Terrific Teeth

Hello kids. My name is Terry the Tooth, and I wanted to give you a quick tour through your mouth. Well, not really through your mouth, because I'm stuck on this page of Discovery magazine, and you are a real kid. What I mean is, I'm going to tell you all about your teeth.

The first thing you should know about your teeth is that they are amazing. They are specially designed by God to do important jobs and to keep you alive. When you were a little baby, your teeth started to "erupt" when you were about six months old. The word "erupt" means that they grew out of your jawbone through your gums. Most people have 20 "baby teeth." These baby teeth fall out (or get pulled) and are replaced by another set of permanent teeth. Most adults have 32 permanent adult teeth. The fact that you get two sets of teeth means that you are a diphyodont (die-FIE-o-dont), a fancy word that just means you have "two sets of teeth."

When we look at how teeth are made, we cannot help but praise God for these terrific treasures. The hard, outside part of your teeth is called enamel. It is the hardest substance in your whole body. It's a good thing that it is so hard, too, because people use their teeth for all kinds of tough jobs. The most important tooth-job is cutting and chewing food. Your adult teeth include eight incisors, which are the first four teeth in the front of your mouth on top and the first four on the bottom. These teeth are designed to cut into food. The next teeth are your canines. You have two on top and two on the bottom. They are designed to puncture things, and to rip and tear tough foods like meat. After canines you have four premolars on top and four on the bottom, and six molars on top and six on the bottom. The premolars and molars are designed to grind food into small parts, much like a grinding wheel.

There is no way teeth could have evolved over millions of years of mindless, chance processes. They are too well-designed. The only explanation for your teeth is that a loving God cares about you and designed you with these terrific teeth. Also, just as a reminder, take care of the teeth God gave you—brush regularly, and thank God for them.

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