Have you ever wondered what happens to the roti or rice you eat? Your body has a wonderful system that breaks food into tiny pieces so your body can use it for energy and growth. This process is called digestion.
It all starts in your mouth, where your teeth do the important job of cutting, tearing, and grinding food. Let us learn about our teeth and the amazing journey food takes inside our body!
Look in a mirror and open your mouth wide. You will see that not all your teeth look the same. We have four types of teeth, and each type has a special job.
| Type of Tooth | Where in the Mouth | Shape | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incisors (8) | Front of the mouth | Flat and sharp like a blade | Cutting and biting food (like biting into an apple) |
| Canines (4) | Next to the incisors | Pointed and sharp | Tearing food (like tearing a piece of chapati) |
| Premolars (8) | Behind the canines | Flat top with ridges | Crushing and grinding food |
| Molars (12) | Back of the mouth | Large and broad with ridges | Heavy grinding of food into a soft paste |
The first set of teeth that grow in a baby are called milk teeth (or temporary teeth). A child has 20 milk teeth. These teeth start falling out around age 6 and are replaced by a new set called permanent teeth.
An adult has 32 permanent teeth. These teeth do not grow back if they fall out, so we must take very good care of them.
| Feature | Milk Teeth | Permanent Teeth |
|---|---|---|
| Number | 20 | 32 |
| When they appear | 6 months to 2 years of age | Around 6 years onwards |
| Size | Smaller | Bigger and stronger |
| Do they grow back? | Yes, replaced by permanent teeth | No, they do not grow back |
When you eat food, it travels through a long path inside your body. Each part of this path does a special job.
| Organ | What Happens Here |
|---|---|
| Mouth | Teeth chew and break food into small pieces. Saliva (spit) mixes with food and makes it soft and wet. |
| Food Pipe (Oesophagus) | The soft food slides down this tube from the mouth to the stomach. |
| Stomach | The stomach churns the food and mixes it with digestive juices. Food becomes a thick paste. |
| Small Intestine | Useful nutrients from the food are absorbed into the blood here. This is the longest part of the digestive system. |
| Large Intestine | Water is absorbed from the leftover food. The remaining waste becomes solid. |
The waste that the body does not need is passed out of the body as stool. This is why eating fibre-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is important -- they help the waste move smoothly.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Digestion | The process of breaking down food into nutrients the body can use |
| Incisors | Front teeth used for cutting and biting |
| Canines | Pointed teeth used for tearing food |
| Premolars | Teeth behind canines used for crushing food |
| Molars | Large back teeth used for grinding food |
| Milk teeth | The first set of 20 teeth in children |
| Permanent teeth | The second set of 32 teeth that last a lifetime |
| Saliva | The watery liquid in the mouth that helps soften food |
| Oesophagus | The food pipe that carries food from the mouth to the stomach |
| Tooth decay | Damage to a tooth caused by germs and sugar (cavity) |
Finished learning? Now test what you know!