Exam 5: Development, Form, and Eruption

The most common exception to the rule of eruption that mandibular teeth precede eruption of maxillary teeth is the maxillary first premolar because this tooth often precedes eruption of its mandibular counterpart.

Third molars are the most unpredictable of all teeth.

Permanent mandibular central incisors are the first succedaneous teeth to erupt. The earliest visible portion of an anterior tooth is the cusp of Carabelli, the name for the lingual lobe of mandibular central incisors.

Formation of teeth can be affected by nutritional deficiencies, fever, or childhood illnesses. While trauma to the dentition may delay eruption, it does not negatively impact formation of teeth.

A 10-year-old will generally have which of the following permanent teeth (select all that apply)?

The first deciduous teeth, the mandibular central incisors, erupt at approximately 6.5 to 7 months. The first permanent teeth, the maxillary premolars, erupt at approximately 6 years of age.

Exfoliation is the process by which the roots of a deciduous tooth are pushed together by the calcification process. Resorption is the phenomenon where osteoblasts destroy the roots of primary teeth.