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Teeth are like your bones, and are alive. They have their own blood supply, and nerves. Teeth form inside the jaw, and are protected by your gums (the pink stuff around the teeth). The top part of the teeth, what can be seen, is called the crown.
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The hardest stuff in your body is part of your teeth, and is what is on the outside of the crown. It is called enamel. There are 3 other parts of the tooth - the dentin, which is softer than enamel and makes up most of the tooth, then the pulp (which has blood vessels and nerves, and is very soft), and lastly the root, which hold the tooth in place.
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Kids have about 20 teeth by the time they turn 3. These are just temporary, and are called primary teeth. By age 5 or 6, the permanent teeth start coming in, which pushes these small teeth out (this is why you lose your teeth when you're young). After these teeth come in, adults end up having 32 teeth.
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The mouth also contains a couple of other objects, such as the uvula (the dangling thing at the back of your throat), the tongue, the tonsils (look like little pillars holding up the back of the throat, by the uvula), and the palate (the roof of the mouth).
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Three pairs of salivary glands are also in your mouth. These glands are responsible for putting saliva (or spit) into your mouth. The saliva helps to lubricate the food, and also contains enzymes that help break down sugars before they get to your stomach.
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Did you know that 85% of people can curl their tongue into a cube?
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Your tongue is made up of groups of muscles running in different directions, which helps it do all of its jobs. The front of the tongue makes sounds with some help from the teeth, and also helps push your food around. The back part of the tongue helps make sounds such as "k" and "g," and pushes chewed up food down into your esophagus (the long tube that goes to your stomach).
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Why doesn't the tongue get swallowed? Look under your tongue and you'll notice a thin layer of tissue (or membrane) called the frenulum that connects the tongue to the bottom of your mouth. The back part of the tongue is also anchored to the bottom of your mouth - there is no way you can swallow your tongue!
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Humans have unique tongue prints, just like we all have unique fingerprints!
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Relative to its size, the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body, and it is also the only muscle that is attached on only one end.
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