Your teeth are a vital resource, and as expert restorative dentists in Park Ridge, Dr. Maria and Dr. Thanasi Loukas have extensive experience restoring patients’ abilities to effectively chew their food after suffering tooth loss. While your smile’s beauty and function requires your entire set of teeth to remain intact (or to be replaced, if lost), each tooth serves a specific function in the process of preparing your food for digestion. To help you better know your teeth, we introduce you to the four different types of permanent human teeth and their roles in biting, chewing, and digesting your food.
Incisors
Your incisors are the eight teeth (four upper and four lower) at the front and center of your smile. Their shape makes incisors ideal for slicing and, accordingly, they take the first bite of your food. Your permanent incisors typically begin erupting between the ages of six and eight.
Canines
Your canines are the next teeth to develop after your incisors, and slightly resemble the teeth of the animal that shares their name. Canines are your sharpest four teeth and help to rip and tear your food to shreds. Your primary, or first, set of upper canines usually grows first, with their bottom pair growing in next. Your permanent canines, however, erupt on your lower dental ridge first, at around the age of nine. Your upper permanent canines grow in a couple of years later, at around age eleven.
Bicuspids (Premolars)
Often referred to as premolars, your bicuspids consist of eight teeth, four on either side of your mouth, and have a wide, cusped chewing surface, unlike incisors and canines. Premolars arrive between age 10 and 12, and are used for chewing and grinding the remains of your food in preparation for digestion.
Molars
Your permanent molars are also used for chewing, but are usually slightly larger and have a more level chewing surface. Wisdom teeth, which grow in last, are often referred to as third molars, though they’re often removed due to complications, or before such complications can occur. For most diets, your premolars and molars are enough to handle your food’s preparation, and the removal of wisdom teeth doesn’t normally affect your mouth’s proper function.
Learn More About Natural & Replacement Teeth from Your Park Ridge Restorative Dentists
To learn more about teeth and lifelike teeth replacements, schedule an appointment with your Park Ridge restorative dentists by calling Loukas General Dentistry at (847) 696-1919. Located in the 60068 area, we proudly serve patients from Park Ridge and the surrounding Chicago communities.
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