Tooth anatomy is a colloquial term sometimes used to refer to dental anatomy, the field of anatomy concerning the physical structure of teeth. That is a large subject.

Knowledge of the general structure of a human tooth is included in many first- level courses, e.g. in school biology. The following labelled diagram of a "typical" molar tooth describes basic tooth anatomy in general terms only (more advanced courses include detailed study of specific types of teeth).

There are several types of human teeth. The first set of teeth that develops in young children is temporary, also known as milk teeth.

Incisors Canines (also known as cuspids ) Canines Premolars (also known as bicuspids ) Premolars Molars

Occlusion, in a dental context, means simply the contact between teeth. More technically, it is the relationship between the maxillary (upper) and mandibular (lower) teeth when they approach each other, as occurs during chewing or at rest.maxillarymandibular

Teeth function by chewing up the food before it reaches the stomach and intestines. This allows you to swallow the food so that it can get down your throat. This is the first break-down process that your food will go through, and it is required for the other parts of your digestive system to be able to effectively break down foods. While knowing how do teeth function in digestion is important, there is something that they work with to make sure that the food is broken down effectively. When you chew your food, your salivary glands release saliva that helps with the break down of food. Saliva contains enzymes that help with the break- down of food. It also helps you swallow the food that has been chewed up, especially for dryer foods.

Without having the teeth to chew your food, you may find it difficult to eat. It is hard to eat hard foods, even if you wear dentures. Instead, you would have to stick with more soft foods that do not require a lot of chewing. Statistically, half of all denture- wearing people avoid certain foods that they may find hard to chew. Also, only 29 percent of people with dentures will only eat soft foods.