Where There Is No Dentist 2012 39
Why Do Some Teeth Look Different?
THE IDEA:
We need two different kinds of teeth to help us eat our food.
Front teeth. Another name for
them is incisors. Their sharp
edge cuts food into pieces.
Back teeth are called molars.
They chew and grind pieces
of food into bits small enough
to swallow.
The outside of a tooth is the hardest and strongest part of your body. When a
tooth is healthy, it can chew hard food, even bone. The shape of a tooth allows
us to swallow food when the small pieces can slide down its smooth sides.
Small bits of food
often get caught
inside deep lines, or
grooves, in a tooth.
Food that is not
cleaned away
from the grooves
can make a cavity
(hole) in them.
Look for them on the
top and the sides of
back teeth.
A tooth with a
cavity is weak and
often hurts.