Oral Anatomy

Facial/ Labial/ Buccal - is the surface toward the face, that is, the surface of a tooth in the mouth resting against or next to the cheeks or lips.

• Facial - General term

• Labial - Anterior teeth (teeth touching the lips)

• Buccal - Posterior teeth (teeth touching the cheeks)

Palatal/ Lingual - is the surface of a maxillary or mandibular tooth nearest the tongue.

• Palatal - only on the maxillary (can be only used on the maxillary unlike the lingual)

• Lingual - can be used on both maxillary and mandibular (can be used on both)

Proximal Surface

• Mesial - surface closer to the midline

• Distal - surface farther from the midline

Incisal - Anterior teeth (incisors and canines) do not have an occlusal surface but do have a cutting incisal edge or ridge (end/ tip of each anterior teeth)

Occlusal - is the chewing surface of a posterior tooth (the surface of the premolars and molars)

Dentition - all of the teeth in the mouth together. Two dentitions:

• Primary dentition - Deciduous. one during childhood. Not permanent, transitory.

• Permanent dentition - one that will hopefully last throughout childhood

Maxillary Arch: The teeth in the upper jawbones (maxillae)

Mandibular Arch: The teeth in the lower jawbone (called the mandible)

Quadrant: Contains one fourth of all teeth in that dentition

Anterior Teeth

• are those teeth in the front of the mouth, specifically,

• the incisors and the canines.

Posterior Teeth

• are those in the back of the mouth, specifically

• the premolars and the molars.

Hard tissues:

• Enamel 

• Is the white, protective external surface layer of the anatomic crown 

• Highly calcified or mineralized 

• Hardest substance in the body 

• Develops from: enamel organ (ectoderm)

• A product of specialized epithelial cells called ameloblast  

• Dentin

• Is the hard yellowish tissue underlying the enamel and cementum 

• Makes up the major bulk of inner portion of each tooth crown and root

• Develops from the embryonic dental papilla (mesoderm)

• The cells that form dentin are called odontoblast

• Mineral content: 70% calcium hydroxyapatite; 18% organic matter (collagen fibers); 12% water

• Cementum

• Is the dull yellow external layer of the tooth root 

• Very thin, especially next to the cervical line 

• Develops from the dental sac (mesoderm) 

• the calcified or mineralized tissue layer covering the root of the tooth which sits inside the gum socket.

• Is produced by cells called cementoblast

• Mineral content: 65% calcium hydroxyapatite (mineralized and calcified); 35% organic matter (collagen fibers); 12% water

Soft Tissue:

• Pulp

• It the soft tissue in the cavity or pace in the center of the crown and root called the pulp cavity

• It develops from the dental papilla (mesoderm)

• Functions of the dental pulp 

1. Formative: secondary dentin

2. Sensory: nerve endings relay the sense of pain 

3. Nutritive defensive or protective: reparative dentin 

• Is the inner surface of the enamel cap where enamel joins dentin 

• Is the inner surface of cementum where cementum joins dentin 

• When viewed from the mesial or distal aspect, the cervical line of a tooth curves (is convex) toward the incisal or occlusal surface

• In general, the amount of curvature is greater on the mesial surface than on the distal surface of the same tooth

• Anatomic are at the tip/end of the root

• Is the tip or peak with visible openings called apical foramina

• Where the nerves and blood vessels enter into the tooth pulp

Anatomic Root

• The part of a tooth that is covered with vementum

• Defined as the supporting tissues od the teeth in the mouth, including surrounding alveolar bone, the gingiva the periodontal ligament, and cementum the outer, layer of the tooth roots

• Alveolar bone: the portion of the upper (maxillary) lover (mandibular) bones that surround the roots of the teeth 

• Is the part of the soft tissue in the mouth that covers the alveolar bone of the jaws

• Free gingiva/ marginal gingiva and gingival sulcus

• A collar of thin gingiva tha surround each tooth and, in health, adapts to the tooth but provides access into the potential space between the free gingiva and the tooth which us called a gingival sulcus (crevice)

• Attached gingiva

• Firmly bound to the underlying alveolar bone 

• The portion of the gingiva extending from the gingival margin to the alveolar mucosa

• Part of the collar of free gingiva that extends between the teeth. 

• Is a very thin ligament composed of many tissue fibers that attach the outer layer of the tooth root to the thin layer of dense alveolar bone surrounding each tooth