Contact Points; Height of Curvature.

When viewed from the facial, the distal contact area is located more cervically than is the mesial contact area. Right and Left: The one consistent clue to right and left is the lingual cusp tip which is shifted mesially. Root: The maxillary second premolar has a single root. Variation: The occlusal anatomy is more variable in the second than in the first. There is wide variability is root size, curvature, and form. ..... Mandibular First Premolar Facial: The outline is very nearly symmetrical bilaterally, displaying a large, pointed buccal cusp. From it descends a large, well developed buccal ridge. Lingual: This tooth has the smallest and most ill-defined lingual cusp of any of the premolars. A distinctive feature is the mesiolingual developmental groove. (Remember the mesial marginal developmental groove in the upper first premolar? That one is mesial. The one on the lower is toward the lingual.) Proximal: The large buccal cusp tip is centered over the root tip, about at the long axis of this tooth. The very large buccal cusp and much reduced lingual cusp are very evident. You should keep in mind that the mesial marginal ridge is more cervical than the distal contact ridge; each anticipate the shape of their respective adjacent teeth. Occlusal: The occlusal outline is diamond-shaped. (Review of premolar occlusal outlines: the upper first is hexagonal, the upper second is ovoid, the lower first is diamond, and the lower second is square.) The large buccal cusp dominates the occlusal surface. Marginal ridges are well developed and the

mesiolingual developmental groove is consistently present. There are mesial and distal fossae with pits, affectionately known as 'snake eyes' when they are restored.