THE PERMANENT

MANDIBULAR INCISORS
• The mandibular incisors are four in number. The mandibular
central incisors are centered in the mandible, one on either
side of the median line.
• The right and left mandibular lateral incisors are distal to the
central incisor and in contact with the canines distally and the
centrals mesially.
• The mandibular incisors have smaller mesiodistal dimension
than any other tooth.
• The central incisor is somewhat smaller than the lateral
incisor which is reverse of the situation for the maxilla.
• These teeth are similar in form and have smooth crown
surfaces that shows few developmental grooves and lines.

• Mamelons on the incisal ridges are worn off

soon after eruption, leaving the incisal ridges
smooth and straight.

• The contact areas are near the incisal ridges mesially and
distally, and line drawn through the contact areas are near the
same level on both central and lateral incisors, here also the
situation is unlike the maxillary incisors.

Mandibular central and lateral incisors Maxillary central and lateral incisors
After normal wear has taken place, obliterating the mamelons,
the incisal surfaces of the mandibular incisors show labial
inclination when the occlusion has been normal, while the incisal
surfaces of maxillary incisors have a lingual inclination. With
this arrangement, the incisal planes of the mandibular and
maxillary incisors are parallel with each other, fitting together
during incising action.
Mandibular central incisor

Chronology
• Smallest tooth in permanent dentition

• The crown and root narrow mesiodistally and

wider labiolingually

• The crown is bilaterally symmetrical

• The length of the root is as great as, if not

greater than, that of the maxillary central
incisor.
Labial aspect
Crown Outlines:
• Mesial and distal outlines taper evenly from
mesioincisal and distoincisal angles to the D M
narrow cervix. Crest of curvature of mesial
and distal outlines are at incisal third near the
mesial and distal incisal angles. This places
both the contact areas at the same level.
• Incisal outline, formed by the incisal ridge is
straight and at right angles to the long axis of
the crown. A newly erupted tooth shows
mamelons on the incisal ridge.
• The cervical line on labial aspect is convex
pointing apically.
• Labial surface is narrow and
bilaterally symmetrical. D M
• The surface is smooth, convex in
the cervical third and flattened in
the incisal third.
• Mesioincisal and distoincisal
angles are relatively sharp angles.
• The mesial and distal root outlines are tapering
uniformly from the cervical line to the apical portion.

• The apical third of the root terminates in a small, pointed

apex, in most cases curving distally. Some times the roots
are straight.

• The labial surface of the root of the

mandibular central incisor is regular and convex.
 Lingual aspect
• The lingual surface is narrower than the labial surface
because of lingual convergence of the crown.

• The surface is smooth, flat in the incisal third and

convex in the cervical portion near cingulum.

• The marginal ridges are ill defined.

• The lingual fossa between marginal ridges and cingulum

is a smooth shallow concavity devoid of developmental
grooves.

IR, Incisal ridge; DMR, distal marginal ridge; LF, lingual fossa; CL, cervical
line; C, cingulum; MMR, mesial marginal ridge.
Mesial aspect
• The curvature labially and lingually above cervical
line is less than that found on maxillary incisors.
• The labial outline of the crown is straight above the
cervical curvature, sloping rapidly from the crest of the
curvature to the incisal ridge.
• The lingual outline of the crown is a straight line
inclined labially for a short distance above the smooth
convexity of the cingulum, the straight line joins a
concave line at the middle of the crown, which extends
up ward to join the rounded outline of a narrow incisal
ridge.
• The incisal ridge is rounded or flat, and it has a labial
slope and occlude with lingually sloping incisal edges
of the maxillary incisors during mastication.
• Cervical line on the mesial aspect shows a marked
curvature towards incisal ridge.
• The mesial surface is convex in the incisal third and
becomes flat towards the middle third.
Labial Lingual
• The mesial contact area is at incisal third of the
crown.
• The tooth may exhibit a concavity in the cervical third
above the cervical line.
• The crown appears to be inclined lingually. The
incisal ridge is placed lingual to a vertical line drawn
through the center of the tooth.
• The lingual inclination of crown is a feature
mandibular teeth to facilitate normal occlusion
The root outlines from the mesial aspect are straight
with the crown outline from the cervical third ,
keeping the diameter uniform in thickness through
the cervical third and part of the middle third; the
outline of the root begins to taper in the middle third
area, tapering rapidly in the apical third to either a
bluntly rounded or pointed root end.

• The mesial surface of the root is flat just below the

cervical line. Most of these roots have a broad
developmental depression for most of the root
length. The depressions usually are deeper at the
junction of the middle and apical third.

