Open wide and look in a mirror. Your teeth help you bite and chew your food each day.
Babies are born with 20 baby teeth that are hidden deep in the jaw.
You grow two sets of teeth in your life. Baby teeth come first. Then big teeth come in. Adults have 32 teeth.
Baby teeth fall out when you are a kid. The new teeth must last for all of your life.
People have four kinds of teeth. The sharp front teeth cut food when you bite. The back teeth grind and chew it.
Enamel is the hard coat on a tooth. It is the hardest part of the body.
Under the coat is dentin. It is made of living cells. It is the biggest part of a tooth.
In the middle is the soft pulp. It holds the nerves and blood vessels of the tooth.
Plaque is a sticky film of tiny germs that keeps forming on your teeth. When you eat sugar, the germs make acid. The acid attacks the hard coat.
A cavity is a little hole in a tooth. Sugary snacks and drinks are bad for your teeth, so it is smart to have fewer.
Brush two times a day. Use toothpaste with fluoride. Clean between your teeth each day.
Words to know
- enamel: hard tooth coat
- plaque: sticky film
- dentin: layer under enamel
- cavity: tooth hole
