Overview of the teeth (English)

Dentition of maxillary left quadrant in isolation with crowns and roots visible. Each tooth has a clinical crown, which is the portion of the tooth seen in the oral cavity. Cusps are prominent landmarks on the crown presenting as eminences or projections that help teeth with their functions. Canine teeth only have a single predominant cusp, while premolars have 2 cusps except for the mandibular second premolar which generally has 3 cusps. The mandibular first molar has 5 cusps whereas the maxillary first molar has 4 cusps with a small accessory cusp (of Carabelli) sometimes described as a fifth cusp. Both the maxillary and mandibular second molars have 4 cusps. The number of roots for each tooth is similarly variable; the central and lateral incisors, canines and premolars all have a single root with the exception of the maxillary first premolar which generally has 2 roots. The maxillary first and second molars have 3 roots and the mandibular first and second molars have 2 roots. Regarding third molars or wisdom teeth, the number of cusps and roots is subject to a deal of interindividual variation, however generally varies between 3-4 cusps in the maxillary third molars and 4-5 cusps in the mandibular third molars. Regarding roots the maxillary third molar varies between 1-3 roots while the mandibular third molar can vary between 1-2 roots.