IncisorAn incisor is a tooth located in front and toward the center of the dental arch. It is shaped like a shovel with a cutting edge that enables it to cut food.

There are eight incisors among primary teeth, four on top and four on bottom, and also eight among permanent teeth. The upper incisors cover the lower ones like a blade of scissors.

The upper central incisors are slightly larger than the upper lateral incisors. They play an aesthetic role that defines a person’s smile. The lower incisors are smaller than the upper ones and all four of them have more or less the same shape.

References

Naudin C., Grumbach N., Larousse Médical, 3ième édition, Paris, 2003.
Marcovitch H., Black’s Medical Dictionary, 41st edition, London, 2005.
Leikin J. B., Lipsky M. S., Complete Medical Encyclopedia, First edition, New York, 2003.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (www.wikipedia.org).

The information above should be used as a reference only. Any medical decision should not be taken before consulting a health care professional.

The masculine gender may have been more used in the article, but without prejudice, to make reading easier.

Category: dental anatomy