Learn About Your Mouth

The mouth is the entrance to the the digestive system and more particularly the pharynx. The roof of the mouth is called the palate and is covered by thin mucous membrane, and so too is the digestive tract located at the rear of the mouth. The palate is divided into two parts, the hard palate and the soft palate. The bony hard palate is situated at the front of the mouth and divides the mouth from the nasal passages above it. The soft palate is situated towards the rear of the mouth, close to the throat (or pharynx). If you closely in the mirror you will see the familiar dangling flesh, that is dangling from the roof of the soft palate. This dangling flesh is known as the uvula and is toward the back of the mouth. On either side of the uvula, more commonly known as the tonsils.

The tongue is actually a collection of muscles originating from the floor of the mouth. Responsible for the sensation of taste is millions of papillae (bumps) located on the top of the tongue. These are what is known as taste buds. They are grouped together in four areas and each area is stimulated by different taste sensations. These sensations are sweet, salty, sour and bitter. The mouth also has glands that secrete saliva. These three glands secrete a substance that begins to break down carbohydrates before they even leave the mouth through the digestive tract and into the stomach. This substance is know as amylase.

Another part of the mouth is the lips. The inside of the lips are connected to the upper and lower gums. The lips get their red or pinkish colour from the blood vessels. While the outside of the lips are covered with skin, the inside is, like the plated, covered in mucous membranes. The movement of the lips is made possible by the lip muscle called the orbicularis oris.

One of the most important parts of the mouth in terms of functionality is the teeth. There are a number of different types of teeth, all with a particular purpose. The types are incisors, canines, premolars, molars and wisdom teeth. Beginning at the front of the mouth are the incisors, with four on top and four on the bottom of the mouth, rooted to the gums. In fact, all teeth are rooted to the gums. The have very sharp edges and are somewhat squarish in shape. Next to the incisors are the canine teeth. Situated next to them are the premolars. There are two sets of them and are known as bicuspids, indicating the pairing. Next, behind the premolars are the molars themselves. There are three sets of molars in each jaw, for a total of twelve altogether. They are referrer to numericallybeginning from the front, so you have first, second and third molars; two sets in each jaw. The final set of molars are also referred to as wisdom teeth, and are often needed to be removed because there is simply not enough room for them develop naturally at the back of the gum.

Just what are teeth made of? Well, there are four types of tissue (sometimes very hard tissue) that teeth are made of: cementum, enamel, dentin and pulp. The pulp consists of two different parts. The pulp chamber resides in the crown which is the visible portion of the tooth. The root canal whichdescends into the gum surrounded by the hard casing of the root of the tooth, the lower part of the pulp is the innermost tissue that serves blood to the connective tissue, blood vessels and also contains nerves.

The pulp is surrounded by dentin and then enamel, which what we see when we look at our teeth in the mirror. Dentin is very hard and is made up of water, oddly enough, and salts. Dentin has a yellow tint to it which may benoticeable if enough enamel has worn away. The dentin is covered by enamel and forms the outer layer of the teeth. It's very hard and is what helps us chew hard substances. It also protects us from the affects of hot and coldsubstances , and keeps bacteria out. The part of the dentin and and enamel that extend down into the gums are covered with cementum, a bony layer that helps keep the tooth in place.

Janie Jonah Canadian Drug Store - PerfectDrugRx (c) 2006, PerfectDrugRx. All rights in all media reserved. Reprints must include byline, contact information and copyright.

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