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What Are the Four Types of Permanent Teeth?

The human mouth is separated into four quadrants with respect to the teeth. Two quadrants are on the upper jaw while the other two are on the lower. Spread between these quadrants are 32 permanent teeth, which erupt between the ages of 6 and 21 to replace the baby teeth. Human teeth come in four different types, each designed for a specific purpose.

  1. Incisors

    • The eight most central teeth (in the front) are called the incisors. Incisors have a flat, sharp, blade-like crown which is used for shearing through bites of food. Both the upper and lower rows of teeth have two central incisors and two lateral incisors. The upper central incisors are the most prominent teeth in the human mouth, with the lower central incisors actually being the smallest teeth. These permanent teeth erupt at 6 to 9 years of age.

    Canines

    • Canine teeth can be found on either side of both the upper and lower sets of incisor teeth, one on each side. A total of four canine teeth erupt in the human mouth between the ages of 9 and 12 years old. Canines are the longest and most pointed of the teeth found in the dental arch. These teeth are also known as cuspids and are designed for cutting and tearing food.

    Premolars

    • Following the dental arch towards the back of the mouth the teeth after the canines are the premolars. In each quadrant of the dental arch two premolars are found between the canine and molar teeth. These teeth usually erupt between the ages of 10 and 12 years of age. They are transitional teeth between the cutting and tearing front teeth and the grinding rear teeth. Premolars both cut and tear food as well as crush it.

    Molars

    • The teeth found furthest back in the dental arch are the molars. Molars are among the last permanent teeth to erupt. The first molar, which is directly after the premolars, erupts between ages 6 and 7. Behind that, the second molar erupts at 11 to 12 years old. The third and final molars, also known as wisdom teeth, do not erupt until 17 to 21 years of age, or sometimes later. All three molars are found in all four dental quadrants and are used for crushing, grinding and chewing food.

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