Our friend Daniel doesn’t usually send us holiday photos. But on a rainy autumn morning in Berlin he walked round a corner and found himself next to a molar the size of a sofa, so of course he stopped, grinned, and sent us the picture straight away with one line: “Finally, a tooth I can’t forget to floss.”
We liked it so much we asked if we could share it. Daniel said yes, on one condition: that we used it to explain something useful. Fair enough. A giant tooth is a rare chance to see the parts of a tooth you never get to look at.
What the giant molar shows
- The crown is only part of the story. The rounded top is the crown, the part you see in your mouth. Its bumps, called cusps, are what grind your food.
- The roots are longer than the crown. Those two long legs are roots. In your mouth they sit hidden in the jawbone, wrapped in gum, and they do the quiet work of holding the tooth firmly in place.
- Back teeth have more than one root. Lower molars usually have two roots, like this one. Upper molars usually have three. Front teeth mostly have one.
Why the hidden part matters
The crown is covered in enamel, the hardest material in the body. Roots aren’t. They’re covered in a softer layer that relies on healthy gums to protect it. When gums pull back, root surfaces are exposed, and they can become sensitive and decay more easily than the crown.
So the habits that look after your gums are really looking after your roots too. Our article on five habits for healthier gums covers the ones that matter most.
Daniel’s verdict
“Smaller ones are easier to look after,” he told us. We agree. If it’s been a while since anyone checked yours, a checkup and cleaning is the place to start.