The mandibular central incisor is the

tooth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...

located on the

jaw The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term ''jaws'' is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serv ...

, adjacent to the midline of the

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

. It is mesial (toward the midline of the face) from both

mandibular lateral incisor The mandibular lateral incisor is the tooth located distally (away from the midline of the face) from both mandibular central incisors of the mouth and mesially (toward the midline of the face) from both mandibular canines. As with all incisors, ...

s. As with all

incisor Incisors (from Latin ''incidere'', "to cut") are the front teeth present in most mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and on the mandible below. Humans have a total of eight (two on each side, top and bottom). Opossums have 18, whe ...

s, its function includes

shearing Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a '' shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (a sheep may be said to have been "shorn" or ...

or cutting food during

mastication Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion, and it increases the surface area of foods to allow a more efficient break down by enzymes. During the mastication process, th ...

, commonly known as chewing. There are no

cusp A cusp is the most pointed end of a curve. It often refers to cusp (anatomy), a pointed structure on a tooth. Cusp or CUSP may also refer to: Mathematics * Cusp (singularity), a singular point of a curve * Cusp catastrophe, a branch of bifurc ...

s on the tooth. Instead, the surface area of the tooth used in eating is called an incisal ridge or incisal edge. Though the two are similar, there are some minor differences between the

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

(baby) mandibular central incisor and that of the

permanent Permanent may refer to: Art and entertainment * ''Permanent'' (film), a 2017 American film * ''Permanent'' (Joy Division album) * "Permanent" (song), by David Cook Other uses * Permanent (mathematics), a concept in linear algebra * Permanent (cy ...

mandibular central incisor. The mandibular central incisors are usually the first teeth to appear in the mouth, typically around the age of 6–8 months.

Notation

In the

universal system of notation The Universal Numbering System, sometimes called the "American System", is a dental notation system commonly used in the United States. Most of the rest of the world uses the FDI World Dental Federation notation, accepted as an international st ...

, the deciduous mandibular central incisors are designated by a letter written in uppercase. The right deciduous mandibular central incisor is known as "P", and the left one is known as "O". The international notation has a different system of notation. Thus, the right deciduous mandibular central incisor is known as "81", and the left one is known as "71". In the universal system of notation, the permanent mandibular central incisors are designated by a number. The right permanent mandibular central incisor is known as "25", and the left one is known as "24". In the

Palmer notation Palmer notation (sometimes called the "Military System" and named for 19th-century American dentist Dr. Corydon Palmer from Warren, Ohio) is a dental notation (tooth numbering system). Despite the adoption of the FDI World Dental Federation notat ...

, a number is used in conjunction with a symbol designating in which quadrant the tooth is found. For this tooth, the left and right central incisors would have the same number, "1", but the right one would have the symbol, "┐", over it, while the left one would have, "┌". The international notation has a different numbering system than the previous two, and the right permanent mandibular central incisor is known as "41", and the left one is known as "31".

Anatomy

The central incisors have fossa on their lingual surfaces. Their mesial and distal proximal contacts are located in the incisal third. The facial and lingual heights of contour are in the cervical third, as is the case with all incisors and canines.

References

*Ash, Major M. and Stanley J. Nelson, 2003. ''Wheeler's Dental Anatomy, Physiology, and Occlusion.'' 8th edition. {{Tooth anatomy Types of teeth Human mouth anatomy