So that cows can get all the necessary substances from food, they must chew food thoroughly, and for this they need strong and healthy teeth. And how many teeth does a cow have and is there a change? It is formally accepted that a cow has 32 teeth: 24 molars and 8 incisors located on the lower jaw.
Age shift
The formation of teeth begins in utero. At birth, the first four teeth are already in the mouth of the young. After 1-2 weeks, they grow four more teeth. At the age of 4-6 months, the calf has its first molars. A complete change of molars to permanent occurs at the age of two years. And how many teeth does a cow have and how painful is their change? During the shift, young animals do not experience any discomfort or pain, since this period is greatly extended.
At the age of 4-5 years, the process of grinding the cow's teeth begins. The photo shows how powerful and large the formations are in the animal's oral cavity. The grinding process takes place under the influence of constant chewing of hay, grass and other feeds. At the age of ten, the animal remains a kind of stumps.
By the age of 14-15, the cow has almost no upper front teeth - they are sharpened to a homogeneous plate. It allows you to grind grass and other plant foods.
Oral cavity
The cow's mouth is represented by lips, tongue, cheeks, gums, palate, teeth, salivary glands, throat and tonsils. During meals, vegetation and other food enter the oral cavity, where chewing occurs. The structural features of the teeth of a cow allow you to grind the grass. The food itself is captured by the tongue and lips.
The upper jaw is wider than the lower, because of this, cattle can chew freely on either side. The tongue of the cows is hard, performs the function of “turning” food in the oral cavity.
Jaw structure
How many teeth does a cow have and how are they located? Animals have 32 teeth. They form two arcades - bottom and top. The teeth on the right and left sides are always symmetrical. Cows have no fangs. The jaw is formed by incisors, premolars, molars and gums.
Cows have the following types of teeth:
- Incisors. Their purpose is to cut grass. In cattle, they are located on the lower jaw in front. The first pair of incisors is hooks. On the left and right are the middle incisors. Behind them are the fringes. Upper incisors in chewing animals are absent. At the place where they are supposed to be, there is a small pillow or plate formed by the gum and tightly connected to the periosteum of the incisor teeth. Because of this structural feature, the plate is rigid and dense. It performs the function of a grater.
- Cows do not have fangs, but there are fringes - these are modified fangs that become incisors.
- Molars, premolars. They are used to chew food. This type of teeth is not placed immediately behind the incisors, but behind the toothless edge formed by the gum. Cows have three pairs of premolars and molars on each arch. There are 24 such teeth in total.
The size of the incisors varies. The largest are the first two. The smallest are outskirts. Cutters have a flattened shape with rounded edges. In young animals, the crowns on the lips side slightly overlap.
Gradually, with age, as they are erased, they occupy their intended place. The lower lip begins to sag slightly, the lower jaw protrudes forward. The upper lip is convex, slightly goes inside. The jaws are very mobile.
The number of teeth in a cow at a young and old age is different. Young growth of milk teeth. They are fragile, with a thin enamel that quickly erases. By a year and a half, enamel is absent on the inside. This period coincides with a change of teeth. The molars have a stronger surface.
Tooth structure
When wondering how many teeth a cow has, not many people realize that they have as many teeth as a person’s teeth, and the structure is not much different. The basis of the tooth is dentin, similar to bone tissue, but much stronger. About 70% of the tissue is made up of minerals. The basis is calcium phosphate, which is why deficiency of this element cannot be tolerated. Otherwise, the lack of elements negatively affects the state of bone tissue, the strength of enamel, dentin. The organic part of dentin is collagen.
Dentin is enameled. This is the strongest tissue in the body. It is subjected to tremendous stress, as the animals are constantly chewing something. The composition of the tissue - calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, various salts. Partially, enamel takes trace elements from saliva, and the other part from food.
In addition to enamel, dentin is formed by cement. The base of the tooth enters the alveoli, which forms the periosteum - periodontium. It combines with cement, gum with various types of connective tissue.
The part of the tooth that the enamel covers is called a crown. It forms a functional surface: in the indigenous - chewing, and in the incisors - cutting. In the oral cavity is the pulp - soft tissue.
At the very top of the root of the tooth is a hole that is connected to the internal cavity of the tooth, the pulp. Vascular, nerve endings pass through the channel.
Premolars, molars on the lower jaw have two roots, and on the upper - three. The place of narrowing, in which the root passes into the crown, is called the neck.
Age determination
Knowing how many teeth a cow has, photos of which are presented in this article, you can easily determine the age of the animal. His assessment is made according to the condition of the teeth. Starting from the age of four, the teeth begin to grind, change their appearance. Typically, the following data are used to determine age:
- Year - enamel of milk teeth honed from the inside.
- Two years - teeth fall out.
- 2.5 years - indigenous middle incisors are visible.
- 4 years - outskirts grow.
- 5 years - the top layer of enamel is erased. Cracks appear.
- 6 years - modified incisors, the shape becomes wider.
- 7 years - no enamel on medium incisors.
- 10 years - patches without enamel, molars are small, square in shape.
- 12 years - hooks are round, no enamel. The gaps are large.
From the age of 12-13 years, it is difficult to determine the age of the cow, since the teeth are sharpened and there is practically nothing left in the central part.
Conclusion
A proper diet is a guarantee of healthy teeth throughout the life of the animal. Do not forget that even cows have dental pathologies: grinding their teeth, bison, tooth loss, jaw disease. All this can be avoided if the cow is properly fed and monitored.