Types of Teeth
Identify the four tooth types in a typical adult set: incisors cut, canines tear, and premolars and molars crush and grind. Recognize that baby teeth have no premolars, compare tooth jobs in rabbits and lions, and use tooth shape as a clue rather than proof of an animal's whole diet.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Name the four tooth types in a typical adult set and their jobs; explain that baby teeth have grinding molars but no premolars
- Compare cutting and grinding teeth in rabbits with tearing and cutting teeth in lions, and explain the limits of one tooth-shape clue
- Explain that humans can eat plant and animal foods, while an individual's food choices do not change one tooth type into another
1 · Read
A typical adult set has four tooth types: incisors, canines, premolars and molars. Baby teeth have molars for grinding, but no premolars. As a child, you may have a mixture of baby and adult teeth. You may not have premolars yet.
Incisors are front teeth with thin cutting edges. Canines are pointed teeth beside them that help tear food. Premolars sit behind the canines, with molars farther back. Premolars and molars have broad, bumpy chewing surfaces that crush and grind food.
Rabbits are herbivores. Their front teeth cut plants, and broad back teeth grind them. Lions are carnivores. Their canines grip and tear meat; sharp-edged back teeth cut it. Broad chewing surfaces are a clue to grinding. Tooth shape helps us work out a tooth's job, but one shape alone does not tell us the animal's whole diet.
Compare tooth jobs. An animal's teeth do not all have one shape or one job.
Humans are omnivores: as a species, we can eat plant and animal foods. Our teeth cut, tear and grind many foods. Choosing only plant foods does not turn canines or incisors into molars. Tooth types keep their jobs, and having canines does not mean a person has to eat meat.
Incisors cut, canines tear, and premolars and molars crush and grind. Baby teeth have no premolars. Tooth shape gives clues to tooth jobs.
Original lesson, questions and flashcards written for this learning dataset.
Original reading written for this learning dataset. Dental references informed the facts; their text and illustrations are not reproduced.
More to read
Tooth jobs while you grow
Missing premolars does not mean missing grinding teeth. A baby set already has molars for grinding. It also has incisors and canines. Premolars belong to the adult set, so a child may not have them yet.
During a bite, incisors use thin front edges to cut food. The pointed canines beside them help tear it. Farther back, broad chewing surfaces crush and grind the pieces. In an adult set, both premolars and molars do this work.
Different teeth also do different jobs in other animals. A rabbit cuts plants with front teeth and grinds them with back teeth. A lion's canines grip and tear meat, while sharp-edged back teeth cut it. Calling every rabbit tooth flat or every lion tooth pointy misses these differences.
A tooth's form helps explain its job. It is only part of the evidence about an animal's food. Humans can eat plant and animal foods, but a person choosing only plants still has tooth types with the same jobs.
2 · Watch
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