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TOOTH TERMS |
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Incisors - 4 front teeth in upper and lower jaw - sharp edges for cutting through food you bite ( for eg.handy when you eat an apple) |
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Canine - Teeth to the left and right of the front incisors. Help to pierce and tear food into pieces |
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Molar - Premolars and molars are teeth towards the back of your mouth. They grind food into smaller pieces and are the teeth that do most of the chewing. They are the hardest teeth to keep properly clean and need a lot of attention when you brush your teeth. Baby teeth have only two molars and the premolars are adult teeth which take the place of primary molars in between the adult canine and adult molars. |
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Wisdom teeth - Last to appear-very large molars at the back of each jaw. Usually erupt when you are 16-20 years old. |
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Enamel - The hard white outer surface of your teeth covering all of your tooth that is above your gum. When you look at your teeth it is the enamal that you see. You brush and floss your teeth to keep the enamel layer strong and healthy. Without the hard enamel covering you could not chew and grind food. |
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Dentin - The Center of your tooth is made of a yellow material called Dentin. Softer than enamel, this contains nerves and blood vessels that extend into each tooth. If a cavity breaks through your enamel and attacks your dentin, you can get very painful toothache!. |
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Roots - Each tooth has atleast one root which extends into the skull (upper teeth) or the jaw bone (lower teeth). They hold your teeth in place and supply the blood, vitamins and proteins that the inside of the your teeth needs to stay healthy. |
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Nerves - Extend into the centre of each tooth through its roots allowing you to feel hot and cold temperatures with your teeth. Its these nerves that cause pain when you have a toothache / cavity. |
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Plaque - Nearly colourless sticky layer that forms over and around your teeth. Made up of countless bacteria that live in the mouth. These are normal bacteria present in everyone's mouth but its overgrowth and the acid that they produce cause cavities. The goal of brushing and flossing is to remove as much plaque as possible form the tooth surfaces. |
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Tartar - If plague is not removed it can harden into stone like layer called tartar (calculus) and can result in cavities and gum problems. It cannot be brushed off and has to be removed by a dentist using a tool called scaler. |
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Cavity - Hole through enamel outer surface of a tooth caused by acid from plaque bacteria. After the cavity breaks through the enamel layer the acid can attack the softer inside of tooth and nerves. The inside of cavities is filled with special meterials. (silver amalgam and special composites , gold or even porcelain) to protect inside of the tooth and make it healthy and strong again |
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Sugar - Bacteria that live in plaques love to eat the sugar in candy, toffees, soft drinks and snack foods producing acid which damages tooth. |
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Good foods - The vitamins, minerals and proteins found in fruits, vegetables, diary products and grain make the tooth strong. When the teeth are forming within the gums the calcium, magnesium that you get from milk and other diary products are important. |
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Fluoride - Is the special mineral that strengthens tooth and makes it difficult for plaque bacteria to grow and thrive. Toothpaste containing fluoride are useful. |
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TOOTH CARE |
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| 1. Brushing | |||||
Brushing teeth loosens plague so that it can be rinsed out of mouth. Be sure to brush the area where teeth meets the gums. Brush all the way from the end of the tooth to the gum area. |
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| Brushing takes time. When you do it right. The inside and outside surface of each teeth needs attention. Short side to side strokes with your brush cleans teeth best. Don't press too hard just enough to flex the bristles. Use fluoride containing toothpastes as fluorides fights cavities. | |||||
2. Flossing |
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Flossing loosens the plague that builds up between teeth. Rub the floss up and down against the side of the tooth while holding the floss tight. |
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| Rub the Floss 3-4 times on each edge of your teeth!. Rinse mouth or brush tooth after flossing to remove loose plaque. Floss back of your tooth too - it is the hardest part to floss but that's where most cavities develop. | |||||
| Most cavities begin at the edges of tooth (not at tip or back) and hence the importance of flossing. | |||||
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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Dr.George Mathew, Cochin Dental Clinic,15 Press Building, Cochin - 18 Email georgie@vsnl.com |
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R. Kennon Boyden, D.D.S. Phone: 408.736.4323 Kimberly A. Loos, D.D.S. Fax: 408.736.9041 1565 Hollenbeck Avenue, Suite 114 E-Mail :dentist@smiledoc.com Sunnyvale, CA 94087 USA URL: http://www.smiledoc.com/dentist |
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