To be healthy and in the pink of health, you need to eat right. It is not only about eating the right food, but also eating it the right way. Which means, biting and chewing your food properly to aid in proper digestion.

Your teeth help in proper digestion. The canines are long and sharp and help to tear at hard food. The molars are wide and flat and help to grind food into smaller particles to aid digestion. This is the first step to digestion as the teeth break down the food and gets is ready for digestion. All of us in our lifetime have two sets of teeth. The primary or the milk teeth, and over time which gives way to a permanent set of teeth known as the permanents. In totality an adult has 32 permanent teeth.

The Anatomy of a Tooth Comprises the Following:

Incisors:
8 of the middlemost four teeth on the upper and lower jaws.

Canines:
4 of the pointed teeth just outside the incisors.

Premolars:
8 of the teeth between the canines and molars.

Molars:
8 of the flat teeth in the rear of the mouth, best at grinding food.

Wisdom teeth or third molars:
4 in total and they show up at around age 18. It can be painful and often are removed surgically.

The permanent teeth start forming under the gums and from the jaw bone. It is hard and stays throughout ones adult life until they fall out due to decay or any other problem. The anatomy of a tooth consists of:

Enamel:
The strongest and the hardest, white outer part of the tooth. It is made of made of calcium phosphate.

Dentin:
Below the enamel is the layer called the dentin. It is made of living cells, which secrete a hard mineral substance.

Pulp:
Below the dentin is a softer inner structure. It is known to be the live structure in the teeth and is essential as the blood vessels and nerves run through the pulp.

Cementum:
Last of all is the connective tissue that binds the roots of the teeth firmly to the gums and jawbone and is known as the cementum.

Periodontal ligament:
This is the ligament that holds the teeth tightly against the jaw.