How many teeth do people have? How many teeth does a person have? The number of baby teeth in a child

Today we will tell you in detail about how many people have teeth, and also tell us about their structure, functions, species, etc.

General information

Teeth are bone formations located in the mouth of a person. They are arranged in the form of 2 arcs (one above the other). If a person closes the lower and upper jaw together, the teeth will close, separating the vestibule of the mouth from its own cavity. In this situation, people develop an occlusion, which is studied by such a science as orthodontics.

Healthy teeth - this is a pretty good indicator of the entire body. However, most people want to not just boast of their excellent physical condition, but also a beautiful and snow-white smile. And what to do for this, we'll look at the very end.

Forms and main types of teeth

Before you tell us about how many people have teeth, you should find out exactly how they differ in their shape and purpose. After all, each tooth taken separately performs only its functions, namely the capture of food, holding it in the mouth and chewing. It is also worth noting that they are directly involved in the correct pronunciation of sounds.

Incisors

These teeth are located in the very front of the dentition (4 above and as much below). Their name is due to the fact that they have a sharp cutting edge, with which a person can easily bite off any products, including rather tough ones.

Fangs

On both sides of the incisors, people have cone-shaped teeth or so-called "fangs" (2 from above and as much from below). They are designed to tear off small pieces from the whole product. It should be noted that in humans these types of teeth are developed rather poorly than in predator animals. This is because people do not consume raw, rough and fibrous products, such as meat.

Small molars

In medical practice, such teeth are called premolars. On their chewing surface there are two tubercles. As for the roots, there may be one or two. Small molars are necessary for a person to crush foods, as well as for their further rubbing. In addition, premolars can be used for ripping food.

Large molars

Presented teeth, located on both the lower and upper jaws, are called molars. Unlike previous bone formations, they differ in larger sizes, and also have more than one root (upper three, and lower - two). In addition, they have a chewing surface and special grooves, which are called fissures. Also in the upper part of the large molars there are four or five tubercles. The main function of molars is grinding and chopping food into gruel before it is swallowed directly.

So how many molars does a person have? The number of premolars in healthy people is four above and the same from below. As for large molars, their number is similar to small ones.

Varieties of teeth

It should be noted that a person has two sets of teeth: temporary and permanent. In their functions and structure, they are quite similar to each other. However, the temporal bone formations are much smaller in size and have a different shade (whitish-bluish). By the way, they are usually called "dairy".

In the development of basic and permanent teeth, they play a very important role. After all, such formations still in childhood preserve the necessary space for future incisors, canines, premolars and molars, and also direct their further growth. It is worth noting that the number of milk teeth in a person is only 20 pieces. As a rule, they begin to erupt in about 3-6 months and completely go out to 2.5 or 3 years.

Having ascertained how many milk teeth a person has, one should go on to describe the permanent ones. Usually they begin to appear already by 5-6 years and completely replace temporary in 12-14 years. The first molars grow in the free space behind the dairy. When the time comes, the roots of temporary teeth in children dissolve, and later drop out. As you know, this process happens in pairs and in a certain sequence.

Thus, the answer to the question about how many teeth changes in a person is quite likely to be the figure 20. After all, so many baby teeth fall out in young children, and in the future instead of them permanent incisors, fangs, etc. grow.

32 is the norm?

Asking your dentist the question of how many people have teeth, you can hear a quite unambiguous answer: 32. This figure consists of the following numbers:

• 8 incisors (4 of them are located on the lower jaw and 4 - on the upper);
• 4 canines (2 above and as much below);
• 8 premolars (4 below and 4 above);
• 12 molars (6 on the upper jaw and the same on the lower jaw).

However, some people, after counting their teeth, quite often resent the fact that they find themselves in place of 28 instead of 32. This is due to the fact that molars growing to 14 years old make up only 2 pairs on the lower and upper jaw, respectively. In other words, the number of large molars in healthy people is exactly the same as small ones (that is, 8 pieces). "So where are the other 4?" - you ask. The fact is that the total number of teeth in a person is considered together with the so-called teeth of "wisdom." As a rule, such bone formations grow in people in the period from 17 to 30 years. Moreover, they can never appear at all, making the figure 32 not so normal.

So how many wisdom teeth does a person have? You can easily answer a question by a simple mathematical calculation:

32 (normal number of teeth) - 28 (permanent teeth, growing to 14 years) = 4 wisdom teeth, 2 of which are located at the top and the same number below.

As mentioned above, such bone formations can never grow. This fact is due to the fact that in the process of evolution the molars irrelevant for chewing are gradually reduced. According to statistics, only half of the population of our planet has a complete set of two arches on the lower and upper jaw.

Historical background and a look into the future

If the question of how many people have teeth, asked in the distant past, it would sound quite a different figure, rather than 32. After all, our ancestors of bone formations in the oral cavity had as many as 44, that is exactly 12 more teeth. Over time, several pairs of teeth disappeared from each side of the upper and lower jaw .

According to specialists, in a few hundred years, the second and third molars, as well as lateral incisors, may also be reduced in humans. This is due to the fact that modern people increasingly consume extremely soft and mushy meals, for chewing which do not need the above-mentioned bone formations. By the way, this can affect the fact that the jaw of people will gradually become smaller. Of course, such evolutionary changes can be changed. But in this case it is necessary to give additional load to the entire dental system. For this, man needs to eat more animal or rough vegetable food.

Structure of the tooth

How many teeth an adult has, we found out a little higher. But speaking of such bone formations, with which people eat and supply their body with all necessary substances every day, their structure can not be bypassed.

As you know, this element consists of three main components: crowns, neck and root.

1. "Crown" refers to the visible part of the tooth, which is covered with enamel (the most solid substance in the human body), relatively resistant to destruction.

2. The cervix is a part of the tooth immersed in the gum.

3. The root of any tooth is located directly in the jawbone.

It is also worth noting that the bulk of the presented bone formations forms the so-called "dentin", which is under the enamel. This substance is quite strong. However, in its resistance to destruction and hardness, it still yields to the crown. As is known, dentin permeate multiple channels containing the processes of the cells, of which, in fact, it consists.

As for the cavity of the tooth, it includes nerve endings, as well as blood vessels. It is they who deliver all the necessary nutrients to the living tissues of bone formations and remove their vital products.

Returning to the roots, it should be noted that they are completely covered with cement. This substance is quite similar to ordinary bone. It is to this part of the tooth that multiple fibers are attached, which firmly hold it in place (in the gum). However, some mobility of such bone formations is still available. After all, this significantly reduces the likelihood that they will break during chewing solid food.

Very few people know, but inside all human teeth there is a cavity that extends into the root in the form of a channel, and ends with a small hole in their tops. As you know, this hollow space is filled with so-called "pulp". It is through her jaws penetrate the nerve endings and various vessels.

How to care for your teeth?

If you want to keep all 32 teeth (or 28), then they should be carefully looked after. To do this, experts recommend that it is good to clean them in the evening and in the morning, and after each meal you must rinse the mouth cavity. Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene will allow you to keep all the teeth until the old age. But if for any reason your teeth become ill, then you should immediately contact your dentist. By the way, it is recommended to visit it at least twice a year. After all, the prevention of tooth decay and other problems with bone formations is less painful and cheaper than long and painful treatment.