Humans have four different kinds of teeth.

Incisors - The four front teeth on both top and bottom (a total of eight) are incisors.  The incisors are broad, flat teeth with a narrow edge, good for cutting or snipping off pieces of food. They have a single root.  

Canines - On both sides of your upper and lower incisors are the canines (a total of four). Also called eyeteeth or cuspids, canines are the longest and most stable teeth in the mouth. They are thick and come to a single sharp point. They are ideal for ripping and tearing at foods that might be tough, such as meat, and for piercing and holding. They have a long single root.  

Premolars - Next to each canine are two premolars (a total of eight). Also called bicuspids, premolars are a cross between canines and molars. They have sharp points for piercing and ripping, but they also have a broader surface for chewing and grinding. Depending on their location, they may have either one or two roots.    

Molars - The last three upper and lower teeth on both sides of your mouth are the molars (a total of 12). They are numbered first, second or third molars depending on their location. The first molars (also called 6-year molars), are those closest to the front of the mouth, behind them are  the second (also called 12-year) molars. 

The last teeth, farthest back in the mouth, are the  third molars, also called the wisdom teeth.   

Molars are large teeth with broad surfaces designed for crushing, grinding and chewing food. On the upper, the molars have three roots, on the lower, two.  

Today we will not discuss the incisors, but only the canines, premolars, and molars. These are the teeth that are crucial when it comes to a proper biting surface or a lack thereof.  

Why is dental anatomy important? 
Properly functioning dental anatomy is essential for one of the first stages of food digestion - chewing.  Chewing is essential for human health as (most) food is not prepared in a readily digestable form. Chewing increases the total surface area of the food by breaking it into smaller pieces, which allows more food to be digested.  

There is some specialized terminology or words that will help better understand the necessity of these tooth structures and depressions.  

What are some of the key anatomical shapes of our teeth that stabilize our biting surface and help us eat and chew our food? 

The first word that I would like to discuss is a cusp or a cusp tip.  

Cusp - A pointed or rounded projection on the chewing surface of a tooth. The cusp can be refered to as the "peak" of the tooth and the cusp tip is the highest point of this peak.  

 This photo is a tooth model showing a cusp and cusp tip from the side view.  

The cusp tip is used for chewing our food that we eat and is also used to balance our bite when our upper and lower teeth are together. 

 A question we hear at Natural Dentistry is "Where does the cusp tip go when our teeth come together and what if I do not have any cusps?"  

To answer the first question, the cusp tip will go into the valley of the opposing tooth but there are some key points to their exact placement that we'll touch on later. If a person does not have any cusp tips, then their teeth are flat, resulting in an inadequate biting surface.  

The next word that may be new is fossa, which is a trench or channel; in anatomy, it's a hollow or depressed area of the tooth.  The indented area on this model is the fossa.  It can be referred to as the valley of the tooth, whereas the peak is the cusp tip.  

The fossa receives our cusp tips when our teeth are closed all the way together.  

 Here is an example of an idealized set of molars and premolars that we recently did for one of our patients. Notice the anatomy of the teeth and how we have a good cusp tip to a deep fossa relationship.  

 Let's discuss how the biting surfaces of our teeth come together.
  

 Here is an example of how our teeth come together from the side view. 

 The cusp tip of the upper that is towards the tongue goes directly into the central fossa of the lower. 

 If an individual has a good fossa to cusp tip relationship, their teeth will be at highest form of function. When an individual has flat teeth with no cusps or the fossas are no longer present, then a myriad of problems can occur.  

 Here are a few of the problems that can exist: 

 1.   Chewing food may not be as easy as one have noticed in the past.

 2.   The individual will no longer be able to find their "home" or where their teeth fit together.

 3.   Patients may experience pain in the jaw joint, the TMJ (temporomandibular joint).  

 4.   Headaches, neck aches, and backaches can occur from a lack of correct tooth anatomy.  

Look at this example below of a molar that is extremely lat. This is a poor dental condition in regards to form and function.  

If you know someone that has excessively flat teeth from grinding, stress, or an improper biting surface, realize that something can be done about it. It is never too late to make changes to one's dental condition.  

 Please remember that at Natural Dentistry we strive for not only the highest level of health, but also for the highest level of quality in our dental rehabilitation cases.  

 It's not necessary to wait for headaches to be the motivation to make you want to do something about your oral condition.   We can help you be proactive prior to any signs or symptoms.  

 If it's time for your next exam or even if you have recently had an exam, please let us help you. Again, it is never too late!!  

 Each condition that we see like this at Natural Dentistry can be optimized or enhanced. Contact our office to get your questions answered.  

 Please call our main office number at 727 446-6747 and speak to Sarah or Amy at the front desk to get your questions answered or to get you into the schedule to see Dr. Behm.