Quick Facts
Location: Distal to maxillary second premolar tooth; mesial to maxillary second molar tooth.
Eruption: 16 months (deciduous); 6 to 7 years (permanent).
Key Features: Crown, root, cusps and marginal ridges.
Nerve Supply: Superior dental plexus.
Arterial Supply: Posterior superior alveolar arteries.
Key Features & Anatomical Relations
The maxillary first molar tooth is one of the three molar teeth that are found in a quadrant of the maxillary dental arcade. It includes the following bony features:
- parts: crown, root, and cervical line;
- surfaces: buccal, lingual, mesial, distal, and occlusal surfaces;
- landmarks: mesiobuccal, mesiolingual, distobuccal, and distolingual cusps, and marginal ridges.
The maxillary first molar tooth is located:
- distal to the maxillary second premolar tooth;
- mesial to the maxillary second molar tooth.
The root of the maxillary first molar tooth is lodged in a dental alveolus of the maxilla.
Development
The deciduous maxillary first molar tooth undergoes calcification during the fifteenth week in utero, with the development of the crown being completed during the sixth month after birth. Eruption of this tooth occurs during the sixteenth month after birth and the development of the root is completed during the third year.
The permanent maxillary canine tooth undergoes calcification around the time of birth, with the development of the crown being completed during the second to third years. Eruption of this tooth occurs during the sixth to seventh years and the development of the root is completed during the ninth to tenth years (Nelson, 2014).
Function
As with all molars, the maxillary first molar tooth has cusped surfaces and is specialized for the crushing or grinding (comminution) of food during mastication.
References
Nelson, S. J. (2014) Wheeler's Dental Anatomy, Physiology and Occlusion. 10th edn.: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Maxillary First Molar
The correct anterior–posterior relationship of the molars is defined by the relationship between the mesiobuccal cusp (anterior–lateral cusp) of the maxillary and mandibular first molars.
