Crushing food with our teeth is essential to generate small, uniformly textured particles, facilitating smooth passage through the digestive tract.
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Crushing food with teeth is a crucial initial step in mechanical digestion, facilitating the digestive process. The process, known as mastication, breaks down food into smaller, more manageable particles, increasing its surface area. This exposes a larger area for enzymes, like amylase in saliva, to efficiently act upon, initiating chemical digestion. The smaller particles are easier to swallow and navigate through the digestive tract. Mastication also aids in mixing food with saliva, which contains enzymes that begin the breakdown of carbohydrates. Ultimately, effective mastication promotes efficient digestion and nutrient absorption in the digestive system.