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The
tongue
Thrust your tongue out! Let's see what we have there! The tongue is a powerful body of muscle. There is no other part of the body which is as flexible as the tongue. You can twist it, roll it, and move it to all directions. You probably uncomfortably feels something stuck in between your teeth after eating. Can't find any toothpick? Or are you lazy enough to excuse yourself to the comfort room and stuck out a length of dental floss? Here's the tongue to the rescue! You probably have use it oftentimes, helplessly pushing, twisting, and sucking whatever stuck mercilessly in between your teeth. |
the receptors for bitter and sour taste. The
palate made up the roof of the oral cavity proper and directly subjected
to masticatory forces, and therefore, the lining is highly keratinized.
The saliva The buffering system of the oral cavity. Saliva is secreted by various kinds of salivary glands located at different parts of the oral cavity. In humans, the total volume of saliva secreted daily is approximately 750 ml. Saliva is composed of 99% water and the remaining 1% comprises the inorganic ions, proteins and glycoproteins, and digestive enzymes. The pH of saliva ranges from 6.7 to about 7.4. |
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The tongue is not all that.
Taste buds are numerous in the tongue. The tongue is divided into two regions:
the anterior two third and the posterior one third, divided by the u-shaped
terminal sulcus. Specific taste sensations are found on specific regions,
with their corresponding taste receptors:
The palate
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The importance of saliva
inside the mouth can be appreciated through its protective functions, aside
from its participation in the process of digestion and on the function
of speech:
-facilitates swallowing -provides lubrication for movement of oral tissues -protection of tissues from chemical and thermal insults -protects the teeth from dental caries through its cleansing and buffering action -inhibits bacterial growth -helps control the concentration of Ca and K around the tooth Now, we've finally come to the end of our tour. I hope you learn something from it. I mentioned here only the salient parts of the oral cavity which I thought are so visible and yet with hidden roles. If there's something you might want to know more, go click on Inquiries, and we'll talk about it on the segment The "Molar Truth" is... |
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