What the Different Teeth Do

Your children should eventually have 32 adult teeth. This set is made up of four different types of teeth designed to handle the different kinds of food we eat:

• Incisors are the flat front teeth. They're made for biting into food.
• Canines - the pointy teeth - are perfect for tearing food apart.
• Premolars are the blunt, broad teeth at the side of your mouth.
• Molars are the biggest teeth at the back of your mouth. They crush and grind food into small pieces.

The interesting thing about a child's mouth between the ages of about 6 and 12 is that it is in a state of what dentists sometimes call "mixed dentition." It has both baby teeth and big teeth and this makes for an interesting set of needs. It's important to brush regularly and properly - for 2 minutes twice every day.