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Topic

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Lateral inferior incisor tooth

The lateral inferior incisor is the second tooth from the midline in the mandibular dental arch, located between the central incisor and canine. It is typically smaller than the central incisor and has a single conical root with a single root canal. The crown is rectangular to slightly oval in shape, with a sharp incisal edge designed for cutting and shearing food. The tooth’s labial surface is convex, and the lingual surface features a prominent cingulum. Its position and morphology play a critical role in occlusion, aesthetics, and guidance of mandibular movement during function.

Synonyms

  • Mandibular lateral incisor

  • Inferior lateral incisor

  • Lower lateral incisor tooth

Function

  • Incising and cutting food at the front of the dental arch

  • Provides support to adjacent teeth, maintaining dental alignment

  • Contributes to speech articulation and aesthetics

  • Guides mandibular movements during occlusion (canine guidance assistance)

MRI Appearance
T1-weighted images:

  • The tooth crown appears as low signal intensity due to enamel and dentin mineralization

  • The pulp chamber inside the root shows intermediate signal intensity, surrounded by the hypointense dentin and enamel

  • Surrounding alveolar bone appears intermediate signal, while periodontal ligament (PDL) may appear as a thin hypointense line

  • Adjacent soft tissue and subcutaneous fat provide hyperintense contrast

T2-weighted images:

  • Enamel and dentin remain low signal, while the pulp chamber appears hyperintense due to its fluid content

  • Useful for detecting pulpal pathology, inflammation, or periapical lesions

  • Surrounding bone marrow edema or cystic changes appear hyperintense, distinguishing pathology from normal structures

STIR (Short Tau Inversion Recovery):

  • Suppresses surrounding fat signal, highlighting edema or inflammatory changes in the alveolar bone

  • Normal tooth remains low signal, while pulp inflammation, periapical abscesses, or cystic lesions appear hyperintense

CT Appearance

  • The lateral inferior incisor appears as a hyperdense structure, with enamel being the densest and dentin slightly less dense

  • The pulp chamber is hypodense (dark) within the denser tooth structure

  • Surrounding alveolar bone is intermediate density, and the periodontal ligament space appears as a thin hypodense line

  • Adjacent oral cavity air appears black (hypodense), providing natural contrast for visualization of the tooth and surrounding structures

  • CT is excellent for evaluating root morphology, fractures, periapical pathology, or developmental anomalies

MRI images

Lateral inferior incisor tooth mri axial image -img-00000-00000

MRI images

Lateral inferior incisor tooth mri sag image -img-00000-00000