[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 right lateral incisor

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# Upper right lateral incisor

The upper right lateral incisor (tooth 12) 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
- Its root guides the erupting canine: a small cone-shaped (peg) or missing lateral incisor is linked to a canine that erupts 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 12, upper right 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 right central incisor](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/upper-right-central-incisor/)

**Lateral**
The [upper right canine](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/upper-right-canine/); in children the crown of the developing canine lies close to this tooth's root

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

**Below**
Opposes the [lower right lateral incisor](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lower-right-lateral-incisor/) and the [lower right canine](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lower-right-canine/)

## How to find it

Second tooth from the midline on the upper right; narrower and shorter than the central incisor beside it, with a more rounded edge.

## On imaging

On a periapical, dens invaginatus shows as a loop of enamel folding into the crown toward the pulp. A panoramic film confirms a missing lateral and shows where the canine above it is heading.

## Common problems

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

## Clinical notes

- Anterior superior alveolar nerve (V2); infiltration in the vestibule above the apex numbs it, and the nasopalatine nerve also reaches the palatal gum here
- Its root tip often curves backward and leans toward the palate, so an abscess from this tooth may point on the palate rather than in the vestibule

## Anatomical variants

- Among the teeth most often missing from birth; a small cone-shaped (peg) crown is a milder form of the same tendency

## Development

Replaces the primary upper right lateral incisor (FDI 52).

## 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 right lateral incisor?

Dens invaginatus: an enamel fold that dips toward the pulp, linked to the pit on its palatal surface.

## What happens to the upper right canine when the upper right lateral incisor is peg-shaped or missing?

The canine loses its eruption guide (the lateral incisor's root) and tends to erupt toward the palate.

## Why may an abscess from the upper right lateral incisor point on the palate?

Its root tip often curves backward and leans toward the palate.

## How does dens invaginatus of the upper right lateral incisor look on a periapical radiograph?

As a loop of enamel folding from the palatal pit into the crown toward the pulp.

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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-right-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-right-lateral-incisor/