Introduction to Dental Terms

By

Judith A. Porter DDS, EdD

There are many kinds of teeth

We will be specifically learning about

human teeth.

Teeth come in all shapes and sizes:

Over the course of your dental school career, you will learn how

to correct the size and shape of a tooth to make it more pleasing

and esthetic. You will be an artist and your patients’ teeth will

be your canvas.

Teeth on the “top” are

referred to as

“maxillary” teeth and

all of the maxillary

teeth are referred to

as the “maxillary

arch.”

Teeth on the “bottom” are called

“mandibular” teeth and all of the

mandibular teeth are referred to as the

“mandibular arch.”

ANTERIOR TEETH

When we talk about anterior teeth,

we are referring to those from the

canines forward (you may have

heard these called “eye teeth”).

These are the teeth most

noticeable when you smile.

Anterior teeth have

specific names.

The four front teeth are “incisors:” two central incisors

and two lateral incisors.

The imaginary line between

central incisors is called the

Midline.

We must be even more specific when talking with our colleagues

and will designate a tooth by not only name, but by position (arch

and left or right – always the patient’s left or right side.

Maxillary right

central incisor

Mandibular left

lateral incisorMidline

Canines have special names, too!

Maxillary right

canine

Mandibular

right canine

Maxillary left

canine

Mandibular left

canine

Posterior TeethPosterior teeth are

all those behind

the canines.

Premolars are usually the first two teeth behind the canines. When you

begin noticing teeth, sometimes you will find that someone has only one

premolar if the other premolar was removed when wearing braces so

crowded teeth have more room.

Molars are the teeth behind the premolars. They are larger and have

surfaces large enough for grinding. Many people do not have room for the

“third molars” or wisdom teeth.

As in the case of anterior teeth, professionals (we dentists) will talk about

posterior teeth very precisely so we’re certain we all know exactly to

which tooth we’re referring!

Maxillary left first

premolar

Mandibular left second

molar

Maxillary right

first molar

Mandibular right

second premolar

Third molars (or wisdom teeth) are missing from this picture.

Remember: we always refer

to the patient’s left or right.

Let’s see how you’re doing!!

1

2

3

4

5

Name the teeth

indicated as

specifically as

possible.

Answers

1. Maxillary right central incisor

2. Maxillary left canine

3. Maxillary right first premolar

4. Mandibular right lateral

incisor

5. Mandibular left second molar

Basic parts of the teeth

Crown

Root(s)

Root apex

refers to

the tip of

the root

Root apices

Basic terms regarding tooth

surfaces

Terms: Tooth surfaces

• In many professional fields, a new language must be learned in order to communicate with other professionals.

• It would be difficult for us to refer to a specific point on a tooth by merely saying…you know…the front corner of the tooth!

• The word “front” might mean something different to each person and the word “corner” may be taken in many different ways for a curved surface like a tooth.

Terms: tooth surfaces

• In order to communicate more effectively

and precisely with our colleagues, we have

therefore adopted a rather unique and

universal way of of directing another

professional’s attention to a very specific

place on each tooth.

• The following section begins to explain

some of these terms.

MesialThe term “mesial” refers to the area of the

tooth closest to or facing the midline.

The mesial surfaces of these anterior teeth are marked in yellow.

The midline is indicated in red.

Distal

Distal refers to the surface

of the tooth furthest from

the midline.

Distal surfaces of

these anterior teeth

are indicated in

green. Mesial and

distal surfaces are

also known as

proximal surfaces if

they face another

tooth.

The distal surfaces of wisdom teeth (or third molars) are NOT

proximal surfaces because there are no other teeth behind

them.

Midline indicated in red

Usually, the mesial

surface of one

tooth meets the

distal surface of

another…except at

the midline

(indicated in red).

Mesial for these maxillary anterior teeth is marked in yellow and

distal in green.

FacialThe term “facial” is a general one that refers to the surface

of the tooth nearest the face. More specific terms are

“labial” (pronounced lay-bee-ul)that means facing the lips

(for anterior teeth) and “buccal”(pronounced buck-ul) that

means facing the buccinator muscle of the cheek (for

posterior teeth).

FacialOf these facial surfaces, those

typically designated as

“labial” are in orange and

those referred to as “buccal”

are outlined in blue.

Lingual

Similarly, the surfaces of the

teeth nearest the tongue

(you guessed it!) are

referred to as the “lingual”

surfaces. The red ellipse

indicates where the lingual

surfaces are found.

We also talk about a precise

spot on a tooth with

directional terms. If a spot is

toward the root, we say it is

“apical” (toward the

apex).The opposite end of

the tooth is either referred to

as “incisal” or “occlusal.”

The word “incisal” is used for incisors because they incise or cut

food. The word “occlusal” is used for premolars and molars

because their surfaces are broad enough to grind food.

Let’s see how you’re doing!

1. The surface toward the face

2. The surface toward the midline

3. The surface nearest the tongue

4. The surface furthest from the midline

A. Mesial

B. Distal

C. Labial or buccal

D. Lingual

Please match the

terms with the

correct answer.

ANSWERS

1. C

2. A

3. D

4. B

If these were your answers,

you’re doing great!!!

Line Angles

A line angle is a line formed by the junction of Two

Surfaces or planes of a tooth and derives its name from

those two surfaces.

Line Angles

Point AnglesPoint Angles are defined as a point formed by the junction

of Three Surfaces and derives its name from those surfaces.

It’s difficult from this

picture of a single

tooth to tell which is

mesial or distal.

Don’t worry about

that now! This

explanation is just to

get the general

concept.

You’ll learn many more terms in the “language” of dentistry

once you get here and we have a chance to work together.

We like to have suggestions from our students and this short

presentation is a result of suggestions from last year’s first-year

students. They felt it would be much more helpful to learn some terms

before you get here so it won’t be as overwhelming in your first two

weeks!!

We hope you enjoyed this short introduction! If you have any

questions, feel free to email me. jporter@umaryland.edu

Enjoy the rest of your summer!!!