The
mandibular central incisor is the
tooth located on the
jaw, adjacent to the midline of the
face. It is mesial (toward the midline of the face) from both
mandibular lateral incisors. As with all
incisors, its function includes
shearing or cutting food during
mastication, commonly known as chewing. There are no
cusps on the tooth. Instead, the surface area of the tooth used in eating is called an incisal ridge or incisal edge. Though the two are similar, there are some minor differences between the
deciduous (baby) mandibular central incisor and that of the
permanent mandibular central incisor. The mandibular central incisors are usually the first teeth to appear in the mouth, typically around the age of 6-8 months.