the.com/premolar
The tooth that retired from biting to specialize in grinding your lunch.
means A premolar is one of the flat-topped teeth between your canines and molars, used mainly for crushing and grinding food.
from Straightforward Latin building blocks: 'prae' meaning 'before' or 'in front of,' plus 'molaris' meaning 'millstone' — the same root that gives us 'molar.' So a premolar is quite literally the tooth stationed in front of the millstones, a transitional grinder bridging the sharp canines up front and the heavy-duty molars in back.
- location
- Between canines and molars, two per quadrant
- cusps
- Usually two, hence the nickname bicuspid
- succession
- Replaces baby molars, no adult predecessor name
- job split
- Tears less, crushes more than front teeth