KOMANG RIYA LAKSMI DE S! Ke"o#teran Gi$i !%&!!

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ANATOMY OF A MOUTH
Authored By: Tammy Davenport Reviewed By: Mahnaz Fatahzadeh, DMD The mouth (oral cavity) consists o several components, includin! the teeth, !in!iva (!ums), ton!ue, palate, chee"s, lips and loor o the mouth# $ith the e%ception o the teeth, the mouth is lined &y mucous mem&ranes#

The Teeth
The teeth are held within the 'aw &ones and serve several important unctions &eyond allowin! you to chew# (our teeth ena&le you to spea" properly and clearly, and contri&ute to your acial shape and appearance# )hildren usually have *+ deciduous (primary) teeth and &e!in to develop their irst permanent teeth &y a!e si%# Adults typically develop ,* permanent teeth# The area o the tooth closest to the ton!ue is re erred to as the lin!ual sur ace# For the ront teeth, the area closest to the lips is called the la&ial sur ace# For the &ac" teeth (molars and premolars), the area that aces the chee"s is called the &uccal sur ace, and the &itin! (chewin!) area is called the occlusal sur ace# There are di erent types o permanent teeth, each o which per orms a speci ic unction# Central Incisors: The central incisors are the ront teeth# Adults have our central incisorstwo on the upper and two on the lower arches# These teeth are sharp and shaped li"e a chisel or cuttin! ood# Lateral Incisors: The our lateral incisors are located ne%t to the central incisors on &oth arches, one on either side# These teeth have sharp incisal ed!es intended or tearin! ood# Canines: The canine teeth are the sharp teeth located on either side o the lateral incisors# )anine teeth (also "nown as cuspids) wor" to!ether with the incisors to tear and &ite ood#

)re*olars: The premolars (also "nown as &icuspids) are the ei!ht teeth located ne%t to the cuspids- two on each side o the mouth, our on the upper and our on the lower arches# These teeth are smaller than the molars and have two cusps on the &itin! area or tearin! and crushin! ood# The premolars closest to the incisors are called the irst premolars, while the ones closest to the molars are called the second premolars# Molars: Molars are the lar!e teeth with our cusps located in the &ac" o the mouth &ehind the premolars# Adults have twelve molars ( our &ein! wisdom teeth), with si% in the upper and si% in the lower arches- three on each side o the mouth# Molars have wide, lat sur aces or &itin!, chewin! and !rindin! ood# is"o* Teeth: $isdom teeth, which are included amon! the molars, are the inal our molars that most adults develop# These teeth are located in the very &ac" o the mouth, two in the upper and two in the lower arches# $isdom teeth typically erupt durin! the teen years &ut can develop at any time# .t also is not unusual or wisdom teeth to &e impacted (&elow the !umline) and not erupt at all# /ot all wisdom teeth re0uire e%traction# 1owever, due to the ris" o overcrowdin!, in ection or misali!nment, your dentist may determine that your wisdom teeth should &e removed#

The Gin$i+a
The !in!iva is the so t tissue in the mouth "nown as the !ums that covers the &one holdin! the teeth in place# The !in!iva surrounds the teeth and covers the 'aw &one, creatin! a protective &arrier#

The Ton$,e
The ton!ue is a muscular or!an in the mouth with several unctions# .t is attached to the &ottom o the mouth &y a mem&rane on its underside called the lin!ual renum# The top sur ace o the ton!ue contains papillae, the tiny nodules or &umps that include the taste &uds# 2ne o the unctions o the ton!ue is taste, &ut it also acilitates chewin!, di!estin!, swallowin! and spea"in!# The ton!ue is very le%i&le# $ith the help o the chee"s, it !uides

ood to &e chewed &y the teeth so it can &e properly swallowed and di!ested# The ton!ue also wor"s with the teeth to orm certain speech patterns, ma"in! speech possi&le#

The )alate
The palate, which re ers to the roo o the mouth, is divided into two parts: the hard palate and the so t palate# The hard palate is the solid, immova&le area o the roo o the mouth that attaches to the teeth and !ums, ormin! an arch# The so t palate, located &ehind the hard palate towards the &ac" o the throat, is the le%i&le area o the mouth where the !a! re le% occurs#

The Chee#s
The chee"s orm the sides o the mouth and continue alon! the ront o the ace to the lips# The chee"s are composed o su&cutaneous at, with the outside layer covered &y s"in and the inside consistin! o a mucous mem&rane# The chee" muscles (the &uccinators) are instrumental in smilin!, swallowin!, compression and "eepin! ood in the mouth or chewin! and di!estion#

The Li-s
The lips are the so t and plia&le leshy tissue that connects to the ront area o the chee"s# The outside o the lips is covered &y s"in# The !in!iva attaches to the part o the lips inside the mouth that is covered &y the mucous mem&rane# Blood vessels close to the sur ace o the s"in !ive lips 2 all the or!ans in the human &ody, the lips are amon! the most mo&ile# .n addition to acilitatin! speech, the lips help "eep ood &etween the teeth while also !uidin! it throu!h the mouth# 3ips also ena&le suc"lin! durin! in ancy# The lips are very sensitive and have numerous receptors on their sur ace to help determine temperature and te%ture o ood#

The Floor o. the Mo,th

The loor o the mouth consists lar!ely o the ton!ue# .t is ormed &y mucous mem&ranes that e%tend inward rom &oth sides o the lower 'aw&one and rom the ton!ue to the !umline, ormin! a crescent shape# $ithin the loor o the mouth are !lands, portions o the muscles o the ton!ue and nerves#