List some functions of teeth
Mastication
- Chewing
- Aids digestion
- Avoid choking
- Aids nutrition
Phonetics
- Articulating words
- Create sounds
Aesthetics
- Appearance of teeth and face
What are the identifying features of Incisors?
- Front of mouth
- Sharp straight biting surface
- Cutting or shearing of food
What are the identifying features of Canines?
- At the ‘corners’ of the mouth
- Sharp pointed biting surface
- Grip and tear food
What are the identifying features of Premolars?
- Behind canines, next to cheeks
- Flat surface with ridges
- Crushing and grinding food into smaller pieces
- Not present in primary dentition
What are the identifying features of Molars?
- Biggest and strongest teeth
- Behind premolars in permanent dentition, or behind canines in primary dentition
- Food pushed to back of mouth
- Grinds food ready for swallowing
Cheek
Buccal
Lips
Labial
Tongue
Lingual
Palate
Palatal
Inter-proximal surface
In-between teeth
Mesial
Inter-proximal surface facing front of mouth (midline)
Distal
Inter-proximal surface facing towards back of mouth
Occlusal
The biting surface of posterior teeth
Incisal edge
The biting surface of anterior teeth
What does the Line angles define?
Defines the junction of two surfaces
What does the Point angles define?
Defines the junction of three surfaces
List identifying features for Maxillary and Mandibular Incisors
- Sharp mesio-incisal angle
- Rounded disto-incisal angle
- Mammelons on eruption
List identifying features for Central Incisors
- Largest incisor
- Widest anterior tooth
- Straighter incisal edge
- Well developed cingulum
- Root straighter but still distally inclined
List identifying features for Lateral Incisors
- Smaller than central
- Incisal edge sloped towards distal
- Well developed cingulum
- More likely to have developmental pits on palatal
- **Root apex more distally inclined
List identifying features for Maxillary Canines
- Longest tooth from apex to cusp tip
- Pentagonal crown outline
- Single, pointed cusp in line with root
- DI ridge longer than MI ridge
- Diamond shaped crown
List identifying features for Mandibular Canines
- Less bulky than maxillary canine
- Crown appears narrow and tall
- Pentagonal crown outline
- Distal sweep to root
- DI ridge longer than MI ridge
- Labial ridge not as prominent as Maxillary canine
- Lingual fossa less pronounced than maxillary canine
List identifying features for Maxillary Premolars
List identifying features for Mandibular Premolars
- Occlusal surface lingually inclined
- Crown shorter in height than anterior teeth
- Single rooted
- Buccal surface visible from occlusal aspect
- Lower premolars more rounded than uppers (which appear squished in the middle)
