushes with soft or hard bristles.
There are sizes for adults, children, and babies.
Tooth cleaners have come a long way since chew sticks. Who knows what
kind of tooth cleaner will be invented in the future?
ReadWorks.org · © 2014 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Page 14 of 14

All About Teeth - Grade 2

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ARTICLE-A-DAY

Check articles you have read:

Smile! Show Off Those Pearly Whites

Chomp! Different Teeth Have Different Jobs

Is It Time For a New Toothbrush?

A Brush with History

© 2019 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Brush Your Teeth

2. Floss Your Teeth

3. Visit Your Dentist

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Visit your dentist twice a year.

Teeth help you eat, talk, and smile.

Juan Silva/Getty Images

Smile! Show Off Those Pearly Whites

My, What Important Teeth You Have!

A hippopotamus has 42 to 44 teeth. It likes to eat plants. A hippo has

Gnawing on wood helps keep a beaver's teeth trimmed.

Chomp! Different Teeth Have Different Jobs

Is It Time For a New Toothbrush?

Your toothbrush may be too old.

Brush, Brush, Brush

How Should You Brush?

1. Put a pea-sized bit of toothpaste on your toothbrush. Place your brush

Keep Your Toothbrush In Good Shape

Is it time for a new toothbrush?

A Brush with History

ReadWorks.org · © 2014 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

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