Teeth

Front 1

5 Ways to Describe Mammalian Teeth

Back 1

Attachment of Teeth to Jaws
Tooth Replacement
Tooth Shape
Surface Characteristics of Cheek Teeth
Height of Cheek Teeth

Front 2

Attachement of Teeth to Jaws

Back 2

Skin attachment
Acrodont
Pleurodont
Thecodont

Front 3

Skin attachment

Back 3

loosely attached by ligaments

Seen in: cartilaginous fishes & fangs of snakes

Front 4

Acrodont

Back 4

"summit tooth"
teeth sit on top of the jaw
joined weakly to jaw bones (very little roots) by a continuum of hard tissue

Seen in: bony fish

Front 5

Pleurodont

Back 5

"side tooth"
teeth sit on an L shaped ledge
each tooth touches bone with only the outer surface of the root

Seen in: lizards & non-fanged snake teeth

Front 6

Thecodont

Back 6

"sheath tooth"
teeth roots are held in sockets

Seen in: alligators & mammals

Front 7

Tooth Replacement

Back 7

Polyphydont
Diphydont

Front 8

Polyphydont

Back 8

many generations of teeth

Seen in: sharks

Front 9

Diphydont

Back 9

2 generations of teeth

Seen in: mammals

Front 10

Shape of Teeth

Back 10

Homodont
heterodont

Front 11

Homodont

Back 11

all teeth are the same shape & size

Seen in: shark, gar, pirahna

Front 12

Heterodont

Back 12

teeth are different shapes & sizes

Seen in: wolf eel, mammals

Front 13

Surface Characteristics of Cheek Teeth

Back 13

Bunodont
Lophodont
Selenodont
Secodont

Front 14

Bunodont

Back 14

flat crowns covered with enamel

Seen in: omnivores

Front 15

Lophodont

Back 15

transverse ridges from the unequal wearing of dentine & enamel

Seen in: rodents

Front 16

Selenodont

Back 16

longitudinal ridges from the unequal wearing of dentine & enamel

Seen in: deer

Front 17

Secodont

Back 17

teeth with sharp cutting edges that produce a shearing action.
carnaissal pair: form a diamond when together (allows grip of bones)

Seen in: Carnivores

Front 18

Height of Cheek Teeth

Back 18

Hypsodont
Brachydont

Front 19

Hypsodont

Back 19

high crowned: taller (from the root) than their width

Seen in: herbivores (teeth need to be tall because they will be worn down)

Front 20

Brachydont

Back 20

low crowned: shorter than their width

Seen in: omnivores (less wear of teeth)

Front 21

Type of Teeth

Back 21

Incisors
Canines
Premolars & Molars (Cheek Teeth)

Front 22

Incisors

Back 22

Pre maxilla
unicuspied, chisel shaped tooth used for ripping

Front 23

Canines

Back 23

Maxilla
long, unicuspied tooth used to capture, hold & kill prey

Front 24

Premolars & Molars

Back 24

After Canines
aka cheek teeth. Specialized in mammals according to diet

Front 25

Labryinthodont Teeth

Back 25

base folded to increase surface area for muscle attachment

Front 26

Edentate

Back 26

"No teeth"

Seen in: turtles & birds

Front 27

Diastema

Back 27

gap between teeth

seen in: deer & beavers
-deer: longer head higher eyes, more vigilant in reducing predation
-beaver: uses the diastema to pass food to their cheek pouches

Front 28

Model for Primitive
Mammalian Dentation

Back 28

Oppossum

-Has maximum number of mammalian teeth:
5 incisors, large canines, 7 unspecialized cheek teeth (3 premolars & 4 molars)