The 4 Types of Teeth: Incisors, Canines, Premolars, and Molars
Health ConditionsDental & Oral HealthDental Health

The Different Types of Teeth and What They Do

The Different Types of Teeth and What They Do
Canva (4); Everyday Health
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Updated on January 30, 2025
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It can be easy to take our teeth for granted until something goes wrong. Our teeth play a major role in our ability to eat and digest food, and can affect our overall health.

Adults typically have 32 permanent teeth, though people who’ve had all of their wisdom teeth removed might have only 28. Some people naturally have fewer teeth, a condition called hypodontia. And others naturally have extra teeth, known as hyperdontia.

Our different types of teeth help us cut, tear, mash, and grind our food, making it easier to swallow. Here’s what you need to know about each type and its role, as well as the parts and anatomy of teeth.

Graphic titled, Types of Teeth and What They Do. Some illustrated points include, incisors (biting and cutting), canines (tearing), premolars (tearing, crushing, and grinding), first and second molars (grinding and chewing), and third molars (wisdom teeth

Types of Teeth and the Role They Play

Adults have four main types of teeth, each with a slightly different shape designed for its specific role.

Incisors

Incisors are the eight front teeth — four on the top and four on the bottom — with flat edges for cutting and biting food. These are the first teeth to come in, usually starting around 8 or 9 months of age. Incisors are also usually the first teeth that kids lose, typically when they’re around 6 or 7 years old. Permanent incisors tend to grow in around age 7 or 8.

Canines

Canines are the four sharp teeth on either side of the upper and lower incisors. They are the pointiest teeth and help you tear apart foods like meats or crunchy vegetables. Canines get their name because they look a lot like a dog’s fangs.

Babies usually get their upper canines around 16 to 22 months of age, followed by the lower canines at about 17 to 23 months. The lower canines tend to fall out first, between ages 9 and 12, and permanent canines also start coming in around this time.

Premolars

Premolars, also called bicuspids, typically have two points that serve as ridges for tearing, crushing, and grinding food.

 Premolars are located between the canines and molars. There are four premolars on the upper jaw and four on the lower jaw. Babies don’t get bicuspids — these permanent teeth don’t start growing in until kids are around 10 years old.

Molars

Molars are the tough teeth all the way in the back of the mouth that have several points and ridges. They handle about 90 percent of your chewing. Most people grow a dozen molars, but many have fewer after the removal of their wisdom teeth, which are a type of molar.

  • First Molars We use the first molars for grinding and chewing food. In the first set of teeth that a child develops, they sit right behind the canines.

     These start to appear when babies are about 13 to 19 months old, growing in on top first. Permanent first molars start growing in when kids are around 6 or 7 years old, first on the bottom, a few years before these baby teeth fall out.

  • Second Molars The second molars are also for grinding and chewing food.

     These grow in a little later, around 23 to 33 months, then fall out when kids are about 10 to 12 years old. Permanent second molars grow in at about 11 to 13 years old.

  • Third Molars Third molars are also known as wisdom teeth. Babies don’t have them. While some people don’t get these teeth, most people see third molars come in when they’re around 17 to 21 years old.

     Many adults get one or more of their wisdom teeth removed when they crowd or damage nearby teeth or stay completely or partially under the gums (known as impaction), increasing the risk of cavities and infections.

The Parts of a Tooth

Your teeth contain four kinds of tissue, and each does a different job.

Enamel

Enamel is the white outer layer of your teeth. Harder than bone, enamel is a calcified coating that protects other tissues within a tooth.

Cementum

Cementum is the connective tissue below the gumline that covers the roots of a tooth and helps anchor it to the jaw bone. While cementum is technically hard tissue, it’s softer than enamel.

Dentin

Dentin is right underneath the enamel and cementum. It's not quite as strong as enamel, and it’s at greater risk for tooth decay when enamel wears away.

 Dentin contains tubules, or small hollow canals that can become sensitive to heat, cold, or acidic or sticky foods when enamel wears away.

Pulp

Pulp is the soft layer at the center of a tooth. It contains nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels. Pulp supplies nutrients and helps fight decay and other damage.

The Anatomy of a Tooth

Teeth have two basic parts: the crown, which is the visible white part, and the root, which you can’t see. The roots extend below the gumline and help anchor teeth into the bone.

Crown

The crown is the part of a tooth that's visible above the gums. Enamel covers the crown.

Root

The root is the part of a tooth that is not visible because the gums cover it. The root attaches to many ligaments; the major one is the periodontal ligament, soft connective tissue that lines a tooth's socket.

The Takeaway

  • Most adults have 32 permanent teeth, fewer if they’ve had their wisdom teeth removed.
  • The four types of teeth — incisors, canines, premolars, and molars — have varied shapes to help us tear, grind, mash, and swallow our food.
  • Teeth have four layers of tissue, including enamel, the hard outer layer that protects everything inside, and pulp, the soft inner layer that provides essential nutrients to teeth.

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Stacy A. Spizuoco, DDS

Medical Reviewer

Stacy Spizuoco, DDS, is a dentist in private practice in New York City. She is involved in charitable work, including organizing bi-annual dental missions with World of Smiles to Dominican Republic and volunteering at local missions such as Give Kids A Smile Day.

Dr. Spizuoco is 1 of 14 women dentists to be invited to the inaugural class of Glidewell Guiding Leaders Leadership program. She is a key opinion leader (KOL) for Glidewell Dental Lab and serves a consultant for Dental Advisors and for AEDIT. She has been published in Dental Economics and is a national lecturer and writer on various dental topics.

Spizuoco lives in New York City and enjoys running along the Hudson, SoulCycle, cooking and spending time with her Chihuahua Lexi.

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Lisa Rapaport

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Lisa Rapaport is a journalist with more than 20 years of experience on the health beat as a writer and editor. She holds a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and spent a year as a Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan. Her work has appeared in dozens of local and national media outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg, WNYC, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, Huffington Post, Yahoo! News, The Sacramento Bee, and The Buffalo News.
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Resources
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  3. Glossary of Dental Clinical Terms. American Dental Association.
  4. Wisdom Teeth Removal: When Is It Necessary? Mayo Clinic. November 22, 2023.
  5. The Anatomy of a Tooth. American Dental Association.
  6. Periodontal Disease. Mount Sinai. September 2, 2019.
  7. Tooth Pulp. Cleveland Clinic. January 31, 2023.