The anatomy of the tooth

Everything you need to know about tooth anatomy

Origin of the human tooth and its evolution

Teeth appeared around 450 million years ago in Gnathostomata, the ancestors of jawed vertebrates. At that time, teeth looked nothing like those we know today. They were arranged regularly throughout the body. Through evolution, these teeth gradually migrated inside the mouths of our distant ancestors. Then, the jaws and teeth gradually adapted to the diets of different species. Mammals thus benefited from lower and upper teeth . They diversified, forming the different types of teeth that humans have. A good understanding of dental anatomy is essential for good oral health. You can read our article on this subject here: oral health advice

Tooth anatomy: what are the types of teeth and their roles?

The most well-known role of teeth is to prepare for digestion. The incisors allow food to be cut and then shredded by the canines. The canine is a tooth found particularly in carnivores, and its size varies from one species to another. You will now understand the disproportionate size of vampire canines. Finally, chewing is carried out thanks to the molars.

Another important role of teeth is phonetics. Indeed, teeth allow for better pronunciation accompanied by the tongue and lips.

We wrote an article where we go over each part of the tooth in detail: enamel, pulp, and dentin. You can find this article right here: diagram of a tooth

Teeth have an aggressive and defensive use, in some animals they will form horns. In fact, horns are mostly incisors (in elephants) or canines (in wild boars).

Aesthetics is also an important role of teeth in humans. It's nice to see a beautiful smile. That's why it's important to take care of your teeth.

Tooth anatomy: development and number of teeth

We are all born without teeth . They begin to grow during the infant's growth, around 6 months. They generally fall out from the age of 6 to make way for permanent teeth. Baby teeth are 20 in number; 8 incisors, 4 canines and 8 molars.

We have written a very comprehensive article on the number of teeth and tooth number which you can find here: tooth number

There are several tooth numbering systems, the FDI system, the FDI system and the Palmer system. We will take stock of these different systems in a dedicated article that you can find right here: dental numbering system

To fully understand the anatomy of teeth and the mouth there are also two major concepts to understand, that of the dental dial which we have explained here: dental dial

And the concept of dental diagram which is a representation of the entire dentition that we have explained here: dental diagram

Permanent teeth often begin to appear with a first molar. Then come the incisors. Around the age of 12, the second molars come in, and from the age of 17, the third molars, or wisdom teeth , grow to form a beautiful set of 32 teeth . If you want to know more about wisdom teeth, we have an article that specifically addresses this topic: wisdom teeth

It's important to start taking care of your oral hygiene from childhood to prevent tartar and other infections. Consider Caliquo, which offers dental care throughout your life. We are a French manufacturer of eco-friendly toothbrushes with interchangeable heads.

If you were interested in this article on the anatomy of teeth, we invite you to consult:

Our article on dental hygiene: dental hygiene

Our article on dental care: dental care