Teeth (singular, tooth) are structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates.

The primary function of teeth is to tear and chew food, and in some animals, particularly carnivores, for fighting and/or defence.

The roots of the teeth are covered by gums.

Adult teeth naturally darken with age as the pulp within the tooth shrinks and dentin is deposited in its place.

Teeth are among the most distinctive features of mammal species and fossils.

Paleontologists use them to identify fossil species and their relationships.

The shape of the teeth is related to the animal's diet.

For example, plant matter is hard to digest, so herbivores have many molars for chewing.

Carnivores need canines to kill and tear meat.

While humans develop two sets of teeth throughout life (diphyodont), some animals develop only one set (monophyodont) or develop many (polyphyodont).

Sharks, for example, grow a new set of teeth every two weeks.

Rodent teeth grow and wear away continually through the animal's gnawing, maintaining approximately constant length..

For more information about the topic Tooth, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Bruxism — Bruxism is grinding of the teeth. This is an oral para-functional activity observed in most people to some degree. Bruxism includes clenching and/or ...  > read more

Extraction (dental) — A dental extraction is the removal of a tooth from the mouth. Extractions are performed for a wide variety of reasons. Tooth decay (properly known as ...  > read more

Dental caries — Dental caries, also known colloquially as tooth decay, is a disease of the teeth resulting in damage to tooth structure. Dental caries (tooth decay) ...  > read more

Carnivore — A carnivore is an animal that eats a diet consisting mainly of meat, whether it comes from live animals or dead ones (scavenging). Some animals are ...  > read more

Related Stories

Dental Crowns Reveal The Diet Of A Species (December 15, 2006) — According to recent research, the complexity of tooth surfaces reveals the diet of a species. Scientists at the University of Helsinki's Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Geology showed ...  > read more

UMass Anthropoligist Investigates Dental Development And Body Size In Primates (May 1, 2002) — University of Massachusetts anthropologist Laurie R. Godfrey is a member of a team of researchers that finds a number of species of living and recently extinct lemurs living on Madagascar share very ...  > read more

Mechanism Regulating Tooth Shape Formulation Found (September 23, 2005) — One of the remaining challenges for evolutionary developmental studies of mammals, whose evolution is best known from their teeth, is how their tooth shape is altered during development. Researchers ...  > read more

Mice Teeth Explain The Troubles With Human Wisdom Teeth (September 27, 2007) — Mice teeth can explain human troubles with the wisdom teeth, according to scientists. For a long time scientists have suspected that genetic and developmental interactions may also influence ...  > read more

Canine Tooth Strength Provides Clues To Behavior Of Early Human Ancestors (June 30, 2008) — Measuring and testing the teeth of living primates could provide a window into the behavior of the earliest human ancestors, based on their fossilized remains. New research takes us one step closer ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Soothing Sensitive Teeth