Biting Food, Get to Know the Various Functions of the Incisors

“Each type of human tooth has its own role and function, including incisors. Some of the functions of the incisors include digesting food that enters the body, helping with speech, and esthetics in the mouth.

Halodoc, Jakarta – When you smile or talk, the incisors are the most visible type of teeth, because these teeth are in the front row. Apart from helping the process of digesting food, there are many other functions of incisors that you need to understand.

Get to know incisors

Incisors are the type of teeth that are at the very front. You usually use this first tooth to cut, bite, and tear food. Children and adults have incisors with a total of 8, namely four teeth on the upper jaw and the other four on the lower jaw.

The characteristic feature of the incisors is their small size with flat edges. These teeth also have one root like canines, and become milk teeth that appear for the first time in babies starting at six months of age. The teeth on the lower jaw will grow first, but can also coincide with the upper jaw.

As the child gets older, the milk incisors will change into permanent teeth or permanent teeth. Usually, permanent teeth will start to appear when a child is 6 to 8 years old.

What Are the Functions of Incisors?

Not only for tearing, cutting and biting food, here are some other functions of the incisors:

1. Helps digest food

The mouth is the beginning of the process of digesting food, as well as being the most important organ of the process. All the teeth in the mouth, including the incisors, will help the process of crushing food.

As a result, it will be easier for the stomach and small intestine to digest the food that enters the body. Even though the edges look flat, the incisors actually have a few sharp serrations. This part helps tear and cut food into smaller sizes.

2. Help someone talk

Besides eating, another activity that cannot be separated from the mouth and teeth is talking. Pronunciation or pronunciation of several words when you speak depends very much on the existence of the front teeth, including canines and incisors.

This is why, someone who has problems with the front teeth, in this case the front teeth are broken or missing, will certainly experience problems when pronouncing certain words or letters.

3. Aesthetic influences

As a type of tooth that is located at the very front, the incisors will be the teeth that are most often seen when you speak or smile broadly. Of course, this will greatly affect appearance, especially if you have health problems that affect the incisors.

This is why most dental treatments focus on the front teeth. Because front teeth that look healthy and clean will definitely make you feel more confident.

The function of the incisors turns out to be very diverse, huh? Therefore, you should not forget to always maintain the health of this one tooth. Clean your teeth by brushing your teeth twice a day. Don’t forget, clean the tartar and do a dental health check at least once every six months to the dentist.

For convenience, use the Medical Appointment Service Halodoc to get recommendations for clinics, hospitals, or dental care that suit your needs. You can downloads Halodoc through the App Store or Play Store for free.

Reference:

Pennsylvania Dental Association. Retrieved 2022. Anatomy of Teeth.

Nemours Kid’s Health. Retrieved 2022. Mouth and Teeth (for Parents).

MedicalNewsToday. Accessed 2022. Teeth: Names, types, and functions.