Your Teeth

Leoni looks at her teeth, because she lost a baby tooth this morning! Now, there's a space where her tooth used to be. Will it ever go away? To find out, open wide so we can take a look at "Your Teeth". This is a set of human teeth. When we open the mouth like this, we can see all the teeth at once. This is the upper jaw that forms the top of your mouth, and this is the lower jaw that forms the bottom of your mouth. "There are THREE types of teeth in your mouth: the biting incisors, the ripping canines, and the chewing molars." At the very front of your mouth, the teeth are very thin and somewhat sharp. Like scissors, the incisors come from above and below. You can feel them with your tongue. Like scissors, the incisors come from above and below, moving towards each other to help you take a bite. Next to your incisors are the CANINES. These are the ripping teeth. They are slightly longer and more pointed. Canines help you hold food and tear it. You can also feel them with your tongue. Farther back in your mouth are the MOLARS or chewing teeth. They are large and wide to grind any food as you chew. This makes the food small enough for you to swallow. Let your tongue run over your molars.

Every tooth has the same parts.

The root of the tooth is at the bottom. This holds the tooth in place. The tooth is surrounded by the gum. The part of the tooth that sticks out of the gum is called the neck of the tooth. The top of the tooth is called the crown. You can feel the narrower neck of the tooth and the wider crown with your tongue, especially on your molars. The bright, outer layer of your teeth is called the enamel. Enamel is very hard and protects the inside of the tooth. So why did Leoni's baby tooth fall out? Because her new, adult teeth are growing in her jawbone under the baby teeth. Eventually, the adult teeth grow big enough and move up, which pushes against the bottoms of the baby teeth over time. The more the adult teeth grow and push up, the more the baby teeth start to wiggle and eventually they fall out! How many of your baby teeth have already fallen out? Before you tell us in the comments below, let's remember! We have three types of teeth: the biting incisors, the ripping canines, and the chewing molars. All teeth have three parts: The bottom root, the middle neck and the top crown. Enamel covers your teeth creating a protective layer. Your baby teeth fall out and make way for your adult teeth that are pushing against them from below.

And what's Leoni doing? She's already found the tip of her new adult tooth peeking through!