Tooth Types
You've probably noticed that you have different types of teeth in your mouth. Each one has its own function.

Your two front teeth and the teeth on either side of them are incisors (say: in-sy-zurs). There are four on the top and four on bottom.

Incisors are shaped like tiny chisels, with flat ends that are somewhat sharp. These teeth are used for cutting and chopping food. Think back to that apple you ate: You used your incisors to crunch into the skin of the apple.

The pointy teeth beside your incisors are called canine (say: kay-nine) teeth. There are four of them, two on top and two on bottom. Because these teeth are pointy and also sharp, they help tear food.

Next to your canine teeth are your premolars (say: pree-mo-lurs). You have eight premolars in all, four on top and four on the bottom. You'll need to open a bit wider to see these teeth, but when you do, you'll notice that they have a completely different shape than both incisors and canines. Premolars are bigger, stronger, and have ridges, which make them perfect for crushing and grinding food.

If you open your mouth really wide, you'll see your molars (say: mo-lurs). You have eight of these, four on the top and four on the bottom. Molars are the toughest of the bunch. They are even wider and stronger than premolars, and they have more ridges. Molars work closely with your tongue to help you swallow food. How? The tongue sweeps chewed-up food to the back of your mouth, where the molars grind it until it's mashed up and ready to be swallowed.

As we mentioned earlier, the last teeth a person gets are wisdom teeth. They are all the way in the back of the mouth, one in each corner. Wisdom teeth aren't used for anything and they are often removed because they can cause problems in a person's mouth. Some people believe that wisdom teeth may have been used by people millions of years ago to help them chew food.