oral anatomy (intro

enamel

this is the hardest tissue in the human body, covering the crown of the tooth. It is inert, accellular, and formed from the ectoderm. It is supported by underlying dentin

dentin

it is less calcified, more resilient, vital, hard tissue forming the main bulk of the tooth. It is formed and supported by the dental pulp. In crown portion, it is covered by the enamel and in the root portion, it is covered by the cementum

dentinoenamel junction

this is the junction between enamel and dentin

cementum

this is the less mineralized tissue of the tooth, covering the radicular portion of the tooth.

cementoenamel junction

this is the junction between enamel and cementum it is also known as cervical line

pulp

this is the soft, connective tissue in the central part of the tooth enclosed by dentin.

pulp chamber

this is the pulp cavity in the crown part

root canal

this is the part of the pulp that is nestled in the roots of the tooth

periodontium

this is the tissues including the periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone which support the teeth in jaws

periodontal ligament

the tooth is anchored to the socket of bone by this part of the periodontium

alveolar bone

this is the part of the jaw bone which supports the tooth

primary/deciduous/milk dentition

this is the dentition that has 20 teeth in total, 10 teeth in each jaw, 5 in each quadrant, starts erupting at 6 months of age and continues to erupt up to 2.5-3 years

secondary/permanent/succedaneous dentition

this is the dentition that has 32 teeth in total, 16 in each jaw, 8 in each quadrant, starts erupting at 6 years of age, 28 teeth erupt by the age of 13 years, and the remaining 4 teeth appear between 18-25 years old

stage of primary dentition

this stage of dentition lasts for 6 months to 6 years of age and only deciduous teeth are present in this phase

stage of mixed dentition

this stage of dentition lasts from ages 6 to 13 years of age, both deciduous and permanent teeth are present in the oral cavity

stage of permanent dentition

this is the stage of dentition that lasts from age 13 onwards, only permanent teeth are present and the permanent teeth replace deciduous teeth except permanent molars which do not have any deciduous predecessors

maxillary

this is used to describe the upper arch

mandibular

this is used to describe the lower arch

incisors

there are two of these in each quadrant of jaws, they are flat, have cutting edges and are delicate

canines

there is one of these in each quadrant of jaws; they have sharp pointed cusps and are strong, and are also known as cuspids, they are meant for piercing or tearing.

anterior teeth

the eight incisors and four canines together are known as this anatomical group of teeth

premolars

there is two of these in each quadrant and they replace deciduous molars, they generally have to cusps and are also known as bicuspids, they are present only in the permanent dentition

molars

there are two deciduous and three permanent ones of this type of tooth in each quadrant, the permanent ones do not have deciduous predecessors, they are large and strong, have broad surfaces designed for grinding and are situated farthest back in the mouth.

posterior teeth

the 8 premolars and 12 molars together are known anatomically as these teeth

central incisors

these are the incisors closest to the midline

lateral incisors

these are the incisors that are situated distally next to the centeral incisors

dental formula

this is used in the clinic to simplify tooth identification

zsigmondy’s method or palmers notation

this is the oldest method of numbering teeth, is used in most countries for its simplicity, but has many potential sources of errors regarding noting sides

universal system

this is the tooth numbering system that is less liable to make mistakes but needs more practice for quick and correct notation

FDI system

this is also known as the two digit system, and is most suitable for computer handling, the first number indicated the quadrant and the second digit indicated the individual tooth within the quadrant