[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/) › Upper left lateral incisor

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# Upper left lateral incisor

The upper left lateral incisor (tooth 22) 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 smaller, with a cutting edge and one root.

## What it does

Bites into and cuts food.

## Key points

- Usually 1 canal; a pit on its palatal surface traps plaque, and it is the tooth most often affected by dens invaginatus, an enamel fold that dips toward the pulp
- When it is small (peg-shaped) or missing, the canine next to it loses its eruption guide and more often ends up displaced toward the palate

## Key facts

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

**Landmarks**
FDI 22, upper left lateral incisor: 1 root; smaller than the central incisor; often small, peg-shaped or missing; erupts at about 8–9 years; nerve: anterior superior alveolar nerve (V2)

## Relations

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

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

**In front**
Upper lip and the [orbicularis oris](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/orbicularis-oris-muscle/)

**Below**
Its palatal surface meets the [lower left lateral incisor](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lower-left-lateral-incisor/) and the [lower left canine](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lower-left-canine/)

## How to find it

Second from the midline on the upper left, between the left central incisor and the canine; smaller than the central, which helps tell it apart.

## On imaging

A panoramic radiograph shows whether it is present and how close the left canine's crown sits to its root; a periapical reveals an enamel fold (dens invaginatus) inside the crown.

## Common problems

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

## Clinical notes

- Supplied by the anterior superior alveolar nerve (V2), a branch of the infraorbital nerve; local infiltration over the apex is enough because the labial bone is thin
- In cleft lip and palate the cleft runs between the lateral incisor and the canine; one-sided clefts are more often on the left, and on the cleft side this tooth is often missing, doubled or malformed

## Anatomical variants

- Missing from birth more often than most teeth, or reduced to a small conical (peg) crown

## Development

Replaces the primary upper left lateral incisor (FDI 62). It forms where the premaxilla meets the rest of the maxilla, which explains its link with clefts.

## Related conditions

- [Dental caries](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/dental-caries/)

## Test yourself

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

## Which developmental anomaly most often affects the upper left lateral incisor?

Dens invaginatus: an enamel fold that dips toward the pulp.

## Between which teeth does a cleft of the lip and palate run?

Between the lateral incisor and the canine; on the cleft side the lateral incisor is often missing, doubled or malformed.

## Which nerve supplies the upper left lateral incisor?

The anterior superior alveolar nerve (V2), a branch of the infraorbital nerve; infiltration over the apex suffices because the labial bone is thin.

## Which radiograph shows whether the upper left lateral incisor is present and how close the canine lies to its root?

A panoramic radiograph.

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

## Related

- [Maxillae](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/maxilla/)

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/upper-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/upper-left-lateral-incisor/