The 5 Types of Teeth

Over the course of your life, you will develop two different sets of teeth. As a baby, your primary teeth, often referred to as baby teeth, will come in. Over time, they will be replaced by your permanent teeth. You will develop 20 primary teeth and 32 permanent teeth which will develop in stages. There are five different types of teeth that will erupt over your lifetime, each with a different shape and a different function. Each tooth has an opposite on the other side of the mouth that will erupt at around the same time.

Incisors

The incisors are the eight teeth that are most visible in the front of the mouth. There are eight incisors in total, four on the top and four on the bottom. These are often called your front teeth. The purpose of these teeth are to take bites out of food. These are usually the first teeth that will erupt with the primary incisors coming in at around six months of age. They will later be replaced by a permanent set of incisors that will come in around the ages of six and eight years.

Canines

Moving outward in the mouth, the next teeth are the canines. These four teeth are the sharpest teeth of the mouth. The purpose they serve is to rip and tear food apart, making it easier to digest. The primary canines begin to appear between the ages of 16 and 20 months. For primary canines, the upper teeth will come in just before the lower teeth. They are replaced by the permanent canines. These teeth will typically come in between the ages of nine and 12 years. They erupt opposite of the primary canines in that the lower teeth typically will come in before the upper teeth. The lower canines usually come in at around nine years of age while the upper canines typically come in at around 11 or 12 years of age.

Premolars

Continuing outward, the premolars, or bicuspids, serve the purpose of chewing and grinding up food. There will be four premolars to come in with two being on the upper jaw and two being on the lower jaw. Your primary premolars typically come in around the age of 10 while your permanent premolars typically come in about a year later around the age of 11.

Molars

The molars, or deciduous molars, serve the primary function of chewing and grinding food. They are replaced by the eight permanent premolars, four on the upper jaw and four on the lower jaw. The permanent molars come in behind the primary teeth rather than replacing them. These teeth first begin to appear at around 12 to 15 months of age. The first molars typically erupt around the age of six prior to the primary molars falling out. The second molars usually erupt sometime between the ages of 11 and 13.

Third Molars

The last teeth that will develop, and often the first permanent teeth that will come out, are the third molars. These teeth are more commonly known as wisdom teeth. The third molars usually don’t erupt until around the ages of 18 to 20 years, but some people never end up developing third molars at all. These teeth often cause overcrowding of the teeth which causes the majority of people to have these teeth removed.

Over your lifetime, you will have five different types of teeth that will erupt in your mouth; incisors, canines, premolars, molars, and third molars. Four of the five types will come in as primary teeth and then as permanent teeth which will replace the primary teeth. The only teeth that come in only once are the third molars, or wisdom teeth, which typically come in around the age of 18 to 20 years and are usually removed as they tend to cause overcrowding in the mouth. These five types of teeth all serve a specific purpose when it comes to breaking down food to make it more digestible. Serving such an important purpose, beyond just your smile, you want to make sure that your teeth are properly taken care of. Come see Dr. Acosta at Hancock Village Dental to ensure the health of your teeth.