What do Teeth do for Digestion?
The mouth is the start of the digestive system. Here, you accomplish the first step of the breaking up of food for digestion.
When you place food in your mouth, saliva is created in order to start the the breaking up of food. The muscular walls of the mouth and the tongue are used to move the food around so that it can be chewed well and, after that, shaped into a moist ball, which can be moved to the back of the mouth to be swallowed.
Teeth are a vital component of digestion. It is extremely beneficial to health to keep them healthy and whole. When food is not chewed well enough before being swallowed (because of misaligned, broken, missing or sensitive teeth), the outcome can be the food being only partially digested; in this way, nutrients can’t reach the body. If nutrients that are needed for healthy teeth and gums are not sufficiently digested, this may lead to more damage to one’s gums and teeth, starting a vicious cycle.
There is a way out, and that is to take care of one’s teeth. This starts with seeing a professional dental worker. A dentist is someone who is an expert on caring for teeth. He knows what jobs your teeth need to be able to do.
An adult’s permanent teeth consist of incisors, canines, premolars and molars, including the wisdom teeth, which may not emerge until 25 years of age, if at all. By the age of 25, an adult should have grown a total of 32 teeth.
Each type of tooth has a specific function in dealing with food, to reduce it to conveniently-sized pieces that can be easily swallowed and digested. The four sharp front teeth, both on the bottom and the top, are called incisors. Their job is to tear, cut and bite your food, like when they are used to bite into an apple. The name of the corner teeth is the canines. They tear and bite food. Premolars, the next two teeth in line, are larger but with sharp ridges. They are good at crushing your food. Molars are the teeth at the back of the mouth. They are big but less ridgy than premolars and are used to crush and grind food to pulp, fine enough to be easily swallowed and digested.
Leading a healthy life begins with taking care of one’s teeth.
This article was provided courtesy of Greenway Dental Group, Greenway MA
For more information on Teeth Help Digestion, visit Massachusetts Dentist.
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