Teeth
The arrangement of teeth in the mouth varies considerably to suit the diet of a particular animal. Teeth are named according to their position in the mouth. Each tooth has a special job to do.
Incisor teeth
These are found at the front of the mouth and are usually thin and very sharp. They are used to hold and cut food. The sharp incisor teeth can clearly be seen in the lower jaw of the badger.
Canine teeth
These are found at the front of the mouth to the right and left of the incisors. Long and pointed they are used to kill prey and tear the flesh! In this picture of a young female lion (lioness) the canine teeth can be clearly seen in both the upper and lower jaw.
Molar teeth
These are flat, strong teeth found at the back of the jaw used for grinding food before it is swallowed. Slightly smaller molars in front of the larger ones are called premolars. This is a picture of a molar from a cow. (The two pence piece gives you an idea of the size of the tooth).
A cow does not have any incisor teeth in the upper jaw. Instead the lower incisors bite against a hard pad. Premolars and molars in both the upper and lower jaw grind their food.
Look at the size of an elephant’s molar!!
This picture of an elephant’s molar has been carefully sliced in half to show what a tooth looks like inside.
- Enamel: this is a hard white material that wears away very slowly and protects the tooth against decay.
- Dentine: is similar to bone and is soft. It wears away quickly to cause tooth decay.
- Pulp: contains the blood supply and the nerves to the tooth.
The tooth is held firmly in the jaw by a kind of cement.
