Hello everyone, I like In plain language, I want to talk about science popularization, and ensure that everyone can understand medical assistants!
This weekend I went back to my hometown and was pestered by my nephew for two days. During this period, he asked me a question: Why can mice have the teeth growing all the time, but mine can't?
I think this question is very interesting, so I want to share it with you.
Many adults will perfunctory their children when facing fields they are not good at. For example, when asked this question, they will use such a large and empty answer with "Because mice are rodents, rodents' teeth will always grow." However, they do not know that in such an answer, is essentially killing children's desire for knowledge .
The best answer should be: solve the child’s doubts and guide the child to pay attention to tooth protection in the process. You can answer from the following points:
First answer: Why can mouse teeth grow continuously?
To answer this question, you must first understand why teeth can grow.
Everyone should know that our teeth are not solid, and the same is true for mice. Each of our teeth has a cavity in the middle, that is, pulp cavity . The pulp cavity is densely covered with pulp, blood vessels and dental nerves, which can provide nutrients for the teeth and allow them to grow.
Usually, When the teeth grow to the appropriate size, the lower end of the pulp cavity will be closed , the nutrients obtained by the teeth will decrease sharply, and growth will stop.
But the settings of mouse incisor are different. Due to the living habits, rodents often feed on plant rhizomes and nuts. During the process of gnawing on these foods, the wear of teeth is often very serious. If it cannot regenerate, rodents will die because they cannot bite the food.
Survival of the fittest. In this case, rodents have evolved a special ability, that is, by permanently opening the pulp cavity to allow the front teeth to grow continuously.
Of course, this also brings up a problem, that is, rodents must constantly wear their teeth to ensure that they are not poked to death by infinitely growing teeth, or starved to death because their teeth are too long to bite.
The second answer is, why can’t human teeth grow all the time?
After human teeth grow to the appropriate size, the lower end of the pulp cavity will also be closed. The nutrients provided by blood vessels can only ensure normal activity of the teeth.
Of course, this does not mean that our teeth have completely stopped growing. Although the teeth have stopped growing and bigger, Dentin still retains a certain repair ability . When the teeth are defective, the dentin will slowly grow, fill in the gaps, separate the pulp cavity from the external stimuli, forming a protective barrier.
But unfortunately, the repair speed of is still too slow , and it often cannot keep up with the speed of bacterial invasion, so once the teeth are damaged, root canal treatment will wave to us in front.
and then guide: What should we tell the child through this?
① Structure of teeth
From the outside to the inside, the structure of teeth is simply divided into three layers. The outermost layer is enamel, which is also the hardest thing in the human body, and it bears the heavy responsibility of wearing food.
The second layer, dentin, is the protective layer of the pulp cavity and the main constituent substance of the teeth. The innermost layer of
is the pulp cavity, which contains the pulp, blood vessels and nerves. It produces material exchange with the human body through the apical holes on the root of the tooth to ensure the activity of the teeth.
② Tooth decay
Tooth decay is some bacteria that, through day after day efforts, finally bite the enamel, causing defects in teeth.
Ename is the hardest, but it is the non-renewable . Once it is breached by bacteria, the teeth lose the strongest shield.
Dentin can be regenerated, but its growth rate is often not up to bacterial erosion. This process will be a tug-of-war. Once the dentin is defeated, the pulp cavity will be exposed. At this time, tooth decay will cause distance pain, that is, toothache.
③ Teeth cannot regenerate
Tooths have been fighting for our health and bacteria. As friendly forces, we must not let them fight alone. We must brush our teeth carefully to help our teeth defeat the bacterial bad guys!
Moreover, Our teeth can only be replaced once . That is to say, we only have one chance to fail. Once the teeth are replaced with permanent teeth, we will have no way out. Children who do not brush their teeth properly will become children without teeth. At that time, they cannot eat chocolate or ice cream. They can only drink porridge every day and watch others chew chicken legs.
Fourth, this article is not only written for children
Although this is a popular science article to teach adults how to answer children's questions, Lao Hei is not just written for children. All those who read this article need to know this themselves, especially middle-aged and elderly people.
Yes, now our teeth have more than one chance of failure. We can repair the teeth if they are damaged, we can plant them if they are gone, and we can wear dessert , but in fact, you and I know that no matter how good these teeth are, they are not the original ones of our own.
No matter how good the charger you buy, it is either original or it will affect the battery life. No matter how expensive the teeth you install are, it is not your own, and it will not be so natural and comfortable to use. The original is not necessarily the best, but it must be the most suitable for us. Whether it is children or adults, please remember to protect your teeth well.
If you want to know how to protect your teeth and how to do good dental care, you can follow Lao Hei and view past content. We are a purely public welfare platform, and only share how to protect your mouth. I hope you and me will still have 20 good teeth until you are 80 years old!
