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Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is crushed and ground by the teeth. It is the first step in the process of digestion, allowing a greater surface area for digestive enzymes to break down the foods. During the mastication process, the food is positioned by the cheek and tongue between the teeth for grinding.
Nankali studied chewing in multiple individuals. He found variation in the amount of masticatory force. [4] The masticatory forces changes at eating time according to mouthful characteristic and size. This has various effects on the maxilla and mandible via the teeth. The periodontal system automatically controls the measure of mastication force.
The four classical muscles of mastication elevate the mandible (closing the jaw) and move it forward/backward and laterally, facilitating biting and chewing. Other muscles are responsible for opening the jaw, namely the geniohyoid , mylohyoid , and digastric muscles (the lateral pterygoid may play a role).
Tooth development is commonly divided into the following stages: the bud stage, the cap, the bell, and finally maturation. The staging of tooth development is an attempt to categorize changes that take place along a continuum; frequently it is difficult to decide what stage should be assigned to a particular developing tooth. [26]
Teeth are complex structures made of materials specific to them. They are made of a bone-like material called dentin, which is covered by the hardest tissue in the body—enamel. [8] Teeth have different shapes to deal with different aspects of mastication employed in tearing and chewing pieces of food into smaller and smaller pieces. This ...
Chewing ice can chip, crack or weaken teeth, especially as enamel thins with age. “Any food or drink can damage our teeth at an accelerated rate when we are older because our enamel is thinner ...
The teeth in the upper and lower jaws in mammals have evolved a close-fitting relationship such that they operate together as a unit. "They 'occlude', that is, the chewing surfaces of the teeth are so constructed that the upper and lower teeth are able to fit precisely together, cutting, crushing, grinding or tearing the food caught between." [5]
Chewing ice seems harmless, but dentists generally agree that the habit is really bad for your teeth. “Ice is a very hard substance," Mark Wolff, dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of ...