Teeth

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Teeth are our little helpers for biting. On the outside they wear a hard white coat, and it keeps the soft middle safe.

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Teeth are our little helpers for biting. On the outside they wear a hard white coat, and it keeps the soft middle safe.

The hard white outside: The outside of a tooth is hard, white and smooth. It is the hardest part of all, and it does the biting.
The layer underneath: Under the white coat sits another layer, a little more yellow. It is softer, and it spreads the bite out to both sides.
The soft middle: Deep inside the tooth it is soft, with tiny nerves like thin threads. When something very cold or very hot comes close, the nerves tell us.
Roots: Two long roots go down from the tooth and sit snug in the gums. They hold the tooth steady, so it never tips over.
Gums: The gums are soft, and they hug the bottom of the tooth. When you brush, brush the gums gently too.

The hard white outside touches the food first. One good bite, and a small piece comes away.
The layer underneath spreads the push along to both sides, and the soft middle feels it too. If something is too hard, it tells us to slow down.
The roots hold tight in the gums and keep the whole tooth steady. After the bite, the tooth has not moved at all.

Brush in small circles, slowly, until the outside of the tooth is clean. Under that hard white coat there are more layers, all the way in.
Then brush the gums gently. Clean happy gums hold the tooth nice and steady.

Push it gently with your tongue, and the tooth rocks just a little in its place. It is loose, which means a new tooth is on the way.
When the old tooth comes out, a new one grows in the very same spot. The new tooth grows in strong.