The Types of Teeth In your Mouth
You know that your teeth are important and need to be taken care of, but did you know each type of tooth in your mouth has a specific purpose? There are five different kinds of teeth in your mouth and with each different shape comes a different job.
- Incisors: Your incisors are the front and center of your mouth, the top four and bottom four teeth that become the focus of your smile. These teeth tear the bites of our food for us. They’re usually the first teeth to come in: baby teeth around 6 months and adult teeth around 6 or 8 years old.
- Canines: The next teeth to grow in are usually your canines. They’re the sharpest teeth, and the ones that break your initial bite into smaller ones. Your baby canines come in between 16 and 20 months, with the top pair coming in before the bottom, but it’s the opposite with adult teeth. When your adult canines grow in, it’ll be the lower ones that grow in first around 9 years, while the top grow in around 11 or 12 years.
- Premolars: These are the eight teeth—two on each side on both the upper and lower jaw—right next to your canines but not quite to the back of your molars. They show up around 10-years-old and then their adult versions grow in around 11 years.
- Molars: Molars are what you use to chew and grind your food. These tend to start growing in between 12 and 15 months, and their replacements come in around 11- and 13-years-old.
- Third Molars: Your third molars are also known as your wisdom teeth, which we’ve talked about before. These teeth are the last ones to come in, usually not before the age of 18 or 20. While some people don’t develop these molars at all, they usually need to be removed if you do.
Keeping your teeth healthy is an important part of your overall health. If you want to learn more about your teeth or want to make sure they’re staying healthy, give Dr. Real a call at (714) 525-2888 to make an appointment.