Teeth: Your Built-in Tools

Your teeth are the hardest things in your body! They break food into small pieces so your stomach can digest it more easily. You grow two sets in your lifetime: baby teeth, which you start losing around age six, and the permanent adult teeth that replace them.

Losing a wobbly baby tooth is completely normal and nothing to worry about. Underneath, a bigger adult tooth is already growing and pushing its way up. These adult teeth need to last the rest of your life, which is why looking after them matters so much.

Different teeth do different jobs, like a set of tools in a toolbox. Sharp incisors at the front slice food, just like scissors. Pointy canines grip and tear. Flat, wide molars at the back grind food into mush before you swallow it. Run your tongue along your teeth and feel the different shapes!

Each tooth has layers. The outside is coated in enamel — the hardest substance your body makes. Underneath is a softer layer called dentine, and right in the centre is the pulp, which contains nerves and blood vessels to keep the tooth alive and let it feel hot and cold.