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Q: Why do teeth have different shapes?
Your teeth have different shapes because various groups of teeth perform different but complementary functions. Let's look at eating. Humans are omnivorous, meaning we eat many different types of food, including meat and plants. So our teeth have to be able to tear meat and grind it and other types of food.
Our cuspids, or eye teeth, which are in the upper jaw, are cone shaped and are used for piercing food. They are canine teeth, with one point, or cusp. Their smooth shape makes them largely self-cleaning and less susceptible to decay. Some of our teeth are flat and chisel-shaped. They are called incisors and are adapted to cutting and shearing food into portions small enough for us to grind, swallow and digest. Our molars, the larger, block-shaped teeth at the back of the upper and lower jaws, have several cusps, or points, and are designed for grinding. The first and second molars, as you move back from your eye teeth, are also called bicuspids because of their two main cusps.
Talk with your dentist about the functions of your teeth and about ways to keep them healthy and working.
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