揭祕牙齒中的VIP 5類牙齒需重點保護

Some of our 32 adult teeth are more vulnerable to decay and damage than others. Here, London dentist Dr Charles Ferber reveals where the dangers lie.
　　你知道嗎？在成人的32顆恆牙中，有的牙齒要更容易遭受損傷和腐蝕，想要有一口漂亮又健康的牙齒，除了日常的清潔護理之外，還應對這一類“VIP牙”進行重點保護。

INCISORS

門牙

Incisors are the eight teeth at the front of your mouth — four at the top, four at the bottom.

門牙是分佈於口腔下顎前方的八顆牙齒，四顆在上，四顆在下。

PROBLEMS: The central incisors are most vulnerable, but those in the lower jaw are particularly affected by teeth grinding, which 8 per cent of us do unconsciously.

問題：位於中央位置的門牙是非常容易受到腐蝕的，而下顎的門牙則直接則特別容易遭受磨損。

Your lower central incisors are more -yellow because the enamel is thinner, revealing the yellowish tissue (dentine) that gives teeth their strength.

下門牙很容易呈現出黃色，這是因爲琺琅質較薄而露出了黃色的組織，也就是牙本質的“真面目”，而這樣以外便使得下門牙異常的堅硬。

The inside of these incisors is also particularly prone to tartar because there are -salivary glands here. Minerals in saliva combine with plaque to form hardened tartar. A build-up of tartar can cause -irritation that gradually makes the gum and jawbone shrink.

但因爲唾液腺位置的緣故，門牙上也非常容易有牙垢的出現。唾液中的礦物質在結合之後，會形成硬化的斑塊牙垢，而當牙垢積累到一定的程度之後，可能會引起牙齦與顎骨的萎縮。

CANINES

犬牙

These are the strongest teeth; their pointed shape makes them useful for shredding, cutting and tearing food. There are four: two on the top, two on the -bottom, on the side of the lateral incisors.

犬牙是最堅固的牙齒，錐形的構造讓磨牙在碾碎、切斷和撕裂食物方面“得心應手”，四顆犬牙上下平均分佈，位於門牙的左右兩邊。

PROBLEMS: These contain more dentine to make them stronger so they are difficult to whiten.

問題：因爲富含牙本質，所以犬牙也非常的堅固，但卻也非常難以達到潔白光亮的效果。

PREMOLARS

前臼齒

Adults have eight premolar teeth, two next to each canine tooth in the upper and lower jaw. Their job is to chew and grind up food.

成人長有八顆前臼齒，分別位於上下顎犬齒後端，他們主要負責咀嚼與研磨食物的工作。

PROBLEMS: Premolars are more vulnerable to gum abrasions, caused by brushing teeth too harshly. This can lead to inflammation and, in the long term, gum -disease (causing teeth to fall out).

問題：錯誤的刷牙方式常常會致使前臼齒的牙齦“受傷”，久而久之，則會引起牙齦疾病（從而發生脫落的現象）。

　MOLARS

臼齒

The molars are the largest teeth in the mouth and are also very strong — there are four at the top and four at the bottom.

臼齒是口腔內較大的牙齒，同樣十分堅韌，分佈於左右頰部後端，上下各四顆。

PROBLEMS: These are the most likely to need fillings because they are harder to reach when brushing; it’s a -problem for upper molars because salivary ducts in the cheek next to them produce saliva and this causes plaque to harden.

問題：位置靠內而難以清潔，所以臼齒是最需“補牙”的牙齒。而上臼齒十分接近臉頰兩側的唾液腺，因爲十分容易導致牙菌斑的產生。

　 WISDOM TEETH

智齒

The largest teeth. Some people never develop them, others have up to four, one in each corner.

智齒是所有牙齒當中體積最佳的一種，有的人一輩子都不會長出智齒，而有的人則會在牙槽骨上最裏面的上下左右各冒出一顆。

PROBLEMS: Sometimes wisdom teeth don’t erupt through the gums properly and a gum flap extends over the crown. Bacteria get stuck underneath this flap, making the area inflamed.

智齒常常不會“規矩”的順着牙齦長出，而是在牙冠的一側冒出一瓣牙齦。而“躲藏”在牙肉空隙之內細菌往往會造成這一區塊出現紅腫的現象。