What Are Teeth Made Of?

 

If you are like me, you have often wondered how brushing your teeth twice a day does not wear them down. Teeth are very important and the one thing I remember from working in a nursing home as a teenager is all of the older folks telling me they wished they had taken better care of their teeth. Teeth are something that we use all the time, but we take them for granted, and this article will explain what teeth are actually made of.

Teeth are almost as hard as rocks, and they are compromised of two basic parts. The two parts of the tooth is the crown and the root or roots. The crown of the tooth is the "part that can be seen in the mouth," and the root or roots are the part that "anchor it in the jaw bone" (Leokum, 1986, p.100). These two basic parts are both important to be kept healthy in order to have strong teeth.

What exactly are teeth made of? I know fake teeth come in many mediums such as gold and porcelain, but real teeth are composed of a different material. They are mostly made up of "mineral salts, of which calcium and phosphorus are the most prominent" (Leokum, 1986, p.100). Different parts of the teeth are made up of different things. The "enamel" is what covers the crown (Leokum, 1986, p.100). It is a hard and shiny material and it is what we see when we look at the top of our teeth. The "cementum is a bonelike material that covers the root" (Leokum, 1986, p.100). this is important as well because without the root being covered you would be in a lot of pain and your teeth wouldn't stay in place. The "dentine" is a material similar to ivory that forms the majority of the tooth, and the "dental pulp" is the open space inside the tooth where the "tissue that contains nerves, arteries, and veins" lie (Leokum, 1986, p.100). The tooth may be small, but it is made up of many things.

There are four different types of teeth in your mouth, and this is why your teeth are all different sizes and shapes. These types are called the incisors, cuspids, bicuspids, and molars; and they all have different jobs. The incisors cut food, the cuspids "tear" food, the bicuspids "crush" food, and the molars "grind"( Leokum, 1986, p.100). All of these teeth play an important part of your chewing ability.

Teeth may seem small and insignificant, but they play a huge role in your everyday life. Take care of your teeth they are more interesting and complex than you may realize.

Reference:

Leokum, A. (1986). The Big book of tell me why. New York, NY: Grosset and Dunlap.