Oral health

Oral health: What's behind your smile

You use your mouth to speak, eat, kiss and smile, among other tasks. The key to keeping everything working well is good oral health. Having healthy teeth and gums isn't a given, though. Preventing tooth decay and other oral health problems takes effort. Start on the path toward good oral health by understanding what's behind your smile — your teeth, gums, tongue and salivary glands.

Teeth: From crown to root

Adults have 32 permanent teeth, including wisdom teeth. Each tooth has two main parts — the crown and the root. The crown is the part of the tooth you can see, and the root is hidden below your gums.

Other parts of the tooth include:

• Enamel. Enamel is the hard outer coating of the crown of the tooth.
• Dentin. Dentin is a hard substance beneath the enamel that makes up the bulk of the tooth.
• Pulp. Pulp is the soft tissue in the middle of the tooth.
• Cementum. Cementum covers the root of the tooth and attaches it to the jawbone.

Gums: Pink means healthy

Your gums (gingivae) surround your teeth to help hold them in place. To keep your gums healthy, practice good oral hygiene — brush your teeth at least twice a day, floss your teeth once a day and schedule regular dental visits. If your gums become red and swollen or bleed easily, they may be infected. This is known as gingivitis. Prompt treatment can help restore good oral health. Left untreated, gingivitis may progress to severe gum disease (periodontitis) and possible tooth loss.

Tongue: From talking to tasting

Your tongue is a muscular organ that helps you speak and move food for chewing and swallowing. Small bumps called papillae (puh-PIL-e) cover your tongue's upper surface. Between the papillae are taste buds. The taste buds allow you to enjoy specific tastes, such as bitter, sour, salty and sweet. Your tongue also plays a role in oral health. Food particles can stick to your tongue, causing bad breath and tooth decay. To take good care of your tongue, simply brush your tongue whenever you brush your teeth.

Salivary glands: Aiding digestion, preventing decay

Your mouth has three major pairs of salivary glands — the parotid, sublingual and submandibular glands — as well as numerous smaller glands. These glands produce and secrete saliva. In addition to helping you swallow and digest food, saliva promotes oral health by:

• Flushing food away from your mouth
• Stopping acids that can attack tooth enamel
• Replenishing minerals in tooth enamel
• Killing or reducing disease-causing organisms

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