Anatomy of permanent dentition

• The mandibular second premolar may have 2 cusps (one buccal, one lingual) or 3 cusps (one buccal, two lingual)
• Premolars are generally bicuspids
• Incisors are chisel-like and good for shearing and cutting food
• Incisors are important for aesthetics and speaking and are usually single-rooted
• Canines have the longest roots in the dentition
• Canines have the greatest buccal-palatal dimension of any anterior teeth
• The lingual cusp is significantly smaller than the buccal cusp in first premolars, while the difference is not significant in second premolars (maxillary and mandibular)
• The molars are the largest and strongest teeth, with no deciduous predecessors
• The mandibular first molars have 5 lobes while other molars mostly have 4
• Oblique ridges are unique to the maxillary molars
• Maxillary second molars may have a 3 cusp or 4 cusp type
• The lower first molars and central incisors erupt at almost the same time
• The maxillary first premolar has a mesial marginal developmental groove
• The mandibular first premolar has a mesiolingual developmental groove
• For maxillary molars, the facial aspect has two roots while the lingual has one
• For mandibular molars, there is a slight lingual inclination
• Maxillary first molars may have a cusp of Carabelli
• Maxillary incisors are larger, more squarish, and have rounder angles compared to mandibular incisors
• The roots of maxillary incisors are more conical, while the roots of the mandibular incisors are ribbon-like
• The maxillary canine has more prominent cingulum, lingual fossae, distal bulge, and ridges
• The cusp of maxillary premolars are centered over the root, while the cusps of mandibular premolars are tilted lingually
• Maxillary molars have 3 roots while mandibular molars have 2
• The maxillary central incisor is more square and the maxillary lateral incisor is more rounded overall
• The cingulum of the mandibular central incisor is centered, while the cingulum of the mandibular lateral incisor is twisted to the distal side
• The maxillary first premolar has a mesial marginal developmental groove while the maxillary second premolar does not
• The mandibular first premolar has a mesiolingual developmental groove while the mandibular second premolar does not
• The maxillary first molar has a prominent distolingual cusp and a cusp of Carabelli on the mesiolingual cusp (largest cusp)
• In maxillary second premolars, the lingual cusp is mesial to the center
• In the 2 cusp mandibular second premolar, the lingual cusp is mesial to the center
• In the 3 cusp mandibular second premolar, the mesiolingual cusp is larger than the distolingual
• In the mandibular first molar, the smallest cusp is the distal and the crown tapers towards the distal side; the mesial side is also straighter
• In the mandibular second molar, the crown tapers towards the distal; the mesial outline occlusally is straight while the distal is convex