Difference Between First and Second Premolar

Key Difference – First vs Second Premolar
 

Premolars are the teeth that are situated in between the canine and the molar. They are also known as the transitional teeth and mainly involved in the mastication of food. There are two types of premolars; the mandibular premolar and maxillary premolar. In humans, the premolars are further divided as first and second premolars. The first premolar can be either the mandibular first premolar or the maxillary first premolar. The maxillary first premolar is located in the upper jaw, whereas the mandibular premolars are located in the lower jaw. The second premolar can be categorized as the second maxillary premolar located in the upper jaw and the second mandibular premolar located in the lower jaw. The key difference between the first and second premolars is based on their buccal side view. The first premolars are very sharp in their buccal side, whereas the second premolars are less sharp in their buccal side.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is First Premolar
3. What is Second Premolar
4. Similarities Between First and Second Premolar
5. Side by Side Comparison – First vs Second Premolar in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is First Premolar?

The first premolar is one of the premolars named based upon its distribution. Thus, the first premolar can be classified as the first mandibular premolar and the first maxillary premolar. The first mandibular premolar is located laterally in the lower jaw away from the midline of the face. The function is to tear food during the mastication process and to assist the canines. The first mandibular premolars are composed of two cusps, and from the buccal side, it appears as a large and a sharp tooth. Deciduous mandibular first premolar is absent.

Figure 01: Mandibular First Premolar

The maxillary first premolar is located in the upper jaw. It is located laterally, similar to the mandibular first premolar. The function is to help in the tearing of food, which is an important process in mastication. The maxillary first premolars also assist the canines in this process. The first maxillary premolar has two cusps and appears as a sharp tooth from the buccal side view. Deciduous maxillary premolars are absent. The primary molars (deciduous) are replaced by the first premolars during the development of teeth.

What is Second Premolar?

Second premolars are the other type of premolars present in humans and can be categorized as mandibular and maxillary second premolars. The mandibular second premolar is located in the lower jaw and is distally located away from the face. The mandibular second premolars assist the process of mastication and help the canines in the chewing and grinding processes. The mandibular second premolars have three cusps and one large cusp on the buccal side. The buccal side of the second mandibular premolar is less sharp. Deciduous mandibular second premolar is absent.

Figure 02: Second Premolar

The second maxillary premolar tooth is located in the upper jaw and is laterally located from both the maxillary first premolar and the maxillary molar teeth. The function of the second maxillary premolar is to aid in the grinding process of or in chewing of food. The structure of the second maxillary premolar contains two cusps, but the buccal view is less sharp. Deciduous second maxillary premolars are absent, and they emerge upon the removal of the deciduous primary molars.

What are the Similarities Between First and Second Premolar?

• Both First and Second Premolar types belong to the human teeth types.
• Both First and Second Premolar types can be categorized as mandibular and maxillary.
• Both First and Second Premolar do not possess deciduous teeth.
• Both First and Second Premolar are involved in the mastication process.
• Both First and Second Premolar assist the activity of the canines.

What is the Difference Between First and Second Premolar?

Summary – First vs Second Premolar 

Premolars are the main teeth type of humans involved in the tearing and chewing process of mastication. Two main premolars can be seen in humans namely the first and second premolars. They can be further divided into mandibular and maxillary first and second premolars. All four types of premolars are not deciduous teeth, but the key difference lies in their buccal side view. The first premolars are sharper whereas the second premolars are less sharper. This is the difference between first premolar and second premolar.

Reference:

1.“The Permanent Mandibular Premolars (Dental Anatomy, Physiology and Occlusion) Part 1.” Whatwhenhow RSS. Available here  
2.“The Permanent Maxillary Premolars (Dental Anatomy, Physiology and Occlusion) Part 1.” Whatwhenhow RSS. Available here 

Image Courtesy:

1.’Mandibular first premolars01-01-06′ (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2.’Sobo 1906 331’By Dr. Johannes Sobotta – Sobotta’s Atlas and Text-book of Human Anatomy 1906, (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia 

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