Dental Anatomy &
Physiology
Anatomy of the Skull
Jaw Bone
– Maxilla upper
– Mandible lower
Oral Anatomy – Teeth
Oral anatomy
Tooth
•Central Incisor
•Lateral Incisor
•Canine
•First Premolar
•Second Premolar
•First Molar
•Second Molar
•Third Molar
Oral Anatomy – Teeth
Incisor – four front teeth either jaw
Central Incisor –first tooth on either side of
center line of face
Lateral Incisor – second tooth from center line
of face
Canine – single tooth separating incisors and
molars on both jaws, third tooth from center
line of face
Oral Anatomy – Teeth
Molars – grinding teeth
 First Premolar – fourth tooth from centerline
of face
 Second Premolar – fifth tooth from centerline
of face
 First Molar – sixth tooth from centerline of
face
 Second Molar – seventh tooth from
centerline of face
 Third Molar/wisdom tooth – eight tooth from
centerline of face
Oral Anatomy
Tonsil
Uvula
Tongue
Gingiva (Gums)
Oral Anatomy
Tonsil – mass of special lymph tissue
Uvula – small tissue projecting in the middle
of palate in throat
Tongue – organ of speech and taste
Gingiva (Gums) – the tissue that surrounds the
tooth
Tooth Anatomy
Crown
Neck
Root
Enamel
Dentin
Pulp
Cementum
Periodontal Membrane
Nerve and blood supply
Tooth Anatomy
 Crown – the part of the tooth you see
 Neck –the tooth at the gum line
 Root – part of the tooth connecting to jaw
 Enamel – the bony covering of the crown
 Dentin – hard substance surrounding the pulp
 Pulp – contains nerves for sensing heat cold
and pressure and blood vessels for nourishing
the tooth
Tooth Anatomy
 Cementum – sensitive, bonelike structure
covering the root
 Periodontal Membrane – tissue lining tooth
socket
 Nerve and blood supply – feeds nutrients to
the pulp provides nerve path ways
Gum Anatomy
Gingiva (gum)
Gingiva Crevice
Alveolar Bone
Periodontal Ligament
Gum Anatomy
Gingiva (gum) – soft tissue covering the jaw
bones and surrounding the teeth
Gingiva Crevice – soft tissue going down into the
upper part of the tooth socket
Periodontal Ligament - the fibrous, net-like
tendon that holds our teeth in their sockets
Alveolar Bone - can best be described as a thin
layer of compact bone that forms the tooth socket
surrounding the roots of teeth
Professional Dental Examination
Tooth decay is one of the most common of all
disorders, second only to the common cold
Regular dental visits are essential for maintaining
healthy teeth and gums
The cleaning/prophylaxis is performed by a
dentist or dental hygienist
Professional Dental Examination
Plaque – a thin transparent film on the tooth
surface, containing much bacteria, if not
removed it forms tartar
 Uses sugar and other carbohydrates to form
acids which deteriorates tooth enamel which
leads to cavities
Plaque/Tartar that forms
along the gum line produces
toxins that cause redness,
swelling and bleeding of the
gums which is a condition
known as gingivitis
Periodontitis
If left untreated, gingivitis can
progress to a more advanced stage
of gum disease called periodontitis
Professional Dental Examination
Calculus – any abnormal stony mass or deposit
formed in the body, as in the kidney or gallbladder,
or on teeth, advanced stage of tartar
The result of minerals (example: various salts,
such as calcium phosphate, dental calculus) in
saliva combining with plaque to form a rough
deposit on the teeth
Calculus
 Your toothbrush and dental floss cannot remove
calculus once it has formed; it can only be
removed during a regular dental prophylaxis or
cleaning.
 Individuals vary greatly in their susceptibility to
plaque and calculus
 For many, these deposits build up faster as we
age.
Prophylaxis/Cleaning
Scaling and polishing procedure performed to
remove normal plaque, calculus and stains on
teeth
While the main objective of prophylaxis is to
prevent gum disease it can also improve the
appearance of teeth
Prophylaxis
Scaling is performed using
hand tools instruments or the
ultrasonic prophylaxis to
remove calculus from the teeth
Polishing
Polishing with a special paste by means of a
dental handpiece removes remaining plaque and
stains
Fluoride and Tooth Decay
Tooth enamel is the very hard outer layer
covering your teeth and consists of many closelypacked rods made of minerals
When you eat, acid (plaque) forms on the
outside of the tooth and seeps into the enamel’s
rods
Decay
This demineralization
process can produce a
weak spot on the tooth’s
surface which can lead
to decay
Fluoride and Tooth Decay
Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by slowing
the breakdown of enamel and speeding up the
natural remineralization process
Common sources of fluoride
 Fluoridated water
 Toothpaste
 Mouth rinse
If you happen to live in an area where the
water does not have enough fluoridation your
dentist can provide fluoride gels, rinses, drops
and tablet supplements
Dental Specialties
Dentist: a person whose profession is the care
of teeth and the surrounding soft tissues including
the prevention and elimination of decay, the
replacement of missing teeth with artificial ones.
Orthodontics: the branch of dentistry concerned
with diagnosing, correcting and preventing
irregularities of the teeth:
 Corrects for crowded, misaligned teeth and bite
Problems
 Can be performed on both children and adults
Dental Specialist (cont)
Periodontic: the branch of dentistry concerned
with diseases of the bone and tissue supporting
the teeth
Endondontic: the branch of dentistry that treats
disorders of the pulp and performs root-canal
Oral Surgeon – the branch of dentistry dealing
with the surgical treatment of disorders and
disease of the teeth, gums, and jaw
Pediadontic – the branch of dentistry dealing
with the care and treatment of children’s teeth