The
maxillary central incisor is a human
tooth in the front upper jaw, or
maxilla, and is usually the most visible of all teeth in the mouth. It is located
mesial (closer to the midline of the face) to the
maxillary lateral incisor. As with all
incisors, their function is for
shearing or cutting food during
mastication (chewing). There is typically a single
cusp on each tooth, called an
incisal ridge or incisal edge. Formation of these teeth begin at 14 weeks in utero for the
deciduous (baby) set and 3–4 months of age for the
permanent set.