The Permanent Teeth

The Incisors (dentes incisivi; incisive or cutting teeth) are so named from their presenting a sharp cutting edge, adapted for biting the food. They are eight in number, and form the four front teeth in each dental arch.	23
The crown is directed vertically, and is chisel-shaped, being bevelled at the expense of its lingual surface, so as to present a sharp horizontal cutting edge, which, before being subjected to attrition, presents three small prominent points separated by two slight notches. It is convex, smooth, and highly polished on its labial surface; concave on its lingual surface, where, in the teeth of the upper arch, it is frequently marked by an inverted V-shaped eminence, situated near the gum. This is known as the basal ridge or cingulum. The neck is constricted. The root is long, single, conical, transversely flattened, thicker in front than behind, and slightly grooved on either side in the longitudinal direction.	24