MOUTH

 

Mouth is the first digestive tract that is passed by food. To help digest the food, inside the mouth cavity is found teeth, tongue, and salivary gland.

Food digestion process that changes food from rough (form big) to be smooth (small) is called mechanical digestion. While food digestion process that is helped by enzyme is called chemical digestion process.

a.   Teeth

Without the presence of teeth, we will have difficulty to eat food because the teeth have function to cut food to be small parts and smooth it so easy swallowed.

Based on the shape and function, human teeth are divided into 4 kinds, are those as follows:

1.   Incisor (Gigi seri)

Incisor has flat shaped as well as sharp and it has function to slice food.

2.   Canine (Gigi taring)

The tip of canine is sharp and it has function to torn and tear food.

3.   Premolar (Gigi geraham depan)

The shape of premolar is pitted (berlekuk-lekuk), it has function to slice and refine (melembutkan) makanan.

4.   Molar (Gigi geraham belakang)

The shape of molar is pitted; it has function to refine the food.

Teeth are formed from dentine (teeth bone) that inside are found

cavity (rongga) containing blood vessels (pembuluh darah) and nerve (saraf).

Teeth consists of several parts, among then is crown (mahkota gigi).

Crown is exposed (menonjol) part of jaw (rahang) and appears above gum (gusi). In its outer part is layered by white layer, shine, composed from crystal that contains ceratin, and has function to protect teeth bone so not easily broken. This layer called enamel (email).

        Enamel can be broken by teeth destroyer bacteria because food waste containing sugar is charged by bacteria that has acid property that solves enamel so enamel layer is broken. If enamel is broken the teeth have not something that protects from teeth destroyer bacteria so makes teeth get hole and can causes extreme pain if penetrates (menembus) the place of nerve fiber (serabut saraf).

Several methods to prevent the broken of enamel are as follows.

1.   Brushing teeth regularly after eating and before sleeping (minimally 2 times in a day) by using tooth paste that contains fluoride.

2.   Eating food that contains calcium, vitamin C, and mineral salts.

3.   Checking teeth regularly in every 6 months to the dentist.