Why do I have different types of teeth?
Teeth have different shapes so they can carry out different jobs. Incisor teeth at the front of the mouth are flat and shaped like chisels. You use them to cut your food. The canines are the pointed teeth just behind the incisors, and you use them to tear food. The back teeth, called molars and premolars, are flattened so they can grind the food into small pieces ready for swallowing.
What are teeth made of?
Teeth are made of a hard material that similar to bone .They are covered with shiny enamel to protect them from attack bacteria. Teeth are hollow, and contain blood vessels and nerves. They are rooted into jaw. Teeth start to grow before you are born, and begin to appear through the gums at about the age of six months. The adult begin to replace a child’s milk teeth at about six years of age.
How do I swallow food?
Swallowing is a complicated muscular process. Your tongue forces food to the back of your mouth and into the throat. At the same time the soft part of the roof of your mouth closes off the air passages to your nose, and a small flap called the epiglottis closes off the passage to your lungs so you do not inhale the food. You can actually swallow upside down because the food is carried along the digestive system by muscular waves. Astronauts are able to swallow when there is no gravity to help carry the food down their food pipe.
Pictures Credit: Google