Molar Teeth Article Index for
Molar 		Website Links For
Molar 		 

Information About

Molar Teeth
APPAREL
BABY
BEAUTY
BOOKS
CAR TOYS
CELL PHONES
DVD'S
ELECTRONICS
GOURMET FOOD
GROCERIES
HEALTH & PERSONAL
HOME & GARDEN
JEWELRY
MUSIC
MUSIC INSTRUMENTS
OFFICE PRODUCTS
SOFTWARE
SPORTING GOODS
TOOLS & HARDWARE
TOYS
VIDEO GAMES
SHOPPING HOME
MORE SHOPPING...



Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of Tooth in most Mammal s. In many mammals they grind food; hence the name, which means "millstone".

Adult humans have twelve molars, in four groups of three at the back of the mouth. The third (rearmost) molar in each group is called a Wisdom Tooth . It is the last tooth to appear, breaking through the surface of the gum at about the age of twenty.

The types of molars in the human mouth are the Maxillary First Molars , Maxillary Second Molars , Maxillary Third Molars , Mandibular First Molars , Mandibular Second Molars , and the Mandibular Third Molars .


MOLARS AMONG SPECIES


Molars differ considerably from one species to another, so there are many terms describing them:
  • Tribosphenic: This kind is found in Insectivore s and young Platypus es (adults have no teeth). Upper molars look like three-pointed mountain ranges; lowers look like two peaks and a third off to the side.

  • Quadrate: This kind is found in Human s and various other species. Four cusps are arranged in a rectangle; there may be a fifth.

  • Bunodont: The cusps, instead of being sharp peaks, are rounded hills.

  • Hypsodont: There is a lot of enamel and dentine above the gumline and the top of the pulp. This kind of molar is found in mammals that wear their teeth a lot, such as the Horse .

  • Zalambdodont: The tooth has two ridges that meet at an angle, forming the letter lambda.

  • Dilambdodont: Like zalambdodont, but there are two lambdas on one tooth.

  • Lophodont: The tooth has a few ridges perpendicular to the jaw.

  • Selenodont: The tooth has a crescent-shaped ridge or ridges.

  • Loxodont: The tooth has several parallel oblique ridges on its surface. The Elephant ''Loxodonta'' is named for this feature.



TRIBOSPHENIC MOLAR

The '', or shearing end, and the '' Talinoid '', or crushing heel. With the exception of Jurassic mammal Shuotherium , the talinoid is posterior the triginoid.

The tribosphenic design appears in all species of Mammal s. In Monotreme s, it seems to have developed independently, rather than from common ancestry with Marsupial s and Placental s.


EXTERNAL LINKS

For pictures of various molars see The Diversity of Cheek Teeth .