Inside Your Smile: Tooth Anatomy

A Journey from Crown to Root

Authored by Cailin Trembley, RDH, MPH and Designed by Emma Tillman

Grades: 3, 4, 5

Oral Health Subjects: Skull and jaw anatomy, Types of teeth, Tooth structure, Tooth layers, Tooth roots, How teeth stay in place, Elementary School, Science, Anatomy, Math

Keywords:Skull,Maxilla,Mandible, Alveolar Bone, Incisors, Canines, Premolars, Molars, Crown, Root, Enamel, Dentin, Pulp, Cementum, Gum Tissue, Periodontal Ligament

Learning Goals:

Identify the maxilla, mandible, and alveolar bone and describe their functions.
Identify the different types of teeth and explain how many of each type are in the mouth.
Identify the crown and root of a tooth and describe enamel, dentin, pulp, and cementum.
Explain how teeth are anchored in the jaw and why some teeth have more roots than others.

Educational Standards

National Health Education Standards:

1.5.2 – Describe health-promoting behaviors for the dimensions of wellness.
Students connect knowledge of tooth structures and their functions to behaviors that support oral health.

1.5.3 – Explain ways to prevent or reduce risks for illnesses and injuries.
Students use their understanding of enamel, roots, gums, and supporting structures to understand why protecting teeth is important.

1.5.4 – Explain ways to engage in health-promoting behaviors, including how to manage health conditions.
Students connect tooth anatomy to oral-health practices that help maintain healthy teeth and supporting tissues.

National Mathematics Standards:

Grade 3 — CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.D.8
Solve two-step word problems using the four operations.

Grade 4 — CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.OA.A.3
Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations.

Grade 5 — CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.OA.A.2
Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers and interpret numerical expressions without evaluating them.

Next Generation Science Standards:

Grade 3 — 3-LS4-2: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.

4-LS1-1 – From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Grade 5 — 5-PS1-3: Matter and Its Interactions
Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.