Good dental hygiene requires a good understanding of human teeth, in Weston-Super-Mare your local dentist discusses what makes a tooth. Deciduous, commonly known as ‘milk’ or ‘baby’ teeth, normally appear around 6 months and will last until about 6 years old, at which point this will be replaced by your permanent teeth. Human teeth have many different forms and functions, with some primarily used for biting and others for chewing. Although taking different shapes, all teeth share the same internal structure of enamel, dentin, cementum and pulp. The outer layer of your teeth is the enamel. Made of high concentrations of minerals, although it is semi-transparent, the enamel is the hardest part of the tooth and forms a protective shell around the inside. Supporting the enamel is the dentin. This provides most of the colour for your teeth. Although still providing a protective layer to the pulp, dentin is more flexible than enamel and more prone to tooth decay due its tubular structure. Below the dentin is found the cementum, this is softer than both enamel and dentin but provides stability to the tooth and connection to the jaw bone. At the centre of the tooth is found the pulp, otherwise known as the ‘nerve’. Filled with soft connective tissue, it contains blood vessels and nerves. It is through the pulp that teeth can receive nourishment and teeth can communicate with the brain.
Dr Gerrard is a Bristol based Cosmetic dentist with many years of experience and is one of only a small number of dentists accredited by The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
