Quick Facts
Location: Distal to maxillary first premolar tooth; mesial to maxillary first molar tooth.
Eruption: 10 to 12 years (permanent).
Key Features: Crown, root, marginal ridges, central groove, and buccal and lingual cusps.
Nerve Supply: Superior dental plexus.
Arterial Supply: Posterior superior alveolar arteries.
Key Features & Anatomical Relations
The maxillary second premolar tooth is one of the two premolar 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: buccal and lingual cusps, marginal ridges, and central groove.
The maxillary second premolar tooth is located:
- distal to the maxillary first premolar tooth;
- mesial to the maxillary first molar tooth.
The root of the maxillary second premolar tooth is lodged in a dental alveolus of the maxilla.
Development
The permanent maxillary second premolar tooth does not have a deciduous precursor. It undergoes calcification during the third year, with the development of the crown being completed during the sixth to seventh years. Eruption of this tooth occurs during the tenth to twelfth years and the development of the root is completed during the twelfth to fourteenth years (Nelson, 2014).
Function
As with all premolar teeth, the function of the maxillary second premolar tooth is to assist the maxillary canine tooth in the gripping (prehension) and tearing of food during mastication. It also assists the maxillary molar teeth with 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.
