Digestive System Teeth
Teeth - a smile, white and breath taken. This could be how someone would describe your teeth however, they are bones which are exposed to the outside of your body but inside a cavity which starts the digestive process. Sure they can also be a sign of health and attract a mate of the opposite sex but they are primarily for mastication in the GI tract. The teeth can be broken down into types and those types have various names. For example, cuspids are also called canine teeth and used to tear food. Bicuspids are sometimes called premolars, tricuspids are also called molars. Your bicuspids and tricuspids are used to grind and crush the food you put into your mouth. Once you swallow the food in is rolled up into a ball called a bolus.
Early in life say about two years of age the average child has approximately 20 teeth and as you grow into adulthood this expands into 32 teeth. The normal American adult will later on in life have the wisdom teeth removed because of irregular growth. The tooth has three basic parts the crown, neck and root. Teeth are covered with the hardest substance in the entire body which is enamel. There are two other substances which are almost as hard that makes up the tooth which are dentin and cementum.
The mouth is lined with saliva which is comprised of two different substances mucus and amylase. The salivary amylase is part of the digestive juices which are secreted into the mouth by salivary glands. Salivary amylase starts the digestive process by breaking down carbohydrates in the mouth before the bolus is enveloped down the esophagus. The esophagus connects the pharynx with the stomach and the pharynx is part of both the respiratory and digestive systems. The epiglottis the structure in between which separates the respiratory and digestive tract.
