[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Anatomy](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/) › [Head and neck](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/region/head-and-neck/) › Lower left lateral incisor

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# Lower left lateral incisor

The lower left lateral incisor (tooth 32) is the flat front tooth next to the central incisor; it helps cut food.

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## What it is

A front tooth beside the central incisor, a little larger, with a cutting edge and one root.

## What it does

Bites into and cuts food.

## Key points

- Slightly larger than the lower central incisor, the reverse of the upper arch, where the lateral is the smaller incisor
- Like the central incisor, its narrow root often holds 2 canals, one labial and one lingual

## Key facts

**Joints with**
Alveolar socket of the [mandible](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/mandible/) (gomphosis held by the periodontal ligament); bites against the opposing teeth

**Landmarks**
FDI 32, lower left lateral incisor: 1 root; slightly wider than the lower central incisor; erupts at about 7–8 years; nerve: [inferior alveolar nerve](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/inferior-alveolar-nerve/) (V3)

## Relations

**Medial**
The [lower left central incisor](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lower-left-central-incisor/)

**Lateral**
The [lower left canine](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lower-left-canine/)

**Above**
The [upper left central incisor](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/upper-left-central-incisor/) and the [upper left lateral incisor](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/upper-left-lateral-incisor/), which overlap it in front

**Behind**
[Tongue](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tongue/); the lingual gum here is supplied by the [lingual nerve](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lingual-nerve/)

## How to find it

Second tooth from the midline on the lower left, between the central incisor and the canine; slightly wider than the central next to it.

## On imaging

A periapical film is clearer than a panoramic one in the lower front; tilting the beam sideways splits the labial and lingual canals of its flat root.

## Common problems

- Sometimes small or missing from birth (more often the upper one).

## Clinical notes

- Innervated by the incisive nerve, the forward continuation of the inferior alveolar nerve past the [mental foramen](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/mental-foramen/); a mental (incisive) nerve block or local infiltration numbs it without a full inferior alveolar block
- Calculus collects on its lingual surface, opposite the submandibular duct openings, and early bone loss shows here because the bone over the roots is thin

## Development

Replaces the primary lower left lateral incisor (FDI 72).

## Related conditions

- [Periodontitis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/periodontitis/)

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## How does the size of the lower left lateral incisor compare with the lower central incisor?

It is slightly larger, the reverse of the upper arch, where the lateral incisor is the smaller one.

## Which nerve block numbs the lower left lateral incisor without a full inferior alveolar block?

A mental (incisive) nerve block, since the incisive nerve continues forward past the mental foramen.

## Why does calculus collect on the lingual surface of the lower left lateral incisor?

It lies opposite the openings of the submandibular ducts.

## What does tilting the X-ray beam sideways show in the lower left lateral incisor?

It separates the labial and lingual canals, which overlap on a straight periapical.

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

## Related

- [Mandible](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/mandible/)

Sources: [Anatomy, Head and Neck, Teeth](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557543/); [Anatomy, Permanent Dentition](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK570590/); [Anatomy, Head and Neck, Tooth Eruption](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549878/); [Anatomy, Head and Neck: Alveolar Nerve](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546712/); [23.3 The Mouth, Pharynx, and Esophagus](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/23-3-the-mouth-pharynx-and-esophagus) (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lower-left-lateral-incisor/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lower-left-lateral-incisor/