MAXILLARY FIRST BICUSPID (PREMOLARS)

It is considered to be the typical bicuspid. (The word "bicuspid" means "having two cusps.")

Facial: The buccal surface is quite rounded and this tooth resembles the maxillary canine. The buccal cusp is long; from that cusp tip, the prominent buccal ridge descends to the cervical line of the tooth.

Lingual: The lingual cusp is smaller and the tip of that cusp is shifted toward the mesial. The lingual surface is rounded in all aspects.

Proximal: The mesial aspect of this tooth has a distinctive concavity in the cervical third that extends onto the root. It is called variously the mesial developmental depression, mesial concavity, or the 'canine fossa'--a misleading description since it is on the premolar. The distal aspect of the maxillary first permanent molar also has a developmental depression. The mesial marginal developmental groove is a distinctive feature of this tooth.

Occlusal: There are two well-defined cusps buccal and lingual. The larger cusp is the buccal; its cusp tip is located midway mesiodistally. The lingual cusp tip is shifted mesially. The occlusal outline presents a hexagonal appearance. On the mesial marginal ridge is a distinctive feature, the mesial marginal developmental groove.

Contact Points;The distal contact area is located more buccal than is the mesial contact area.

Root Surface:-The root is quite flat on the mesial and distal surfaces. In about 50 percent of maxillary first bicuspids, the root is divided in the apical third, and when it so divided, the tips of the facial and lingual roots are slender and finely tapered.

Disturbances to interarch alignment are

a. Excessive overbite where the incisal edge of the maxillary incisors extend to the cervical third of the mandibular incisors

b. Excessive overjet where the maxillary teeth overjet the mandibular teeth by more than 3mm

c. End-to-end relationship: edge-to edge bite where the anterior teeth meet at there incisal edge with  no overjet or overbite; cusp-to bite where the posterior teeth meet  cusp to cusp with no interdigitation

d. Crossbite where the normal faciolingual relationship of the maxillary to the mandibular teeth is altered for the anterior.teeth. the mandibular  tooth or teeth are facial  rather than lingual to the maxillary teeth for the posterior teeth, normal inercuspaton is not seen

Genetics and Environment: Introduction

The size of the teeth and the timing of the developing dentition and its eruption are genetically determined. Teeth are highly independent in their development. Also, teeth tend to develop along a genetically predetermined course.: tooth development and general physical development are rather independent of one another. Serious illness, nutritional deprivation, and trauma can significantly impact development of the teeth. This genetic independence (and their durability) gives teeth special importance in the study of evolution.

Teeth erupt full size and are ideal for study throughout life. Most important, age and sex can be recorded.

When teeth erupt into the oral cavity, a new set of factors influence tooth position. As the teeth come into function, genetic and environment determine tooth position.

In real life, however, girls shed deciduous teeth and receive their permanent teeth slightly earlier than boys, possibly reflecting the earlier physical maturation achieved by girls. Teeth are slightly larger in boys that in girls

Amelogenesis and Enamel

Enamel is highly mineralized: 85% hydroxyapatite crystals
Enamel formation is a two-step process
The first step produces partially mineralized enamel: 30% (secretory)
The second step: Influx of minerals, removal of water and organic matrix (maturative)
Again, dentin is the prerequisite of enamel formation (reciprocal induction)
Stratum intermedium: high alkaline phosphatase activity
Differentiation of ameloblasts: Increase in glycogen contents

Formation of the enamel matrix
Enamel proteins, enzymes, metalloproteinases, phosphatases, etc.
Enamel proteins: amelogenins (90%), enamelin, tuftelin, and amelin
Amelogenins: bulk of organic matrix
Tuftelin: secreted at the early stages of amelogenesis (area of the DE junction)
Enamelin: binds to mineral
Amelin

Mineralization of enamel
 No matrix vesicles
Immediate formation of crystallites
Intermingling of enamel crystallites with dentin
"Soft" enamel is formed

Histologic changes

Differentiation of inner enamel epithelium cells. They become ameloblasts
Tomes' processes: saw-toothed appearance
Collapse of dental organ
Formation of the reduced enamel epithelium

Hard tissue formation (Amelogenesis )

Enamel formation is called amelogenesis and occurs in the crown stage of tooth development. "Reciprocal induction" governs the relationship between the formation of dentin and enamel; dentin formation must always occur before enamel formation. Generally, enamel formation occurs in two stages: the secretory and maturation stages. Proteins and an organic matrix form a partially mineralized enamel in the secretory stage; the maturation stage completes enamel mineralization.

In the secretory stage, ameloblasts release enamel proteins that contribute to the enamel matrix, which is then partially mineralized by the enzyme alkaline phosphatase. The appearance of this mineralized tissue, which occurs usually around the third or fourth month of pregnancy, marks the first appearance of enamel in the body. Ameloblasts deposit enamel at the location of what become cusps of teeth alongside dentin. Enamel formation then continues outward, away from the center of the tooth.

In the maturation stage, the ameloblasts transport some of the substances used in enamel formation out of the enamel. Thus, the function of ameloblasts changes from enamel production, as occurs in the secretory stage, to transportation of substances. Most of the materials transported by ameloblasts in this stage are proteins used to complete mineralization. The important proteins involved are amelogenins, ameloblastins, enamelins, and tuftelins. By the end of this stage, the enamel has completed its mineralization.

 lntraarch relationship refers to the alignment of the teeth within an arch

1. In an ideal alignment teeth should contact at their proximal crests of curvature. A continuous arch form is observed in occlusal view

Curves of the occlusal plane (a line connecting the cusp tips of the canines, premolars, and molars) are observed from the proximal view

Curve of Spee: anterior to posterior curve; for mandibular teeth the curve is concave and for maxillary teeth it is convex

Curve of Wilson- medial to lateral curve for mandibular teeth the curve is also convex and for the maxillary it is convex

2. Contact does not always exist Some permanent dentitions have normal spacing

Primary dentitions often have developmental spacing in the anterior area: some primary den titions have a pattern of spacing called primate spaces between the primary maxillary lateral incisors and canine and between the mandibular canine and first mo1ar

Disturbances to the intraarch alignment are described as

a. Qpen contact where interproximal space exist  because of missing teeth oral habits, dental disease, or overdeveloped frena

b. where contact or position is at an unexpected area because of developmental disturbances, crowding, dental caries or periodontal ligament for their misplaced position: facial, lingual. mesial, supra(supraerupted) infra (infraerupted) and torso (rotated) version

Gingiva

The connection between the gingiva and the tooth is called the dentogingival junction. This junction has three epithelial types: gingival, sulcular, and junctional epithelium. These three types form from a mass of epithelial cells known as the epithelial cuff between the tooth and the mouth.

Much about gingival formation is not fully understood, but it is known that hemidesmosomes form between the gingival epithelium and the tooth and are responsible for the primary epithelial attachment. Hemidesmosomes provide anchorage between cells through small filament-like structures provided by the remnants of ameloblasts. Once this occurs, junctional epithelium forms from reduced enamel epithelium, one of the products of the enamel organ, and divides rapidly. This results in the perpetually increasing size of the junctional epithelial layer and the isolation of the remenants of ameloblasts from any source of nutrition. As the ameloblasts degenerate, a gingival sulcus is created.