Posterior teeth Posterior teeth In dentistry, the term posterior teeth usually refers as a group to the premolars and molars, as distinguished from the anterior teeth, which are the incisors and canine teeth. The distinction is one of anterior (front of the body) versus posterior (rear of the body). The distinction holds in both the upper jaw (maxilla) and lower jaw (mandible). As a rough guide, it can be said that the anterior teeth are tailored to biting (breaking the food into chewable chunks) whereas the posterior teeth are tailored to chewing (comminuting the food into swallowable particles). Anterior teeth are inherently
Neonatal teeth Neonatal teeth Natal teeth are teeth that are present above the gumline (have already erupted) at birth, and neonatal teeth are teeth that emerge through the gingiva during the first month of life (the neonatal period). The incidence of neonatal teeth varies considerably, between 1:700 and 1:30,000 depending on the type of study; the highest prevalence is found in the only study that relies on personal examination of patients. Natal teeth, and neonatal teeth, can be the baby's normal deciduous teeth, sprouting prematurely. These should be preserved, if possible. Alternately, they could be supernumary teeth, extra teeth, not part of