Cosmetic Dentistry and Medical Information

Posts Tagged ‘Types of teeth’

The different types of teeth are:

- The incisor teeth are square and sharp edges located in the front and center of the mouth. There are four on the bottom and four at the top.

- On both sides of the incisors are the long, sharp canines, two above and two below. The upper canines are sometimes called fangs.

- Behind the canines are the premolars, or bicuspids. There are two groups, or a total of four premolars in each jaw, two behind each canine.

- The molars, situated behind the premolars, have points and grooves. There are 12 molars in the mouth of an adult: three in each jaw, called first, second and third molars. The third molars are called wisdom teeth. They are so called because, as are the last teeth to emerge, develop when a person is becoming an adult and is supposedly more common sense. At present, the wisdom teeth are not essential, but some people believe they evolved thousands of years ago when human diets consisted of mostly raw foods that required more chewing force. But since the wisdom teeth may move or block the exit of other teeth and / or cause problems such as pain or infection, the dentist may need to remove them. This usually occurs during adolescence.

Each tooth is composed of four types of tissue: pulp, dentin, enamel and cementum. The pulp is the innermost portion of the tooth or deep. Unlike the outer parts of the tooth, the pulp is soft. It consists of connective tissue, nerves and blood vessels that nourish the tooth. The pulp has two parts: the pulp chamber, where lies the crown (or top of the tooth), and the root canal, which is the base of the tooth and below the gum line. Blood vessels and nerves enter the root through a small hole right at the base of the tooth and extend through the canal to the pulp chamber.

Dentin surrounds the pulp. It’s a hard, yellow substance that forms the bulk of the tooth. It is the dentin that gives teeth their slightly yellowish tint.

Both the dentin and pulp cover the entire tooth crown following. But the most superficial layer of the tooth is different, depending on which is below or above the gum. Enamel, the hardest tissue in the body, covers the crown. Below the gums, a bony layer of cementum covers the outside of the root and holds the tooth in place within the jawbone. Dental cement is as hard as bone but not as hard as enamel, which allows the tooth to withstand the pressure of chewing and protects it from harmful bacteria and changes in temperature from hot and cold foods.

It is that direction which is directed towards the neck of the tooth. For example, if there is a cavity at the root of a lower incisor and goes to cervical your tour will be up and if we have a cavity that is in the path of cervical crown on the same tooth will be down your way …

Apical

Is the direction it takes to reach the apex, the apex is the tip of the root.

Coronal

Is the direction it takes to reach the dental crown. It is part of the tooth that extends from her neck to its edge dental incisal or occlusal surface.

Antagonist

We refer to an opposing tooth in another to point to the same tooth but the other arch, so that the opposing tooth in a mouth ideal, the first molar ‘permanent will be the first permanent molar on the same side.

Occlusion

There is an anatomical term. We refer to occlusion in dentistry to describe what is commonly known as the bite, so the closure would be produced by contacting the gear teeth of the maxilla with the mandible. It is considered as the maximum intercuspal position to that in which the teeth of the upper and lower arch have maximum contact. For the occlusion is stable and will not damage or the periodontium or the structures of the temporomandibular joint, this “maximum intercuspal” must match “centric occlusion.” This is as close as possible to “centric relation.” Read the rest of this entry »