Which term describes the pointed elevations on posterior teeth used for tearing food?

Which term describes the pointed elevations on posterior teeth used for tearing food?

• A. Crown
• B. Coping
• C. Cusp
• D. Dentin

Answer: (C)

Cusps are the pointed elevations on the crowns of posterior teeth that are used to tear and pierce food as you bite down. These cusp tips concentrate pressure and work with the opposing teeth to shear and grind food, with premolars typically having two cusps and molars having three or more. The enamel coats these projections, making them hard and wear-resistant, which is essential for their tearing function. This differs from a crown, which is the entire part of the tooth above the gum line; dentin is the bulk tissue beneath the enamel, and a coping is a prosthetic component used in restorations. So the term for those pointed elevations is cusp.

Cusps are the pointed elevations on the crowns of posterior teeth that are used to tear and pierce food as you bite down. These cusp tips concentrate pressure and work with the opposing teeth to shear and grind food, with premolars typically having two cusps and molars having three or more. The enamel coats these projections, making them hard and wear-resistant, which is essential for their tearing function. This differs from a crown, which is the entire part of the tooth above the gum line; dentin is the bulk tissue beneath the enamel, and a coping is a prosthetic component used in restorations. So the term for those pointed elevations is cusp.