Mandibular dental arch
Arcus dentalis mandibularis
- Latin synonym: Arcus dentalis inferior
- Synonym: Lower dental arch; Superior dental arcade
- Related terms: Mandibular dental arcade; Lower dental arcade
Definition
The mandibular dental arcade (lower dental arcade; inferior dental arch) is smaller than the maxillary dental arcade (upper dental arcade; superior dental arch), so that -in normal conditions- the teeth of the maxillae slightly overlap those of the mandible both in front and on the sides.
Since the upper central incisors are wider than the lower, the other teeth in the upper arch are thrown somewhat distally, and the two sets do not quite correspond to each other when the mouth is closed: thus the upper canine tooth rest partly on the lower canine and partly on the first premolar, and the cusps of the upper molar teeth lie behind the corresponding cusps of the lower molar teeth.
The two series, however, end nearly at the same point in the back; this is mainly due to the fact that the molars in the upper arch are smaller.
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