Project 2: Scientific Models

Claire Valle

11/30/2012

How Science Works

As a child, every time I went to the dentist’s office I had the pleasure of picking

out a toy from the toy chest after the dentist announced that I was cavity free. But before

this treat, I was given the talk about how to correctly brush and floss my teeth and what

the inside of my mouth looked like. If needed, I could see why my tooth hurt, what my

cavity looked like, or if my gums were too red. I was able to see and understand this by

the use of the mouth model that was in each room at the dentist.

Mouth models can vary between basic structures

(lower jaw, gums, teeth, tooth brush, floss) and more

evolved structures that show the nerves in the gums

and how a tooth looks when it has a cavity. Some

structures allow each individual tooth to be taken out

and observed. This specific picture shows a model that

is double the size of an adult mouth with removable

teeth. Half of the mouth is healthy and the other has

dental plaque, tartar, and inflammation. There is also a piece of the bone taken out to

show the nerves, vessels and roots.

This is a physical model. The parts of the model are all tangible and

maneuverable to the consumer’s liking. The gums are made to feel somewhat like real

gums and the bones and teeth are made to be hard like real bones and teeth. This model is

used to explain disease and decay to patients so that they can fully understand what the

problem looks like. This is also used to show children how to care for their teeth, and

what can happen if they do not do as they are told. It is used to educate patients in order

to better understand how their mouth looks, works, and develops. The nerves shown help

depict why tooth decay irritates nerves, which cause patients to have pain. The order of

the teeth help patients compare their mouths to a healthy model, showing them what teeth

they may have missing, or that their mouth may need expanding with braces, or that their

gums are too low on the teeth. With this model, the dentist is able to explain many facets

of problems, growth or treatment of the specific patient’s mouth.

Both the model and the target system are colored the same. When a healthy mouth

is compared to the model, gums are pink, all teeth are in order, bone is white, nerves are

in place, and teeth are white. This helps with learning about the target system’s health.

When a dentist sees discrepancies between the model and the target system, they are able

to decide why they are different and whether or not a procedure needs to take place.

These similarities also help when explaining proper mouth care to children (or adults).

Children are able to look at the healthy mouth model and compare it to their own mouth.

If the big tooth brush and floss is used to demonstrate good care, the child can observe up

close how to brush and floss properly on a bigger scale, making it easier for them to do

on their own. If this model were not twice the size of a regular mouth and not mobile and

taken apart from the human body, it would be hard for the child to see what was

happening. Because the inside of the mouth can only be opened at a relatively small angle

(for most people), it is not easy to demonstrate flossing when flossing includes using both

hands to maneuver around teeth and gums. When I was young, my mom would try to

show me how to floss and it would end up with me staring at her two fists shadowing her

mouth. This model shows how to use the floss around each tooth clearly in order to have

a healthy, disease free mouth. Another similarity that helps to understand the mouth is the

nerves and how the roots of the teeth can disrupt them, which causes pain. It is not easy

to clearly explain what is happening when someone has a toothache without a model.

This way, if a patient was to come in with unexplainable pain, the dentist would be able

to use the model to show why they are experiencing pain and how the patient can

minimize that through procedures or preventative actions. Lastly, for the comfort of the

patient, this model illustrates how different cavities or sealants are filled. When I was

young and had a cavity or sealant filled, I would constantly be asking for a play by play

of what the dentist was doing, how he or she was doing it and why. The model shows a

small cavity filling so that the patient may be able to tell how big it will look on the tooth,

how it curves with the tooth, how it does not fully protect all of the tooth, and how it is

applied to the tooth. This gives the worrisome patients peace of mind when they are able

to see exactly what the procedure is going to look like.

There are some major differences between the model and the target system. The

model is not made of real bone or gum. The model comes on a stand for easier observing

and sometimes includes a large brush with floss. The model is twice the size of a regular

mouth and is not attached to the full head. There is a piece of bone missing from the

model to illustrate the inner workings, which is not the case with the target system. The

coloring may differ from the target model to the model and the health may differ from

tooth to tooth, gum to bone. The model is twice the size of an adult mouth for a principle

reason. This being that the consumer is able to see each element up close. It is not

attached for principle reason so that it is better observed and because it does not need the

whole body for the particular use of the model. The bone is missing for principle

reasoning: being able to see the inside of the bone and under the tooth. The coloring is the

healthy color for principle reasons; to show how a healthy mouth should look. The brush

and floss is added for the principle reason to show how to properly take care of a mouth.

The fact that the model is not made of real bone or gums is for convenience. This is so

that these models can be made inexpensively; they will not deteriorate, and are not as

fragile as the latter.

This mouth model helps to show aspects of the mouth that people would

otherwise not be able to easily understand or see. Models help people to do this exact

thing. They allow people to see something up close, far away, inside or outside, in order

to better understand and learn about a subject.

Works Cited

“21 Part Dental Disease Anatomy Model Magnified 2 Times” Anatomy WarehouseAnatomy Warehouse, 2012. Web.