The Different Types of Teeth & What They Do

Download Article

Plus, explore the anatomy of your teeth and how dentists number them

Co-authored by Alina Lane, DDS and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: June 16, 2026 Fact Checked

Download Article

Adult Teeth

|

Baby Teeth

|

Numbering System

|

Tooth Anatomy

|

FAQs

|

Video

Glide your tongue along your teeth—can you feel all the different shapes and sizes? Humans have 4 different types of teeth, and each one has a unique shape and purpose that helps you chew food and even make certain sounds when you speak! In this article, we partnered with board-certified dentists to help us cover all the types of teeth and what they do, how adult teeth are different from baby teeth, and what your teeth are made of.

What are the types of teeth?

Download Image

An illustration showing the 4 types of adult teeth and where they are in the mouth

Adults have 4 types of teeth that work together to safely chew and break down food. They are:

Incisors: The flat, front teeth that cut and slice into food.
Canines: The longer, pointed teeth that help tear food.
Premolars: The broad teeth with 2 points or cusps that help grind and crush food.
Molars: The flat, wide teeth in the back of your mouth that do most of the chewing (these include your wisdom teeth, if present).

Section 1 of 5:

Types of Adult Teeth

Download Article

1
Incisors Your incisors are the flat, somewhat sharp teeth in the front of your mouth (they’re the most visible when you smile). You have 4 of them on top and another 4 on the bottom. Each incisor has a single, narrow edge on top that helps cut and slice into food when you bite.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Shape: Flat, thin, and somewhat sharp.
- Location: The front of your mouth.
- Number: 8 (4 on top, 4 on bottom).
- Primary function: Cutting and slicing food.
- Secondary function: Your incisors also interact with your tongue and lips to help you pronounce certain sounds when you’re speaking. For example, say “la la la” or “ta ta ta”—you can feel your tongue tapping against the back of your top incisors to produce the correct sounds. Or, say “fa fa fa” to feel your incisors touch against your bottom lip.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Alina Lane, DDS, is a board-certified dentist with over 12 years of experience. She currently practices at The Smilist Dentistry in New York City.

Tu Anh Vu, DMD, is a board-certified dentist with over 6 years of clinical experience and the owner of Tu's Dental, her private practice.

Pradeep Adatrow, DDS, MS, is a board-certified dentist and oral surgeon with over 15 years of experience specializing in various procedures.
2
Canines (cuspids) Your canines (also known as cuspids) are the longer, sharper teeth next to your incisors that resemble fangs. There are 4 of them—2 on top, and 2 on bottom. These teeth are also known as “eye teeth” since they’re directly underneath your eyes. Because they’re long and pointy, they help you “tear” into foods like meat or crunchy vegetables.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Shape: Long, pointed “fangs.”
- Location: Toward the front of your mouth on the outsides of your incisors.
- Number: 4 (2 on top, 2 on bottom).
- Primary function: Tearing food into smaller chunks.
Advertisement
3
Premolars (bicuspids) Your premolar teeth are further back in your mouth, sitting between your canines and your molars (the wide, flat teeth in the very back of your mouth). There are 8 of them total (4 on top, 4 on bottom). They’re called transition teeth because they have a unique shape that blends characteristics of both canines and molars—they’re bigger and broader than your front teeth, but they have 2 sharp ridges that resemble the points of your canines. They help crush and grind food into smaller pieces and push food back toward your molars.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- Shape: A broad, square base with 2 (sometimes 3) points or “cusps.”
- Location: Toward the back of your mouth, between the canines and molars.
- Number: 8 (4 on top, 4 on bottom).
- Primary function: Crushing and grinding food; moving food back toward your molars.
4
Molars Orthodontist Allie Larios, DDS, MS explains that permanent molars generally appear around ages 5-7.^{[5]
X
Expert Source

Allie Larios, DDS, MS
Orthodontist

Expert Interview} Your molars are the wide, flat teeth in the very back of your mouth and are responsible for about 90% of your chewing. Your molars include your wisdom teeth (also known as “third molars,” or the molars the farthest back in your mouth), and you’re born with 12 total (6 on top, 6 on bottom); however, if you’ve had your wisdom teeth removed, you may only have 8. These are your strongest, toughest teeth that are responsible for chewing, crushing, and grinding your food.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Shape: Wide and flat with gentle ridges.
- Location: In the very back of your mouth.
- Number: 12 (6 on top, 6 on bottom); if you’ve had your wisdom teeth removed, you have 8 (4 on top, 4 on bottom).
- Primary function: Crushing, grinding, and chewing food into a swallowable mass.
5
Wisdom teeth (third molars) Board-certified dentist Alina Lane, DDS, explains that “Wisdom teeth are the very last set of molars on the top and bottom teeth. Generally, people have 4 wisdom teeth; however, many people are born without any.” Your wisdom teeth may be removed if there’s not enough space in your mouth for them to fit properly. According to Dr. Lane, “Many patients with smaller mouths and smaller jaws have wisdom teeth that do not fully erupt into the mouth, while some patients that have very large mouths have wisdom teeth that erupt in place along with the other teeth in a proper position.”^{[7]
X
Expert Source

Alina Lane, DDS
Board Certified Dentist

Expert Interview}
- Dr. Lane says wisdom teeth may also be removed if they become impacted: “Patients where the teeth are impacted (where the gum tissue partially or fully covers the teeth) will need to be evaluated to see if there's any risk of infection happening in the gum tissue around the tooth.”^{[8]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Alina Lane, DDS
  Board Certified Dentist
  
  Expert Interview}
- She adds, “If the wisdom tooth is impacted under the gum, they might be damaging the tooth in front; that’s why it’s important to have a regular dental checkup to make sure that the wisdom teeth aren't causing any damage to any adjacent teeth.”^{[9]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Alina Lane, DDS
  Board Certified Dentist
  
  Expert Interview}
- Shape: Wide and flat with gentle ridges.
- Location: The furthest back teeth in your mouth (if present).
- Number: 4 (2 on top, 2 on bottom), although people can be born with fewer.
- Primary function: Crushing, grinding, and chewing food into a swallowable mass.

