1. By Donovan Taylor & Michael Ting

4.  When you bite off food there is an enzyme called amylase. Enzymes break down food and make it softer while you chew. Your hard teeth also will soften food until you can swallow.

5.  Salivary amylase is the enzyme that breaks down food in your mouth.  Combine this with water, electrolytes, mucus, glycoprotiens, and other compounds and you have saliva which is secreted by the salivary glands.

6.  Teeth are hard like your bones and are used in conjunction with your jaw and jaw muscles.  Your teeth will grind, smash, and chop your food until you can swallow

7.  Bumps on your tongue called taste buds receive chemicals from your food and sends the information to the brain which makes it into a taste.  This sense is a way for your body to avoid poisonous things but taste is also a wonderful thing to have.

8.  After you process the food the tongue in the back will push it down into your pharynx then into your esophagus then into your stomach.

9. Oral cancer is a cancer in your mouth that can be on your tongue, cheeks, lips, floor of your mouth and your throat. The most common symptoms are bumps, sores, and excessive bleeding on such places.

10. Ways to get mouth cancer are smoking, smokeless tobacco use, much alcohol, excessive sun exposure, and family history of cancer. You get rid of oral cancer by surgically removing the tumor or having radiation treatment on the tumor.

11. So in the end the mouth is one of the most important organs of the digestive system by starting the process. It is important to keep your mouth clean by flossing, brushing your teeth, and going to the dentist for check-ups.

12.  " Mouth." Infoplease.com. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 10 July 2013.  "Oral Cancer: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, and More." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 10 July 2013  "Oral Cancer: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." Oral Cancer (n.d.): n. pag. U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 11 July 2013.  "Human Digestive System - EnchantedLearning.com." Human Digestive System - EnchantedLearning.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 July 2013.