Cheek teeth Cheek teeth Cheek teeth or post-canines comprise the molar and premolar teeth in mammals. Cheek teeth are multicuspidate (having many folds or tubercles). Mammals have multicuspidate molars (three in placentals, four in marsupials, in each jaw quadrant) and premolars situated between canines and molars whose shape and number varies considerably among particular groups. Cheek teeth are sometimes separated from the incisors by a gap called a diastema. Cheek teeth in reptiles are much simpler as compared to mammals. Apart from helping grind the food to properly reduce the size of substrates for stomach enzymes, their minor role is in giving
Hinge teeth teeth in a bivalve shell is often essential for identification and classification. A formal terminology is used to describe the different types of dentition. The hinge teeth, or the lack thereof, is an important feature in identifying bivalves because the teeth are generally similar within the major taxonomic groups. Historically the hinge teeth have provided a convenient means by which to construct classification schemes and attempt to indicate the phylogenetic relationships within the class Bivalvia. There are formal names for the various types of hinge tooth arrangements or "dentition". The "taxodont" hinge shows either one or two rows of similar