Section 2 of 5:

What are baby teeth?

Download Article

Baby teeth are temporary teeth that hold space for your adult teeth. Board-certified dentist Tu Anh Vu, DMD, explains that “We're all born with two sets of teeth. You have your baby teeth, and then you have your adult teeth. When you're born, you already have your adult teeth, but you're not able to see them because they’re underneath your baby teeth.”^{[10]
X
Expert Source

Tu Anh Vu, DMD
Board Certified Dentist

Expert Interview} Typically, your baby teeth start emerging when you’re 6-12 months old, then begin falling out around age 5 or 6 to make way for your adult teeth.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- How many baby teeth do you have? A full set of baby teeth has 20 teeth. There are no premolars (just 8 incisors, 4 canines, and 8 molars).^{[12]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  
  Go to source}
- Your baby teeth typically fall out in the order they emerge, starting with your front teeth (incisors) and working back toward the molars.^{[13]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  
  Go to source} This is why wisdom teeth are sometimes called “third molars”—they’re the third and final molars to erupt from the gums.

Section 3 of 5:

Tooth Numbering System

Download Article

Dentists number your teeth 1 to 32 to keep accurate dental records. Dr. Larios tells us that there's 8 permanent teeth in each quadrant, and the numbering begins with your upper-right third molar (wisdom tooth) as #1, then you count toward your front teeth and all the way to your upper-left third molar (#16).^{[14]
X
Expert Source

Allie Larios, DDS, MS
Orthodontist

Expert Interview} Then, the counting resumes with #17 at your lower-left third molar, then you count across your lower teeth until you hit #32 (your lower-right third molar, directly under #1).^{[15]
X
Research source}
- Your dentist will still assign a number to your missing teeth. For example, if you have no wisdom teeth, your backmost upper-right molar will still be #2.

Section 4 of 5:

Tooth Anatomy

Download Article

Each tooth has 4 layers of tissue: enamel, dentin, cementum, and pulp. The outermost layer of tooth that you can see is the enamel. Enamel is the hardest substance the human body makes, and it protects your teeth from bacteria that can cause cavities. Enamel forms the crown of your tooth (the visible portion above your gumline). Underneath the enamel is a layer of dentin, a dense tissue that forms the bulk of each tooth.^{[16]
X
Trustworthy Source

MedlinePlus
Collection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of Medicine

Go to source}
- The root of your tooth is hidden below the gumline and anchors your tooth to your jaw. It’s covered by a layer of cementum, another type of protective tissue.
- The innermost layer of your tooth consists of pulp, a soft, living tissue containing nerves, blood vessels, and other connective tissues.
EXPERT TIP

Pradeep Adatrow, DDS, MS
Board Certified Dentist & Oral Surgeon
Dr. Pradeep Adatrow is the only board certified Dentist, Periodontist, and Prosthodontist in the southern United States. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Adatrow specializes in dental implants, TMJ treatments, periodontal plastic surgery, surgical and non-surgical periodontics, bone regeneration, laser treatments, and soft tissue and gum graft procedures. He received a BS in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Alabama and earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. Dr. Adatrow then completed a three-year postgraduate program in periodontics and implantology at Indiana University and went on to complete another three-year postdoctoral program in advanced prosthodontics from the University of Tennessee. He also serves as a full-time professor and the Director of Surgical Prosthodontics at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Adatrow received the Dean's Junior Faculty Award and the John Diggs Faculty Award, and he was inducted into the Deans Odontological Society. He is board certified by the American Board of Periodontology and is a Fellow of the prestigious International College of Dentistry – a feat that only 10,000 others worldwide can claim.

Pradeep Adatrow, DDS, MS
Board Certified Dentist & Oral Surgeon

Teeth are the strongest structures within the human body. They owe their strength to the presence of hydroxyapatite, a mineral also found in rocks. This unique composition allows teeth to be preserved for a remarkably long time.

Section 5 of 5:

Frequently Asked Questions

Download Article

1
How many teeth do humans have? Including all 4 wisdom teeth, adult humans have 32 teeth total (16 on top, 16 on bottom). However, if you’ve had your wisdom teeth removed, you may only have 28 teeth (14 on top, 14 on bottom).^{[17]
X
Research source}
2
Are teeth bones? No, teeth are not bones (despite their similar appearance). They’re actually ectodermal organs (structures and tissues that interact with the outside environment), like your skin, hair, and sweat glands.^{[18]
X
Research source} While bones are primarily made of collagen and minerals, teeth consist of different tissue types (enamel, dentin, cementum, and pulp).^{[19]
X
Research source}
3
Which teeth are the most important? All of your teeth are important, as they work together to help you safely chew and break down your food. Some dental professionals believe the first molars are the most important, though, since they are the first adult teeth to erupt from the gums and set the foundation for your dental arch (the U-shaped, curved arrangement of your teeth). They also do the majority of chewing and anchor your bite.^{[20]
X
Research source}