General Characteristics for All Molars

Maxillary right 1st molar

Maxillary right 2nd molar

Mandibular right 1st molar

Mandibular right 2nd molar

Crowns are wider mesiodistally than cervicoocclusally

Facial View M D

Crowns taper (get narrower) from the buccal to the lingual i.e., the mesiodistal width on the buccal half is wider than on the lingual half.
Occlusal View

Crowns taper (get narrower) from the mesial to the distal (i.e., the crown height on the distal half is less than on the mesial half).
Occlusal View M D

Crowns taper (get shorter) from mesial to distal (i.e., the crown height on the distal half is less than on the mesial half.
Occlusal View

As with premolars, the buccal crests of curvature of crowns are in the cervical 1/3 and the lingual crests of curvature are in the middle third
Mesial View

Proximal contacts on the mesial are at or near the junction of the occlusal and middle thirds; distal proximal contacts are more cervical, in the middle third near the middle of the tooth.
Facial View

Lingual cusps (particularly mesiolingual) are longer than buccal cusps when mandibular molars are oriented on a vertical axis.
Mesial View Lingual cusps Distal View

Arch Traits That Distinguish Maxillary from Mandibular Molars

Mandibular crowns are wider mesiodistally than faciolingually resulting in a more rectangular or pentagon outline. Maxillary molar crowns have the faciolingual dimension slightly greater than the mesiodistal dimension and are more square or rhomboid in outline.
Occlusal view D M M D

Maxillary 1st molar

Mandibular 1st molar

Mandibular molars usually have two roots (a larger mesial and a smaller distal root) Maxillary molars have three roots ( the shortest distobuccal, then mesiobuccal, and the longest lingual root)
Maxillary 1st molar Facial View Mandibular 1st molar

M D

Maxillary molars have oblique ridges that run diagonally across the tooth from the mesiolingual to the distobuccal cusp versus mandibular molars which primarily have two transverse ridges that run directly buccolingually.
Distal Mesial Distal

Maxillary rt 2nd molar

Mandibular rt. 2nd molar

Maxillary rt 1st molar

Mandibular rt 1st molar

Type Traits that Distinguish Mandibular 1st from Mandibular 2nd Molars

Mandibular 2nd molars have four cusps (MB = 1, DB =2, ML = 3 and DL = 4) with a cross pattern of occlusal grooves versus 1st molars which have five cusps, the same cusps four cusps as the 2nd molar plus a smaller distal cusps (D = 5) with a zigzag occlusal pattern.
Occlusal View M

1 2

4 3

1
5 3

2 4

Mandibular 1st molar

Mandibular 2nd molar

Mandibular right molar patterns

1 - Protoconid

2 - Metaconid
3 - Hypoconid 4 - Entoconid

3 5 2 4

5 - hypoconulid

6 sixth cusp

First molar roots are more divergent and widely separated versus 2nd molars roots which are more parallel and closer together.
Facial View

Mandibular 2nd molar Mandibular 1st molar

There is more taper (narrowing) from the distal proximal contact to the cervical line on 1st molars than on 2nd molars due to the presence of the distal cusp[ on 1st molars
Facial View

Mandibular 1st molar

Mandibular 2nd molar

Type Traits That Distinguish Maxillary 1st from Maxillary 2nd Molars

1st molars are likely to have a 5th cusp, the cusp of Carabelli (located on the mesiolingual cusp). 2nd molars rarely have the cusp of Carabelli.

Lingual

Mesial

Maxillary 1st molar

Maxillary 2nd molar

Roots for 1st molars are more spread apart than on 2nd molars.

Maxillary 1st molar

Maxillary 2nd molar

Occlusal aspect of 1st maxillary molar

Cusps: 4 major cusps in order of decreasing size: ML, MB, DB, DL ; one minor cusp, the cusp of Carabelli.

3
4

2 1
5

Maxillary molar primary cusp triangle triangular arrangement of the three important molar cusps.
DB MB
DL

ML Maxilary 2nd molar Maxillary 3rd molar

Maxillary 1st molar

The distolingual cusp becomes progressively smaller on 2nd and 3rd molars, often disappearing as a major cusp.