Things That People Don’t Know About the Mouth And Teeth

Our mouths do amazing things. It’s hard to imagine life without one. Our mouths allow us to communicate, express our feelings, and (most importantly) eat. Our teeth chew the food we eat and the enzymes in saliva help break the food down so that our bodies can digest it more easily. The tongue moves the food around our mouth and works with our sense of smell to allow us to taste our food.

Here are some more amazing fact about the mouth and teeth:

Teeth are alive. They have their own nerves and blood supply. They develop, grow and form inside the jaw. They feel hot, cold, the tang of sweet things, and pain when they break.

The crown is the toughest part of your body. The tooth is composed of three parts: the pulp, the dentin, and the enamel. The pulp is very soft and contains blood vessels and nerves. The dentin is softer than the enamel and comprises most of the tooth. The crown is extremely hard and nonporous. The fact that it is made almost entirely of hydroxylapatite is what makes it stronger than bone, but also brittle. Hydroxylapatite is a carbonated calcium-deficient form of the mineral. Researchers are still trying to figure out why the specific properties of this mineral that makes it do its job so well.

By the age of three, children will have a total set of 20 teeth. These are called primary or “deciduous” teeth and are just temporary. The permanent or adult teeth actually start forming in the last months of pregnancy and will start pushing through the gum, displacing the baby teeth, around age 6. By age 16, teens usually have all 32 adult teeth in place.

There are other parts that comprise the mouth besides the teeth, tongue and gums. The uvula is the dangling part located at the back of the throat. It actually helps secretes mucus and saliva to lubricate the back of the throat, and is instrumental in speech and the ability to pronounce sounds in languages such as Arabic, French, and German. The two pillar-looking spongy structures on either side of the back of the throat at the tonsils, which are actually part of the lymphatic system. Adenoids are also a part of the lymphatic system and sit behind the nose and the palate. The tonsils and adenoids work together to prevent infection by preventing germs from entering via the mouth and nose. The palate is the roof of the mouth.

You have three pairs of salivary glands. These three pairs of salivary glands are responsible for producing saliva for your mouth. The function of the saliva is to lubricate and break down the food that we eat.

The tongue doesn’t get swallowed. Under your tongue, there’s a thin layer of tissue or membrane called the frenulum that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. The back portion of the tongue also is anchored to the floor of the mouth.

Other interesting facts about the teeth

1. Infants can be born with teeth. One in every 2000 infants is born with natal teeth. If babies are born with natal teeth, they should have their first dental appointment a few days after birth. Natal teeth usually have weak roots. These natal teeth are often removed by the dentist to avoid accidental swallowing and prevent breastfeeding problems. Some of the famous people born with natal teeth include Julius Caesar and Napoleon.

2. A certain tumor called Teratoma can grow teeth. The tumor is comprised of a number of tissues and they are often found in the testes, ovaries and close to the tailbone. This tumor can contain not only teeth but also hair, and rarely contain complex organs that include hands, feet, eyes, limbs and torso. Luckily, most of the time the Teratomas are benign and can be removed surgically.

3. A woman named Sharon Thornton regained her lost vision through having her tooth extracted. She suffered from Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Sharon was 60 years old in the year 2000 she elected to try a strange surgery. She decided to have her canine tooth, along with a portion of jawbone, extracted. The tooth and bone material were reshaped to the size of a cornea. The doctors eventually placed a lens on the cornea and placed a cheek graft over the eye surface to keep it moist. After one day, Sharon Thornton gained 20/70 vision which doctors believed would improve as she continued to heal.

Your emergency dentist, Orange, CA, Dr. Paul Athanasius is well aware of the unique functions of all the parts of your mouth. Call the office today for an appointment to ensure that they’re all healthy and effectively doing their job.