Mesial aspect
 Distal aspect
• The cervical line curves incisally about 1mm less
than on the mesial.
• The distal surface of the crown and the root is
similar to that of the mesial surface .
• The developmental depressions on the distal
surface of the root may be more marked, deeper
more well-defined developmental groove at its
center.
Incisal aspect
• Geometric shape: It is oval labiolingually.
• This aspect shows bilateral symmetry of the
mandibular central incisor. The mesial half of the
crown is almost identical to distal half.
• The incisal edge is almost at right angles to a line
bisecting the crown labiolingually. This feature is
characteristic to the tooth and mark as one of the Bilaterally symmetrical
features to differentiation between central and
lateral incisors.
• The labiolingual diameter is greater than
mesiodistal diameter.
• From this aspect, more of labial surface is seen
than of the lingual surface because of lingual
inclination of the crown

IR, Incisal ridge; DMR, distal marginal ridge; C, cingulum; MMR, mesial marginal ridge.
• The labial surface of the crown is wider
mesiodistally than the lingual surface, especially at
the cervical area near the cingulum.
• The labial surface of the crown at the incisal third
has tendency toward convexity, whereas the lingual
of the crown at the incisal third has inclination
toward concavity.

incisal aspect.
Mandibular central incisor. Ten specimens with
uncommon variations are shown.
1, Crown and root very broad
mesiodistally; malformed enamel at
incisal third of crown.
2, Crown wide at incisal third, with short
crown; root length extreme.
3, Unusual contours at middle third of
crown; cervix narrow.
4, Well-formed crown; short root.
5, No curvature labially at cervical third;
extreme labial curvature at root end.
6, Specimen well formed but undersized.
7, Contact areas pointed at incisal edge;
crown and root very long.
8, Crown long and narrow; root short.
9, Crown measurement at cervical third
same as root; crown and root of extreme
length.
10, Crown and root very wide
labiolingually; greater curvature than
average above cervical line at the
cervical third of the crown.
Mandibular lateral incisor

Chronology
• This tooth resembles the mandibular central
incisor so closely. The tooth is uniform in shape
compare with other teeth.

• Rarely, it will have a labial and lingual root

division in the cervical third. Somewhat more
commonly it has two canals in the single root

• The lateral incisor is larger than the central

incisor. But generally its form resembles the
mandibular central incisor.
Labial and lingual aspects
D M

• The mesiodistal width of crown is approximately 1

mm more than that of mandibular central incisor
• The mesial outline is longer than the distal outline,
causing the incisal ridge which is straight, to slope
downward in distal direction.
• Mesioincisal angle forms a right angles but the labial aspect.
distoincisal angle is more rounded
• The lingual aspect of the mandibular incisors in some
Mongoloid race groups is marked by a deep but short
cervicoincisal groove, which is susceptible to dental
caries.

lingual aspect.
 Mesial and distal aspect
• The mesial side is longer than the distal side.
• Distal contact area is still within incisal third but is more cervically
placed than the mesial contact area in order to reach the mesial contact
area of mandibular canine.
• Except for the size, no mark difference is evident between the mesial
and distal surfaces of the central and lateral incisor. Even the curvature
of the cervical line mesially and distally are similar in extend.
• the root may be considerably longer than mandibular central incisor.
 Incisal aspect

• Geometric shape: It is oval labiolingually.

• incisal aspect provides a feature that can usually serve to identify this
tooth. The incisal edge is not at approximate right angle to a line
bisecting the crown and root labiolingually, as was found in central
incisor; the edge follows the curvature of the mandibular dental arch,
giving the crown of the mandibular lateral incisor the appearance of
being twisted slightly on its root base.
D

The distolingual twist of this mandibular

lateral incisor is quite evident
Mandibular lateral incisor. Ten specimens with
uncommon variations are shown. 1, Tooth very large; cervix constricted in
comparison with crown width
. 2, Specimen well formed, smaller than
average.
3, Root extra long; extreme curvature at
apical third; mesial and middle
mamelons intact on incisal ridge.
4, Extreme mesiodistal measurement for
crown length; contact areas very broad
cervicoincisally.
5, Specimen undersized. 6, Incisal ridge
thin; little or no curvature at cervical
third of crown.
7, Incisal edge labial to center of root;
root rounded; cingulum with more
curvature above root than
average.
8, Malformed crown and root; root with
extreme length.
9, Crown very wide; root short.
10, Very slight curvature at cervical
third of crown; entire tooth oversized,
malformation at root end.