Dental anatomy and occlusion
Know tooth morphology, eruption sequence, contacts and functional occlusion. Anatomical variation changes access, restoration design and extraction risk.
Understand
Compare crown morphology, root number, pulp chamber shape and eruption patterns for each tooth group. Occlusal anatomy creates contacts and pathways for force, but individual variation is common.
Assess
Chart teeth unambiguously and inspect clinical and radiographic anatomy before access, restoration or extraction. Consider the antagonist and adjacent contact as well as the target tooth.
Apply
A restoration must permit cleansable contours and a functional contact. Do not assume the usual number of canals or roots; altered eruption, fusion, dilaceration and wear can make a routine procedure complex.
Key distinctions
Permanent teeth vary in root morphology and pulp anatomy, especially molars and premolars. Root resorption, previous endodontic treatment and restorative posts change extraction or retreatment risk. Occlusal contacts should be checked in habitual closure and excursions when they might affect a planned restoration, while avoiding the assumption that every asymmetry is pathological.
Think through a case
A lower molar with apparently simple crown anatomy has long, divergent roots on the radiograph. The image changes the extraction plan even though the tooth identity did not change.
The distinction to remember
Do not infer root or canal number from the crown alone. The anatomical average is a starting hypothesis, not a guarantee for the individual patient.
Test your recall
Why identify a tooth's root form before extraction?
Show answer
Curvature, divergence and proximity to adjacent structures alter the technique and risk.