Our Dental Society

The human body is full of wonders, don’t you think? Even after 22 years, I still can’t get enough of it! Today we look at one of the hardest parts of the human body (it’s not what you think ). The teeth.

Why the Variety of Teeth?

Everyone’s smile is different, but so is everyone’s teeth. I’m not gonna talk about that variety. What puzzled me though when I was small, is why do we have so many different types of teeth? Is it really necessary?

As seen in the picture above, humans have 4 different kinds of teeth:

• Incisors
• Canines
• Premolars
• Molars

In fact, they serve different purposes and one kind of teeth can’t be replaced by the other. Let’s take a closer look at the four types of teeth:

Incisors

Incisors (a.k.a. anterior teeth) are the sharp teeth at the front of the mouth which help us bite into things (e.g., an apple). They are flat with a thin edge.
They serve the important purpose of biting things and also help us cut into food.
Both adults (secondary teeth) and children (primary teeth) have eight central incisors, four each on the upper and lower jaws.

Canines

Canines (a.k.a. cuspids) are sharp and pointed teeth that sit next to the incisors. They look like the fangs of a cat/dog. They are the longest of teeth and are used mostly for tearing food. As one would have mostly guessed, canines help us tear and eat meat.
Both children and adult have four canines, one in each half of the jaw (right next to the incisors). The lower canines tend to come slightly earlier compared to the upper ones.

Premolars

Premolars (or bicuspids) are generally bigger than incisors and canines. They have many ridges and help chew and grind up food. Adults have eight premolars, two in each half of the jaw (next to the canines). Children generally don’t have premolars and they grow later (when they are around 10-12) to become part of their permanent teeth.

Molars

Molars are also big teeth and just like premolars, they have ridges that help them chew and grind food. Molars, however, are stronger and a bit flatter (shallow ridges) than premolars. They are often used to chew harder stuff.
Adults have twelve permanent molars (six on bottom jaw and six on top) and children have eight primary molars. The permanent molars don’t replace primary molars (unlike incisors), but grow behind the primary molars. The last molars are called wisdom teeth (I’ll probably write up a post for it later on).

That brings the total number of teeth in a healthy adult to 32. That’s why they call it a bateesi here in India.