Tooth Types and Characteristics Flashcards
Lower tooth area
Mandibular
Half of the mouth, either maxillary or mandibular
Arch
Half or an arch, right or left, and containing eight teeth
Quadrant
Front area of the mouth, from cuspid to cuspid
Anterior
Area back from the corners of the mouth
Posterior
Single-rooted anterior teeth with a sharp cutting edge
Incisors
Single rooted anterior teeth at the corner of the mouth; aka canines
Cuspids
Fourth and fifth teeth posterior from the center of the mouth
Premolars
Three most posterior teeth
Molars
Three roots
Trifurcation
Two roots
Bifurcation
Top part of the tooth containing the pulp chamber, dentin, and enamel covering
Crown
Bottom part of tooth; may be single, bifurcated, or trifurcated
Root
Where the enamel of the crown meets the cementum of the root; aka the cementoenamel junction or the cervix of the tooth
Cervical line
The tip end of a tooth; one at the end of each root tip
Apex
Surface point or area where two teeth touch side by side
Contact area
Open area if teeth do not touch
Diastema
V-shaped area between the contact point of two teeth and the gingival crest
Embrasure
Side wall of a tooth that meets or touches the side wall of another tooth
Proximal surfaces
Long-length surface of a tooth
Axial surface
Upper tooth area
Maxillary
Meeting of two surfaces on a tooth
Line angle
The meeting of three surfaces on a tooth
Point angle
Imaginary vertical line bisecting the head at the middle
Midline
Tooth that counteracts, occludes, or contacts with another tooth in the opposing arch
Antagonist
Surface of all teeth toward the cheek and/or the lips; further defined as the buccal or labial surface
Facial
Posterior tooth surface toward the cheeks
Buccal
Anterior tooth surface toward the lips
Labial
The surface of all teeth toward the tongue
Lingual
Side surface of a tooth closest to the midline
Mesial
Side surface of a tooth farthest from the midline
Distal
Cutting edge of anterior teeth
Incisal
Grinding or chewing surface of all posterior teeth (premolars, molars)
Occlusal
Relative to the root tip end of the tooth
Apical
Tiny opening in the apex of the root tip(s) that is used for the passage of nerves and vessels
Apical foramen
Smooth, convex, or rounded bump on the lingual surface near the cervical line on anterior teeth
Cingulum
A linear elevation
Ridge
Rounded enamel elevations on the occlusal surface of the posteriors, the linguals of anteriors, and the mesial and distal surfaces of all teeth
Marginal ridge
Occurs on occlusal surface of the posterior teeth at a point where two triangular ridges meet
Transverse ridge
Named after the cusps involved in the triangular ridge, form the cusp tips to e central groove on the occlusal surfaces of posterior teeth
Triangular ridge
A slanting ridge found on the maxillary molars, which is present more on the first molar than the second
Oblique ridge
A groove or natural depression, slit, or break
Fissure
A shallow, rounded, irregular depression or concavity on the lingual surface of anterior teeth and on the occlusal surfaces of posterior teeth
Fossa
Pinpoint depression located at the junction of developed grooves or at the end of a groove
Pit
Long depression between ridges and cusps
Sulcus
A rut, furrow, or channel
Groove
A point on the crown of a tooth
Cusp
A small, knob-like prominence
Tubercle
A well-defined part of an organ that develops into a tooth formation
Lobe
A shallow concave groove located on either the crown or the the root
Furrow
A high place, projection, or prominence
Eminence
The place where roots branch apart
Furcation
Bumps forming a scallop border of the incisal edge on newly erupted anteriors
Mamelon
