Know Your Teeth

A tooth has two main parts: a crown portion and a root portion.

The difference parts of the tooth consist of:

• Crown
• Root

• Crown

  is the part of the tooth which is seen in the mouth.

• Root

  is the part of the tooth which is inside the jaw bone.

The different parts of a tooth consist of:

• Enamel
• Dentin
• Cementum
• Pulp

• Enamel

  Enamel is the highly mineralized and hard outer substance of the tooth. Its colour varies from light yellow to greyish white.

• Dentin

  Dentin is that part of the tooth which is present between enamel or cementum and pulp chamber. It is softer than enamel and therefore decays more rapidly.

• Cementum

  Cementum is a bony substance covering the root of the tooth. Its colour is yellowish and is softer than dentin or enamel. The main function of cementum is to serve as a medium for periodontal ligament to attach to the tooth for stability.

• Pulp

  The dental pulp is the centre portion of the tooth. It is filled with soft connective tissue which contains blood vessels and nerves .It is commonly called the “nerve of the tooth”.