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Considered the hardest muscle in the body, the teeth is also one of the most vital. Through it passes food and other nutrients necessary for the human body to survive. The teeth serve as a gatekeeper. It chops up and grinds food to smaller pieces so its nutrients can easily be extracted by the stomach and the intestines. Without the teeth, solid food will get into the digestive system, clog it all up and worse, destroy organs leading to certain death.

The teeth are composed of several kinds each performing different tasks. First is the incisors, this thin sharp front teeth has the role of cutting food to smaller bite sizes and chewable portions. Next to them are the canines. Since man is an omnivore (we both eat plants and flesh) we need the sharp, pointed canine to cut into meat and tear them to pieces. Food is then further sent into the deeper set of teeth, the bigger, heavier molars. Molars are the hardest working team in our mouth. They grind food into the smallest pieces and extract nutrients and juices out of them. As they are hardworking, molars are also the most prone to cavities, tooth decay and damage and are often first to be treated, or worse, extracted.

The teeth are very important but are often neglected until it is too late. According to the National Health Interview Survey, adults are surprisingly more susceptible to morbidity, or tooth decay. In the survey between 2001 and 2004 close to 27 percent of adults 20 to 64 years old have untreated dental caries (cavities). Only 19.5 percent of children 2 to 5 years old face the same problem.

Does it mean children are more responsible in taking care of their teeth than adults? The survey proves so. Close to 8 out of 10 children 2 to 17 years old use dental health care products compared to just 6 out of 10 for adults 18 to 64 years of age.

The survey proves that adults, as what children have been suspecting all along, do not practice what they preach.

We are taught to take care of our teeth when we are children. In school, we are often asked to bring toothbrushes and funny mascots even visit us to teach us how to brush properly. Schools, churches and communities bring dentists to check on our teeth. Even toothpaste companies bombard television on the proper way of taking care of our teeth. But as adults, we seem to forget all those until we feel those excruciating pain.

The normal human being gets two sets of teeth. The baby teeth or milk teeth sprout as early as we are 1 year old. Then it naturally falls off by around 10 to 12 giving way to permanent teeth. This where the regular 32-tooth set sinks in. Even far into our adult age, molar teeth often called wisdom tooth comes in. The problem with adults is when these permanent set of teeth gets destroyed and is ultimately extracted, they will never be replaced, except with uncomfortable even embarrassing dentures.

There is an adage that tells us to take care of our health and our life as we only have one. That same goes for our teeth. We can all imagine and remember those sleepless nights of excruciating dental pain. We can never imagine what will happen if we do not have any teeth at all.

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