Premolars (overview)

The premolar teeth (Latin: dentes premolares), also known as premolars and bicuspids, lie between the canines and first molar teeth

The oral cavity houses four maxillary premolars (4, 5, 12, 13) in the upper jaw and four mandibular premolars (20, 21, 28, 29) in the lower jaw. Each side of the jaw (quadrant) contains two premolars. Overall, every adult has 8 premolar teeth.

This teeth type is responsible for food crushing, grinding, grasping and chewing.

The premolars usually have only one bifurcated root, while the crown is cuboid-shaped.

The biting area (occlusal surface) of this teeth type usually presents with two cusps.

 

Note: The Universal Tooth Numbering System for secondary dentition is used for permanent teeth numbering in the 3D model. Find out what it is and which are the two other systems in the article about the dental notation systems!