A Simple Guide on the Different Types of Teeth

Human teeth and their individual functions have long been the subject of study, with all teeth on the upper and lower jaw helping people to tear food, chew food and otherwise assist in grinding the food down.

The teeth are a hardened, calcified substance that is present on most vertebrates and are covered by the gums.

Over your lifetime you will develop various types of teeth, with different types of teeth occurring in certain periods of development. Teeth types include the following:

• Baby teeth
• Incisors
• Canines
• Premolars
• Molars
• Third molars
• Wisdom teeth

We offer a range of treatment and check up options for various types of teeth at our Brighton and Hove clinic, where we specialise in treating nervous patients. Our supportive team members are ready to help with many dental issues, you will see they are eager to assist when you get in touch to book an appointment today.

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Learn About the Types of Teeth in a Mouth and How They Work

If you understand the different types of teeth and how they work you can be more on top of your dental health. Oral hygiene can seem complex and even scary at times. But with a better knowledge of your teeth, you are more likely to make healthy choices and spot any potential problems before they arise.

No matter what type of teeth you are having a problem with, visiting a dentist is the best possible option. The following are some more details on human teeth types:

• Baby teeth: You usually hear ‘baby teeth’ as a common term but ‘primary teeth’ is the proper term. Baby teeth exist to make it possible for an adult’s head, jaw and mouth to grow, and will usually all fall out by 12 years old.
• Incisors: Incisors get their name from the Latin word ‘to cut’, as such they are used to slice into food in the mouth. The central incisors are your two front teeth, with the lateral incisors on either side of them, both help to cut.
• Canines: The small pointed teeth, which look a bit like vampire fangs, to the side of our incisors help to tear food.

Although it might seem like a good tooth for cutting, canines only tear – as they are behind the incisors.
Molars: All molars are used for grinding food. They come in gradually in a sort of a line, at the edge of the ‘horseshoe’ shape of your bottom or lower jaw.

There are several different types of molars including the following:

• Premolars: These are what dentists call ‘bicuspids’ and they are the first of the molars to develop – in the back of the mouth as part of the permanent teeth. These teeth ‘lead’ food to the other molars.
• Molars: These larger, more square-shaped teeth further back in the mouth are flat and wide – again for grinding food. The concave shape and nooks and crannies can make them prone to tooth decay.
• Wisdom teeth: Occasionally called ‘third molars’ these are the last permanent teeth to erupt, with the root of the tooth deep in the jaw. You usually have four wisdom teeth, but you can have fewer or more.

The only non-functional teeth in the mouths of humans are the wisdom teeth, which experts now believe are the vestigial leftovers of our ancestors. They are not necessary and many people have them removed, sometimes due to tooth pain.

During earlier stages of evolution, such as pre-historic and hunter-gatherer times, it was much more likely that people would consume very rough and coarse foods. Coarse foods like grains thereby needed strong, large wisdom teeth to consume.

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Different Types of Teeth Explained

The four types of teeth are incisors, molars canines and wisdom teeth – but there are a few subcategories of teeth within each of them, most notably the molars. Children also have their baby teeth, or ‘primary teeth’, which fall out by age 12. For adult teeth, people develop their final wisdom teeth at around 20 years old.

Although there are various types of teeth, the teeth are mostly there to cut, tear and grind food. We can check, straighten and restore all types of teeth at our Brighton and Hove clinic – where we specialise in treating nervous patients. Please feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions or to book.

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FAQs and Further Information

The following are some common questions and frequently asked questions about types of teeth and the services we provide:

Which teeth are most important?

All of the teeth serve some sort of purpose in the mouth, aside from the wisdom teeth, to help keep teeth capable of cutting, tearing and grinding your food. However, the first molars (not the premolars) are arguably the most vital tooth to come in during adolescence – as they affect the symmetry of the face. In young adults and older age groups, the molars are also the main chewing area, grinding the food before digestion. The first molars are also particularly susceptible to decay, so they are also one of the most important teeth to look after as removing them can reduce chewing function, facial alignment and overall quality of life. As a result, unlike some teeth, removal of the first molars without a dental implant is not a viable option.

Are human teeth serrated?

Human teeth have a small amount of serration to help cut through food. The serration is extremely small and hard to detect in most cases. However, up close and using imaging techniques you can see the roughness and serration on a tooth – that helps us to cut and chew our food.

What tooth is the sharpest?

The canines, the fang-like pointy teeth on either side of the incisors, is the sharpest type of tooth in the human mouth. Canines are also the longest type of tooth, extending further than other teeth into the mouth but also deeper into the jaw structure too.