Dental Anatomy
ORBG 5005
Introduction and Terminology
Terminology
Dentition
• The natural teeth in the maxillary and mandibular dental arches
• Three types of dentition throughout lifetime:
• Primary (deciduous)
• Mixed Dentition (approx. 6-12 years)
• Permanent Dentition (succedaneous)
• Anterior: Teeth in front of mouth (incisors, canines)
• Posterior: Teeth in back of mouth (premolars, molars)
Terminology
• Maxillary Arch
• Upper jaw, part of the hard palate: non-movable
• Tuberosity area (behind maxillary molars)
• Mandibular Arch
• Lower jaw, only moveable bone of skull
• Retromolar area (behind molars)
Permanent Dentition
• 32 teeth total
• 8 teeth per quadrant
• Per quadrant:
• 2 incisors
• 1 canine
• 2 premolars
• 3 molars
Primary Dentition
• 20 teeth total
• 5 teeth per quadrant:
• 2 incisors
• 1 canine
• 2 molars
• No premolars or third molars
Universal Numbering System
(Permanent)
1-32, starting UR,
to UL, to LL, to
LR
Palmer Notation
Each quadrant has bracket indicating location, then 1-8
International System
1st #: UR=1, UL=2, LL=3, LR=4
2nd #: Each quadrant: 1 (central incisor)-8(third molar)
Primary Dentition
Primary Dentition
Universal Numbering
Letters A-J maxilla, K-T, mandible
Cute Little Patients,
AJ and Katie (A-J; K-T)
Types of Teeth: Anterior
• Incisors
• Central, lateral
• Designed to cut
• Biting edge is termed incisal edge
• Canines
• “cuspids”
• Designed to cut, tear, pierce
Types of Teeth: Posterior
• Premolars
• Designed for tearing, holding, grinding
• First premolars, second premolars
• “bicuspids”
• succedaneous: replace primary molars
• Molars
• Designed for grinding, crushing
• first, second, third molars
• Non-succedaneous
Terminology
• Exfoliation: shedding or loss of a primary tooth
• Succedaneous: permanent tooth that replaces
primary tooth (incisors, canines and premolars)
• Non-succedaneous: permanent teeth that do not
replace primary (1st, 2nd, 3rd molars)
Terminology
• Midline: imaginary line that divides the body into
right and left halves
• Occlusion: the physiological mechanism in which
maxillary and mandibular teeth contact
• Mastication: the act of chewing or grinding
Quadrants
• Quadrants: one fourth of the dentition
• Upper right, upper left, lower left, lower right.
• In permanent dentition, 8 teeth per quadrant; 32
teeth total.
Quadrants
Periodontium
• Gingiva: gum tissue surrounding teeth and alveolar bone
• Attached gingiva: gingiva bound to underlying alveolar bone
• Free gingiva: Collar of thin gingiva that surrounds each tooth
• Interdental papilla: the part of the gingival collar that extends
between proximal (adjacent) teeth
• Alveolar bone/alveolar process: bone that forms sockets for teeth
• Alveolus: socket/cavity where root of tooth is held
Alveolar Tissue
Gingiva
Gingival Tissues
Gingiva
Physiologic Pigmentation
The Periodontium
• Anchors, supports and protects the teeth
• Gingiva
• Attachment apparatus
• Cementum: tooth tissue covering the root
• Alveolar bone/alveolar process: forms sockets for teeth
• Periodontal ligament (PDL): fibers connecting cementum
to bone
The Attachment Apparatus
The Attachment Apparatus
Periodontal Ligament (PDL)
• Periodontal ligament (PDL): fibers attaching tooth
to bone
• PDL connects the alveolar bone to the tooth (on
the tooth end, via cementum on tooth root surface)
Anatomy of a Tooth
• Crown
• Enamel: outer tooth layer
• Dentin: Inner tooth layer
• Pulp: nerve tissue
• Root
• (One or more roots per tooth)
• Dentin
• Cementum: outer layer of root surface
• Pulp: nerve tissue
Dentinoenamel Junction (DEJ)
• Dentinoenamel junction
(DEJ): Inner surface of
enamel where enamel
joins dentin
Cementoenamel Junction (CEJ)
• Cementoenamel junction
(CEJ): the junction between
the enamel of the anatomic
crown and the cementum
covering anatomic root
• aka, cervical line
Pulp
• Soft, non mineralized
connective tissue
containing rich supply of
blood vessels and nerves
located in the center of
the crown and root
• Pulp cavity
Pulp
• Pulp chamber:
coronal portion of
nerve
• Pulp canal/root canal:
root portion of the
nerve
• Apical foramen:
opening at the tip of
the root, pulp passes
through
