Incisor
Permanent teeth of right half of lower dental arch, seen from above.
The permanent teeth, viewed from the right.
Latin	dentes incisivi
Gray's	subject #242 1115
MeSH	Incisor

Incisors (from Latin incidere, "to cut") are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.

Contents 1 Function 2 Number and types of incisors 2.1 In humans 2.2 In Non-human animals 3 Additional images 4 See also

[edit] Function

In many herbivorous or omnivorous mammals, such as the human and the horse, they are adapted for shearing sharply. In cats, the incisors are small; biting off meat is done with the canines and the carnassials. In elephants, the upper incisors are modified into curved tusks, just as is the case with Narwhals, where normally one of them develops into a straight and twisted tusk. The incisors of rodents grow throughout life and are worn by gnawing.

[edit] Number and types of incisors

[edit] In humans

Humans normally have eight (8) incisors, two of each type. The types of incisors are:

• maxillary central incisor
• maxillary lateral incisor
• mandibular central incisor
• mandibular lateral incisor

[edit] In Non-human animals

Among other animals, some other primates, cats and horses have twelve. Rodents have four. Rabbits and hares (lagomorphs) were once considered rodents, but are distinguished by having eight--1 small pair, called "peg teeth" is directly behind the most anterior pair.

[edit] Additional images

Mouth (oral cavity)

Left maxilla. Outer surface.

Base of skull. Inferior surface.

[edit] See also

• canine tooth
• premolar
• molar
• Shovel-shaped incisors

v • d • e Tooth anatomy (TA A05.1.03, GA 11.1112-1124) Teeth Permanent (Incisor, Canine, Premolar, Molar)  · Deciduous Parts Enamel · Dental-enamel junction · Dentin · Pulp · Cusp Periodontium Cementum · Gingiva · Periodontal ligament tooth navs: anat/dev, disease/neoplasia, proc