TYPES OF TEETH AND WHAT THEY DO

Incisors At the front of the mouth are eight thin, straight teeth called incisors – four at the top and four at the bottom – which bite into the food you eat and help you pronounce words as you you speak. Incisors also support the lips. Canines On each side of the upper and lower incisors is a single canine tooth, making four in total. Dentists call these slightly pointed teeth cuspids, and like incisors, they cut or shear food and support the lips. Another function of the canines is to help guide all the teeth into place when the upper and lower jaw come together. Premolars Behind the canines are the premolars, or, as dentists call them, the bicuspids. Premolars have a flattened top, and are used to chew food and maintain the height of the face. There are eight premolars in an adult's mouth: four on the top and four on the bottom. Molars Next to the premolars are the molars. These are your widest, flattest teeth, and there are 12 altogether: six in the upper jaw and six in the lower. The American Dental Association (ADA) depicts wisdom teeth as the four molars at the back of both the lower and upper jaws, and they're the last to erupt during young adulthood. Cleaning wisdom teeth can be difficult because they are so far back in the mouth, but slim toothbrushes such as Colgate® Slim Soft™ toothbrushes can help. Like premolars, molars are used for chewing food and to maintain the height of the face. Lower molars have two roots, while upper molars have three.