Understanding What’s Inside Your Mouth

As one of the top Highlands Ranch dental offices, we care about educating our patients. Taking care of your teeth goes beyond just flossing and brushing twice a day, it calls for understanding the other parts of your mouth as well. To help you learn about the mouth’s role and how the various parts work together, here is an article breaking down each function.

Beyond Teeth – What’s Inside Your Mouth – Dental Health Center – EverydayHealth.com

http://www.everydayhealth.com/dental-health/101/beyond-your-teeth.aspxYour mouth is made up of more than just teeth, so good oral health goes beyond simply brushing and flossing. In addition to your teeth, your mouth is made up of gums, oral mucosa, the upper and lower jaw, the tongue, salivary glands, the uvula, and the frenulum. All of these structures play an important role when it comes to good dental health and are routinely examined when you receive dental care.

The Oral Mucosa

When you open your mouth and look in the mirror, everything that isn’t a tooth is covered by a protective lining called the oral mucosa, which is a mucous membrane similar to the mucous membranes that line your nostrils and inner ears.

The Gums

Your gums are the pinkish tissue that surrounds and supports your teeth. Also covered by oral mucosa, gums play a critical role in your oral health. Healthy gums are firm, cover the entire root of the tooth, and do not bleed when brushed, poked, or prodded. Gum disease can ultimately lead to tooth loss, so taking care of your gums by flossing daily is just as essential to dental care as brushing your teeth.

The Upper and Lower Jaw

Your jaws give your face its shape and your mouth the structure it needs for chewing and speech. Human jaws are made up of several bones: The upper jaw contains two bones that are fused to each other and to the rest of your skull, while the lower jawbone is separate from the rest of the skull, enabling it to move up and down when you speak and chew. Read more…

 

 

 

 

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