Anatomy Flashcards
Teeth
Teeth are small calcified whitish structures
In humans the teeth are for:
Chewing food during mastication
To help with sound to form speech
To provide support for the jaws, cheeks and lips
Mastication
Means chewing
Lining membrane
Covers inner surfaces of the cheeks, lips, mouth, underside of the tongue and soft palate
Appears as red smooth and moist membrane- produces minor salivary glands
Provides a physical barrier between anything entering the mouth, acts as a cushion and provides lubrication and cleansing
Masticatory membrane
Covers gingivae, topside and edges of the tongue and hard palate
Appears red and moist often ridged or stippled
Provides a hard wearing surface that prevents traumatic damage from food, chemicals and oral hygiene products
Specialised membrane
Interspread throughout the masticatory membrane covering the topside and edges of the tongue
Appears as discrete papillary structures of the taste buds in a visible pattern over the tongue
Provides taste sensation
Oral cavity
Is the mouth
Soft palate
Is a flap of soft tissue attached to the back of the hard palate to seal off the oral cavity from the nasal cavity during swallowing
Enamel
A highly calcified tissue covering the whole crown of the tooth
Dentine
A less calcified tissue than enamel, which forms the inner bulk of the crown and root
Cementum
A thin calcified covering the root of dentine only
Pulp
The inner neurovacular tissue of the tooth, within the central pulp chamber
Enamel
Is composed of 96% mineral crystals arranged as prisms called interprismatic substance
The main mineral crystals are calcium hydroxyapatite
Enamel does not contain nerves or blood vessels and cannot experience and sensation
It is not a living tissue which cannot grow or repair itself so progressive damage is permanent
It can however remineralise its surface after an acid attack by taking in minerals from saliva and oral health products
The crystal’s structure can also be altered by the exchange of hydroxyl ions with fluoride to form flurapatite crystals
The enamel surface is thickest over the biting surface of the tooth- occlusal or incisal edge
Enamel is translucent so the shade of a tooth is determined by the colour of the underlying dentine
Dentine
The tissue forms the main bulk of a tooth and occupies the interior of the crown and root
It consists of 80% of inorganic tissue mainly calcium hydroaypatite crystals
It’s composed of hollow tubes which originally surrounded the cells within the dentine structure as it was first being formed
It can repair itself by laying down secondary dentine
The hollow tubes contain sensory nerve endings called FIBRILS which run from the nerve tissue within the pulp chamber
Dentine is a living tissue and can transmit feeling of pain pressure and thermal changes
It can absorb natural chewing forces without breaking as the structure allows a degree of elasticity
It allows caries to spread more rapidly through its hollow structure than it does solid enamel
Dentine is a yellowish colour and gives teeth their individual shade
Muscle cells
Stimulated by electrical impulses, they may be attached to bones to allow them movement
Nerve cells
Carry electrical impulses to distant areas of the body
