What do mouse teeth look like? - briefly
Mice have a pair of large, chisel‑shaped incisors in each jaw that grow continuously and show orange‑brown enamel on the cutting edge with softer white dentin behind. Their molars are small, rounded, and lack enamel, appearing uniformly gray.
What do mouse teeth look like? - in detail
Mice possess a distinctive dental architecture adapted for gnawing and processing solid food. The oral cavity contains a total of sixteen teeth: four continuously growing incisors (two upper, two lower) and twelve cheek teeth (six on each side, comprising premolars and molars).
Incisors are the most conspicuous elements. Each pair is chisel‑shaped, with a sharp, curved edge that tapers to a point. The front surface displays orange‑brown enamel, a result of iron pigments that harden the tooth and resist wear. The back surface consists of softer dentine, creating a self‑sharpening mechanism as the dentine wears faster than enamel. Length ranges from 2 to 4 mm in adult mice, and growth persists throughout life, requiring constant gnawing to prevent overgrowth.
Cheek teeth are smaller, brachyodont (low‑crowned), and lack the iron‑pigmented enamel of the incisors. Their crowns are white, composed of enamel over dentine, and exhibit a series of cusps arranged in a triangular pattern that facilitates grinding. Molar dimensions average 1–2 mm in width and 0.5–1 mm in height.
Key visual characteristics:
- Color: orange‑brown enamel on incisors; white enamel on molars.
- Shape: curved, chisel‑like incisors; low, multi‑cusp molars.
- Surface texture: smooth enamel on the labial side of incisors; rougher dentine on the lingual side; cusped grinding surfaces on molars.
- Size: incisors 2–4 mm long; molars 1–2 mm wide.
- Growth pattern: incisors exhibit hypselodont (ever‑growing) morphology; molars are static after eruption.
These features collectively give mouse dentition its recognizable appearance: prominent, orange‑tinged front teeth that continually extend, complemented by a compact set of white grinding teeth at the rear of the jaw.