Quick Facts
Location: Distal to maxillary canine tooth; mesial to maxillary second premolar tooth.
Eruption: 10 to 11 years (permanent).
Key Features: Crown, root, marginal ridges, central groove, and buccal and lingual cusps.
Nerve Supply: Superior dental plexus.
Arterial Supply: Posterior superior alveolar arteries.
Key Features & Anatomical Relations
The maxillary first premolar tooth is one of the two premolar teeth that are found in a quadrant of the maxillary dental arcade. It includes the following bony features:
- parts: crown, root, and cervical line;
- surfaces: buccal, lingual, mesial, distal, and occlusal surfaces;
- landmarks: buccal and lingual cusps, marginal ridges, and central groove.
The maxillary first premolar tooth is located:
- distal to the maxillary canine tooth;
- mesial to the maxillary second premolar tooth.
The root of the maxillary first premolar tooth is lodged in a dental alveolus of the maxilla.
Development
The permanent maxillary first premolar tooth does not have a deciduous precursor.
The permanent maxillary first premolar tooth undergoes calcification during the second year, with the development of the crown being completed during the fifth to sixth years. Eruption of this tooth occurs during the tenth to eleventh years and the development of the root is completed during the twelfth to thirteenth years (Nelson, 2014).
Function
As with all premolar teeth, the function of the maxillary first premolar tooth is to assist the maxillary canine tooth in the gripping (prehension) and tearing of food during mastication.
References
Nelson, S. J. (2014) Wheeler's Dental Anatomy, Physiology and Occlusion. 10th edn.: Elsevier Health Sciences.
