Today we will tell you in detail about how many people have teeth, and also tell about their structure, functions, types, etc.
General information
Teeth are bone formations located in the oral cavity of a person. They are located in the form of 2 arcs (one above the other). If a person closes the lower and upper jaws together, then the teeth will close, separating the vestibule of the mouth from its own cavity. In this situation, a bite is formed in people, which is studied by such a science as orthodontics.
Healthy teeth are a pretty good indicator of how the whole body works. However, most people want to not only boast of their excellent physical condition, but also a beautiful and snow-white smile. And what to do, we will consider at the very end.
Shapes and main types of teeth
Before telling you how many people have teeth, you should find out exactly how they differ in their shape and purpose. After all, each individual tooth performs exclusively its functions, namely, the capture of food, holding it in the mouth and chewing. It is also worth noting that they are directly involved in the correct pronunciation of sounds.
Incisors
These teeth are located in the very front of the dentition (4 on the top and the same bottom). They owe their name to the fact that they have a sharp cutting edge, with the help of which a person can easily bite off any products, including quite tough ones.
Fangs
On both sides of the incisors, people have cone-shaped teeth or the so-called “fangs” (2 on the top and the same number on the bottom). They are designed to tear small pieces from the whole product. It should be noted that in humans these types of teeth are rather poorly developed than in predator animals. This is due to the fact that people do not eat such raw, coarse and fibrous foods, such as meat.
Small molars
In medical practice, these teeth are called premolar teeth. On their chewing surface there are two tubercles. As for the roots, there can be one or two. Small molars are necessary for a person to crush products, as well as for their further grinding. In addition, premolars can also be used to tear food.
Large molars
The presented teeth, located on both the lower and upper jaws, are called molars. Unlike previous bone formations, they are distinguished by larger sizes, and also have more than one root (the upper three, and the lower two). In addition, they have a chewing surface and special grooves, which are called fissures. Also, four or five tubercles are present in the upper part of the large molars. The main function of molars is to grind and grind food into pulp before it is swallowed directly.
So how many molars does a person have? The number of premolars in healthy people is four from above and the same from below. As for large molars, their number is similarly small.
Varieties of teeth
It should be noted that a person has two sets of teeth: temporary and permanent. In their functions and structure, they are quite similar to each other. However, temporary bone formations are much smaller in size and have a different shade (whitish-bluish). By the way, they are called "milk".
In the development of primary and permanent teeth, they play a rather important role. After all, such formations, even in childhood, retain the necessary space for future incisors, canines, premolars and molars, and also direct their further growth. It is worth noting that the number of milk teeth in humans is only 20 pieces. As a rule, they begin to erupt at about 3-6 months and completely go out by 2.5 or 3 years.
Having found out how many milk teeth a person has, one should go on to the description of constants. Usually they begin to appear by the age of 5-6 years and completely replace the temporary ones at 12-14 years. The first molars grow in free space behind the milk teeth. When the time comes, the roots of temporary teeth in children dissolve, and later fall out. As you know, such a process occurs in pairs and in a certain sequence.
Thus, the answer to the question of how many teeth a person has is changed, the number 20 may well serve. After all, exactly so many milk teeth fall out in young children, and in the future, permanent incisors, fangs, etc. grow in their place.
32 is the norm?
After asking your dentist the question of how many people have teeth, you can hear a very definite answer: 32. This figure consists of the following numbers:
- 8 incisors (4 of them located on the lower jaw and 4 on the upper);
- 4 fangs (2 at the top and the same number at the bottom);
- 8 premolars (4 at the bottom and 4 at the top);
- 12 molars (6 on the upper jaw and the same on the lower).
However, some people, having counted their teeth, quite often are indignant at the fact that they find 28 instead of 32. This is due to the fact that molars growing up to 14 years old make up only 2 pairs on the lower and upper jaw, respectively. In other words, the number of large molars in healthy people is exactly the same as the number of small molars (that is, 8 pcs.). "So where are the other 4?" - you ask. The fact is that the total number of teeth in a person is considered together with the so-called “wisdom” teeth. As a rule, such bone formations grow in people from 17 to 30 years old. Moreover, they may never appear at all, making the number 32 not so normal.
So how many human wisdom teeth? A simple mathematical calculation can answer your question:
32 (normal number of teeth) - 28 (permanent teeth growing by the age of 14) = 4 wisdom teeth, 2 of which are located above and the same number below.
As mentioned just above, such bone formations may never grow at all. This fact is due to the fact that during evolution, molars that are unnecessary for chewing are gradually reduced. According to statistics, only half of the world's population has a complete set of two arches on the lower and upper jaw.
Historical background and look into the future
If the question of how many teeth people had were asked in the distant past, then a completely different figure would have sounded, and not 32. After all, our ancestors of bone formations in the oral cavity had as many as 44, that is, exactly 12 teeth more. Over time, several pairs of teeth disappeared from each side of the upper and lower jaw .
According to experts, after a few hundred years, people may also have reduced second and third molars, as well as lateral incisors. This is due to the fact that modern people increasingly eat exclusively soft and porridge-like dishes, which do not need the aforementioned bone formations to chew. By the way, this can affect the fact that the jaw of people will gradually become smaller. Of course, such evolutionary changes can be changed. But in this case, an additional load should be given to the entire dental system. For this, a person needs to eat more animal or coarse plant foods.
Tooth structure
How many teeth does an adult have, we found out a little higher. But speaking of such bone formations, with the help of which people feed and supply their body with all the necessary substances every day, one cannot ignore their structure.
As you know, this element consists of three main components: crowns, necks and roots.
1. "Crown" is the visible part of the tooth, which is covered with enamel (the hardest substance in the human body), relatively resistant to destruction.
2. The neck is the part of the tooth immersed in the gum.
3. The root of any tooth is located directly in the jawbone.
It is also worth noting that the bulk of the presented bone formations is formed by the so-called "dentin", which is under the enamel. This substance is quite durable. However, in its resistance to damage and hardness, it is still inferior to the crown. As you know, dentin penetrate multiple channels containing the processes of cells, of which it actually consists.
As for the cavity of the tooth, it includes nerve endings, as well as blood vessels. It is they who deliver all the necessary nutrients to the living tissues of bone formations and remove their waste products.
Returning to the roots, it should be noted that they are completely covered with cement. This substance is quite similar to ordinary bone. It is to this part of the tooth that multiple fibers are attached, which hold it firmly in place (in the gum). However, some mobility of such bone formations is still there. Indeed, thanks to this, the probability that they will break during chewing solid food is significantly reduced.
Few people know, but inside all human teeth there is a cavity that stretches to the root in the form of a channel, and ends with a small hole in their tops. As you know, this hollow space is filled with the so-called "pulp". It is through it that the nerve endings and various vessels penetrate through the jaws.
How to care for your teeth?
If you want to keep all 32 teeth (or 28), then they should be carefully looked after. To do this, experts recommend cleaning them well in the evening and in the morning, and after each meal it is imperative to rinse your mouth. Following the rules of personal hygiene will allow you to keep all your teeth until old age. But if for some reason your teeth are sore, you should immediately contact your dentist. By the way, it is recommended to visit it at least twice a year. After all, the prevention of caries and other problems with bone formations is less painful and cheaper than a long and painful treatment.