You may start out with only twenty teeth as a baby, but by the time you reach adulthood you'll have a set of thirty-two adult human teeth. Take good care of these adult human teeth because they are the last set of natural adult teeth you get. If you ruin this set, it's dentures for you my friend.

Let's learn more about adult human teeth.

This set of thirty-two adult human teeth are considered permanent, and are meant to last a lifetime. Each of these adult human teeth fall into one of three categories, each performing a specific function for your mouth.

1. The adult teeth in the front of your mouth are called
   "incisors". These adult teeth are used for biting into
   your food. Think of eating an apple, how your upper and
   lower front teeth dig in and break a piece away from the
   whole. That is the job incisors perform.

   Your upper and lower jaw each have four incisors, so that's
   eight out of thirty-two adult human teeth accounted for.

2. Next to your incisors are your "canines". These adult
   teeth get their name from their resemblance to a dog's
   fangs. Canines do the tearing of food for the mouth. Think
   about eating ribs and how your teeth tear the meat away
   from the bone. That's the job your canines do.

   Your upper and lower jaws each have two canines, one on
   either side of your sets of four incisors. Add these four
   and we've now accounted for twelve out of thirty-two
   adult human teeth.

3. Molars are our last group of adult teeth. They are divided 
   into two groups, bicuspids and molars. Bicuspids have
   two distinct points, while molars are large and flat.
  
   These adult human teeth do all the grinding for our mouth.
   Think about chewing nuts. These large flat adult teeth  
   grind our food and mix it with saliva to aid digestion.  

   Your upper and lower jaws each have four pre-molars and
   six molars. Add these twenty adult teeth, and we have now
   accounted for all thirty-two adult human teeth.

Each adult tooth has a shiny outer layer made of enamel, which covers the next layer known as the dentine. This layer makes up most of the adult human tooth and is mainly composed of calcium and phosphorus. The inner portion of the tooth contains the pulp, a soft material containing the nerve of the adult tooth. Finally, the roots anchor the adult human tooth into the jaw bone.

Your teeth are covered with a hard white material called enamel. The tooth is fixed into the bony jaw socket and held in place by cement. The tooth is kept alive by a supply of blood and nerves.

Now you know all about adult human teeth.

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